Sumpter board wrestles with ways to clean up the parks, fix docks

After a dock was damaged at Banotai Park over the last week end in June, Sumpter Township Supervisor Tim Bowman got out his heavy equipment and tore it down because he said it couldn’t be fixed.
At the June 28 meeting of the township board of trustees there were many comments on the poor condition of Banotai Park and the vandalism that ruins the park for the public.
During the workshop session before the regular meeting, Trustee Peggy Morgan said she wanted to talk about the parks.
“We need someone there on weekends,” she said, noting the fishing pier was vandalized and the supervisor took it out of the water. She asked if it was irreparable and couldn’t they at least have put a caution tape around it.
“There was no fixing the dock,” replied Supervisor Tim Bowman.
“I’d like the board to have some cleaning up there,” Trustee Morgan said. She said the beach needs cleaning up and people use it for a bathroom. “We’ve talked about it for years and we need to move forward.”
Trustee Matthew Oddy said he was glad the supervisor took out the dock and, “It was a danger for years … Wood only last so long before it rots out.” He said the supervisor is making plans to improve the parks. Oddy reminded board members the park volunteers are an unpaid group.
Supervisor Bowman said the parks are already in plans that he will bring to the board. He called for better construction that will last a long time.
“Make sure the bathrooms are cleaned a couple of times a day, especially in the summer,” Trustee Morgan said.
During public comment at the regular meeting, Sharon Pokerwinski, who serves as Parks and Recreation Commission member and parks manager, said Bowman said a year ago that he would fix the dock. She said she got a grant from Wayne County for fixing it and now the county is withdrawing the grant because it doesn’t want to pay for a new dock.
Pokerwinski said after the Memorial Day weekend, the park was atrocious and a fence was down, “and the supervisor did it.”
“Parks and Rec isn’t here to clean up the park,” she said. “We’re here to put on events… Nobody is cleaning the parks.” She said $17,707 is the most they got from the county in grants.
“I really feel sorry for our residents,” she said, noting a family had their dogs out there and all the no-dog signs were gone except one. She asked if they should get new ones, since those were just put up.
“Parks and Rec. is ready to do our events, but we need the parks cleaned,” Pokerwinski said.
Trustee Oddy said the supervisor removed the dock because it was unsafe and the township should follow up on that. It couldn’t be renovated, he said.
Pokerwinski said the county is not going the give Sumpter the money.
“They’re renovating the old dock, not putting in a new dock,” Oddy said, adding someone should explain that to the county.
Clerk Esther Hurst said the docks were put in in the 1990s and they are old docks put up when Marvin Banotai was supervisor.
Oddy said he believed they went up in 2014.
During her public comments, resident Mary Ban told Supervisor Bowman, “I think you prevented a lawsuit – if somebody falls on the dock and breaks a leg.”
Trustee Tim Rush, board liaison to Parks and Rec., said at 3:09 p.m., Sunday, June 26, he got a call on the phone from Police Officer Bart Devos, Jr., about the damaged railing on the main platform. Something had to be done and so Supervisor Bowman went out with his excavator and removed the dock.
Trustee Rush said as he was leaving the park, two recreational vehicles operated by juveniles sped into the park did donuts and then sped out of the parking area, dusting his truck and other vehicles. He said Officer Devos pursued them and caught them. He said the two had been a menace for some time.
Rush said there is drinking, trash, dogs on the beach, vandalism, and theft at the park. Signs are gone. He said he picked up 20 beer cans, some floating in the water. He said most of the visitors were from out of town.
Rush said he could write specifications for a closed-circuit camera and they could go out for bids or there could be daily supervision. He said not to put it on the police department, who come out there when needed.
Parks and Rec member Donna Stewart said Chief Eric Luke had suggested that at a Parks and Rec meeting years ago.
Pokerwinski said somebody went through the butterfly habitat and moved the bench there into the weeds. It has been moved back.
“I just want to get the parks back to where they were before,” Pokerwinski said.
Trustee Don LaPorte said there is clearly a need for attention to the parks. He suggested asking DPW Director John Danci to check with neighboring communities on how they handle their parks. “We need to know what our needs are before we go writing checks for closed-circuit cameras,” he said.
“I have a plan,” Supervisor Bowman reminded them, and Trustee LaPorte asked when it will be announced.
“When I come up with the plan, I’ll let the board know and the community know,” Bowman said.
LaPorte added that new signs also are needed at the fairgrounds. Oddy said they took the old sign off the senior center and he would like to see it put back. He said the previous township manager was looking into that.
When restricting access to the parks was suggested, Trustee Morgan said years ago she read that the township can’t keep people out of their parks and still get county grants.
Bowman suggested paid permits for people using the parks, with the township residents paying less than those from outside.
Pokerwinski said you can’t charge people from Wayne County if you are using county grants. She said most of the people who use Banotai Park are from Detroit, Ypsilanti, Monroe, and Jackson. She said she talks to the people and asks where they are from and just a handful are from Sumpter.
“Part of the plan is to have somebody there all the time,” Bowman said.