Sumpter to host concert on Oct. 24, Trunk or Treat on Oct. 25

At the Sept. 23 meeting of the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees, Nicole VanAssche of the Parks and Recreation Committee announced two special events that were coming up in the township.
She said there will be a concert featuring The Stone Blossoms from 7-10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, behind the Community Center and there will be a Halloween Trunk or Treat event for children from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the police department parking lot.
In other business at the one-hour-and-38-minute meeting, the board:
• Accepted the resignation of Paul Armstrong from the planning commission, effective immediately;
• Approved a contract with Revize as webhost for the township website at a cost of $3,025 a year;
• Approved buying four benches, five recycled plastic trash receptacles, and separately contract with Rod Porter Construction to install 138 feet of handicap sidewalk to provide safe access to the new playscape, with the total cost not to exceed $18,330 to be paid from Capital Projects funds. There was discussion that it was to be paid with a MEDC matching grant to reimburse part of the purchase;
• Approved the amount of the tax levy on form L4029 to be sent to Wayne County as required by the last day of September so it could be on the December tax bill. This also was placed on the agenda during the meeting;
• Heard resident Kay Harris say she keeps asking for a fire wall to protect her from the car yard next door because it is the same company that applied to build a supermarket and the township was bamboozled and a gas station appeared. That company is not known for following the rules, she said;
• Heard a report from Tiffany Neubig of Hennessey Engineering and another report from finance director Julie Campbell. Campbell said for an additional cost she could set up clocking in and out for salaried employees so their days off are recorded automatically. She said she wasn’t here when the system was set up;
• Heard township manager Ken Marten say the township’s logo committee met with the contractor and there are four potential logo options to replace the present longtime logo that now is on the front of the board table. He said he sent the options to the board and they can be discussed at a future meeting;
• Heard DPW director Tabor say he is buying 20 grinder pumps needed for residents’ sewer systems and getting that amount saves more than $200 each. He said some of the old grinder pumps can no longer be repaired. He also thanked the board for hiring a full-time replacement worker. It was noted his part-time worker’s job expires Oct. 7. He said he would like to keep him on as long as possible because he is a good worker. The worker is going to school to become a nuclear engineer and eventually will leave township employment, Tabor said;
• Heard Wayne County Sheriff’s Department representative Stephanie Richards say she has sent sheriff’s cars into the township on Tuesdays or Thursdays, as the township has requested more sheriff’s cars when she last visited. When board members asked about what the cars she sent look like, she said they could send out mounted horses, with enough notice, or a truck with reserves, if they desired;
• Heard treasurer Patterson say he has been working with a resident who failed to pay his personal property tax since 2017. He has paid $3,000 over the past six months and most of the money goes to the county or the school district. He asked for approval to waive the township tax involved and the board approved; and
• Went into a 27-minute closed session concerning the attorney’s client-privileged June letter to the township board and then went back into open session and voted to direct attorney Rob Young to take action as suggested in closed session.