Sumpter Township board votes to demolish entire fairgrounds

The Sumpter Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its Oct. 12 regular zoom meeting to go out for bids for the demolition of everything at the fairgrounds.
The idea was brought up by Trustee Tim Rush who said that the bleachers on the west side of the fairgrounds are condemned and the tower for announcements is unsafe.
Supervisor Tim Bowman said Chris Brinkmeier inspected it and found it in really bad shape.
Trustee Rush said he witnessed two people fall through the bleacher at the last Sumpter Fest.
Trustee Don LaPorte said if it is condemned, they should have the DPW supervisor get three bids.
“I want to see everything torn down,” Rush said.
“Absolutely. It’s an eyesore at this time,” Supervisor Bowman agreed, adding that he and his son walked through the site recently.
Trustee Matt Oddy said they had to section off a whole part of it at the last festival. He said two Sumpter Fests that had to be canceled have taken their toll.
Rush said Parks and Recreation did try to get a grant for a new fence. He said the late Alan Bates left a significant amount of money for a new fence.
“Just tear it all down,” Rush said.
Clerk Esther Hurst said the bleachers were built in the early ‘90s and deteriorated over the years.
Rush said it was built of wood and new ones should be metal.
“It’d be better to replace it all,” Rush said, recommending to start as soon as possible.
The proposal was added to the agenda as item E at the regular meeting and then approved unanimously.
In other business at the township meeting, the board:
• Approved modifying the deadline for new agenda item requests and reports to 4 p.m. Tuesday, prior to the board meeting date. The clerk’s office will adjust this timeline by holidays and other scheduling conflicts;
• Approved on a 6-1 vote establish a property offering policy and procedure with Trustee Peggy Morgan voting no. Township attorney Rob Young said the staff will put together packages on the first two parcels of township land to be offered for proposals, their legal descriptions, zonings, tax records and all the information will be ready for the next meeting;
• Approved Wayne County Annual Permits for 2022, which Clerk Esther Hurst said is required every year;
• Heard Bowman say he has appointed John Hennessey as a township hearing officer;
• Approved hiring Carl Piasecki, 23, of Wyandotte as a full-time police officer contingent on him passing physical and psychological examinations and a drug test. He graduated in November 2020 from the Wayne County Regional Police Academy at Schoolcraft College. He graduated, from Wyandotte Roosevelt High School before earning an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Schoolcraft College. He will replace Officer Sean Hudson, who plans to resign and move out of state once Cpl. Colleen Gottschalk returns from medical leave near the end of the year. The board agreed with Chief Eric Luke to start the new officer at the six-month pay scale;
• Heard Clerk Hurst say she understands the museum in Belleville is closing. Township Administrator Michelle Cole said she called Van Buren Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara and he said a permanent decision has not been made to close it or do upgrades. Cole said McNamara said he would notify Sumpter of a meeting on the issue. Rush said the township has a lot of artifacts at the museum and the township can reclaim them. Supervisor Bowman said, “I think Sumpter Township artifacts should be in Sumpter Township. If they are here, they’d have to visit us”;
• Discussed Trustee Morgan’s request to put township meetings on channel 12 again so people without computers or smartphones can see them;
• Discussed Trustee LaPorte’s question about when the board will go back to meeting in public session. He said he has been getting many calls from residents. Morgan agreed, saying she’d like to go back to public meetings and people could wear masks. Clerk Hurst said she thinks they decided to the end of the year and Oddy asked the records be checked because there had been a lot of going public and then closing so he’s unsure of what they had decided; and
• Heard Chief Luke say the township population is rising by 20-25% because of all the new mobile homes being put into the Holiday West, Holiday Woods, and Rawsonville Woods parks. He said he guessed at first that they all would be filled in two years, but it looks like it will be sooner. Luke said they will have to hold a strategic planning session on the numbers. LaPorte said the township will have to define the needs.