Sumpter Township puts three properties up for bids, proposals for use

At its Oct. 26 regular zoom meeting the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees agreed to put three pieces of property it owns out for sealed bids and proposals for their uses.
The properties are one on Arkona and one adjoining on Martinsville and one behind the medical center on Sumpter Road.
The bids will go out Nov. 3 and are due back by 4 p.m., Dec. 3.
The supervisor’s office will prepare packets of information on the site, including property lines, property ID, and back taxes, and those packets can be picked up at the clerk’s office.
Clerk Esther Hurst said the properties will be advertised on MLive, online on The Eagle, at the property sites, and on the township webpage.
During the workshop session, Supervisor Tim Bowman reminded the board that they don’t have to approve offers.
Trustee Rush said the properties on Martinsville and Arkona are huge, Agricultural properties and the one behind the medical center is a large commercial parcel.
At a September meeting, Supervisor Bowman said he had received an offer to buy the 10 acres of commercial property for a 10,000-square-foot storage locker facility. This later was opposed by the owner of the residential parcel next door.
Bowman also said that that someone wants to buy the property at Martinsville and Arkona for a horse farm and has offered “a nice amount.”
In other business at the two-hour-and 40-minute meetings, the board:
• Approved on a 6-1 vote the job description of the Finance Director as reviewed by the Human Resources Committee, with Trustee Peggy Morgan voting no. Trustee Morgan disagreed with the proposed pay of $70,000 to $90,000 for somebody she thought would be part time;
• Tabled the proposal to purchase a BioAir system to remediate the odor at the 19729 Sumpter Road pump station, at the corner of Willis and Sumpter roads, for $85,100. Survey results showed 26 out of 27 found the smell to be intolerable. There was some discussion on the cost of the installation and cement pad and that the lead time for the equipment is 14 to 16 weeks so it could be done in the spring. Trustee Morgan said the trailer parks are bringing in homes and bringing in population and now that people are coming and the sewage started flowing, the property wouldn’t need this. She said in the past they were told there was a problem because not enough flow was going through. Trustee Tim Rush accused Trustee Morgan of asking an unfair question, since Jennifer Wagner, who was doing the presentation at the workshop, didn’t know what the township has. After Morgan replied, Rush asked the supervisor: “Whatever you want to do with this conversation,” insinuating Supervisor Bowman should shut Morgan down. The newly hired DPW Director John Danci called the situation an “urgent matter” and recommended, “This unit needs to start operating”;
• Approved requesting the planning commission consider, develop, and recommend an amendment to the zoning ordinance providing for the creation of a zoning district for Care Giver Operations under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act of 2008. Trustee Matt Oddy said the MMMA required licenses for all caregivers and had to be done in industrial districts. He said the Michigan Township Association recommended townships repeal the zoning ordinance and license for MMMA requirements, and it did. Then several cases came out and the townships do have right to zone. He said township attorney Rob Young, who was not present at this meeting, recommended reinstituting the zoning ordinance for this. He said the legislature currently is looking at bills on growing for more than one person in an industrial district. He said the old rules may be superceded by what is happening. He said provisionary centers are legal and the township has the right to zone where caregivers are, other than their primary residences;
• Approved hiring Michelle Thornsberry for a temporary Human Resources contract at a rate of $27 an hour for no more than 125 hours beginning Nov. 3. The official contract will be presented at the Nov. 9 board meeting;
• Approved a phone system replacement for $13,480. Cole explained this is an upgrade to the system, not a replacement, and they have been working on it for 12 to 18 months. It will connect all buildings and this is the last part and now they can make calls to the fire department and department of public works. This is for purchase of phones and the township will own them and the system. Trustee Oddy said the total spent was less than $25,000 and there is a savings of $50,000;
• Approved adding services with Comerica for Integrated Payables Module at no additional cost to the township, but using $5,731.80 of the township’s statement credits. The bank will be writing the checks and sending them out;
• Approved a month-to-month contract with Davey for $1,500 to park up to six trucks on the property lot adjacent to township hall. Trustee Oddy said they were on township property previously using the property at no cost;
• Approved recognizing AFSCME Floating Holidays identified as Nov. 12, 2021 and Dec. 24, 2021 through Jan. 3, 2022. AFSCME employees will utilize paid time off available for Dec. 28, 29, and 30, 2021;
• Extended temporary payroll from 8 to 16 weeks and not changing the amount;
• Heard Clerk Hurst say the township received a $7,350 grant, which was delayed because some steps were done incorrectly. She said it was for tire removal and once they got the grant, they broke even;
• Heard Township Administrator Michelle Cole said the examination by Hennessey Engineers to see what the water system needs is not done, but they came up with a top project that needs to be done: finishing off water mains at Karr and Arkona. She said the Willow Road water line had nine breaks in the last few years. It was installed in the 1960s and is a delicate line. Cost to fix is $1.5 million. She said Clark Road to Willis is a dead end and they need to provide a loop, which is estimated at $1.1 million. The Arkona watermain loop is closed off and will take $600,000 to fix. She said water line replacements are needed on seven streets and cost estimate is $1.5 million. She said it will take four to six weeks for a detailed plan;
• Heard Cole also report the newsletter committee met and a newly designed newsletter will be ready in spring 2022;
• Heard Supervisor Bowman ask trustees to email him five goals or objectives so they can come together and plan future goals. He asked them to tell him “What we’d like to do in Sumpter Township in the next five years”; and
• After the meeting adjourned, and was still zooming live, heard Trustee Morgan say to Trustee Rush, “I don’t need you to tell me what to ask.” Trustee Rush replied, “Send me an email.” Morgan countered, “You heard me” and the meeting coverage ended.