VBT approves new playscape, pavilion for Van Buren Park

Van Buren Park will be getting a new playscape and pavilion next spring.
At the regular meeting of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees on Sept. 5, the board voted unanimously to purchase the playground equipment, at a cost not to exceed $70,000, from Snider Recreation, Inc.
The play equipment is being paid for through federal Community Development Block Grant funds that must be spent by Oct. 13. The equipment must be delivered to the Van Buren Park pole barn by Oct. 11 to be stored until spring when it will be installed.
Matthew Best, deputy director of planning and economic development, said Developmental Services and the Parks and Recreation Department have recommended purchasing the playground equipment to meet this deadline.
The township’s new engineers, Fishbeck, Thompson, Huber and Carr, were rushed to get the specifications ready for bidding and then bidding was rushed, having to publish in The Ann Arbor News on Sunday, Aug. 27, with the call for bidders published in the Independent, the township’s newspaper of record, on Aug. 31, the day before the 10 a.m., Sept. 1 deadline. Since the CDBG money available was $70,000, the two bidders bid $70,000 each.
Best said the play equipment has a nature theme with dual slides, four sets of swings, and is able to be expanded in pods. The 12 inches of certified mulch is estimated at $3,800 and is in the budget for the installation charge in the spring.
He said a second batch of $100,000 in CDBG funds has to be spent by the second or third week in December. That will be for the pavilion that will replace the park’s Pavilion #2. The pavilion pieces will be stored in the pole barn, as well, over the winter for spring assembling.
“A lot of changes are being done in Washington,” said Supervisor Kevin McNamara. “If you don’t spend this money, they take it back.”
He commended the staff and engineers for getting the bids in five days.
“We have to take advantage of what we have right now,” said Trustee Sherry Frazier, referring to the available CDBG funds.
Trustee Paul White pointed out that the CDBG funds are not “free money” but are taxpayer funds that are paid to Washington that come back and are distributed by Wayne County.
Van Buren Park is open to the public, but users have to pay to get in. Cost is $5 daily for residents and $7 for non-residents; annual $15 for residents and $20 for non-residents; and annual $8 for seniors.
In other business at the 40-minute regular VBT meeting, the board:
• Approved the Stormwater Maintenance Agreement between the township and Belleville Development, at 46418 N. I-94 Service Dr., as required by Wayne County. This agreement designates that the property owner will be responsible for and maintain the Stormwater facilities at Towne Place Suites. John Delaney suggested from the audience later that former Trustee Jeff Jahr get with the board members to set up opposition to the county’s requirement, as he tried to do for eight years;
• Heard Trustee White announce, in response to a letter sent by C.J. Marshall to board members, that he had paid for the drive between his home and his township office when supervisor and paid $3,938 to the township. That was when he took over use of the leased vehicle used by the previous supervisor. There are records in the clerk’s office to prove that, he said. He also said that he had reimbursed the township for the three lunches he acquired during the budget meetings. He brought a check to the treasurer’s office for all the box lunches purchased, which had been paid for with township funds which he felt was unlawful, but Treasurer Sharry Budd refused to accept the check. She accepted his check, however, for the lunch he ate and the two he took home that were left over;
• Approved upgrading the board members’ Airpad 2’s with 7.9” screen and 16 GB memory to Apple Pro’s with 12.9” screen and 256 GB memory at an estimated total cost of $7,972.58. The Airpads will be traded in for a credit of $150 each. The cost includes $99 accidental hardware coverage, Apple pencil, Apple case, document highlight software, and annual subscription fee of $70. The upgrading was on the Consent Agenda and not discussed at the meeting;
• Approved the 2018 Holiday Schedule for closing of township hall 16 days for holidays (including five days for Christmas) as recognized in the Salaried Employee Benefits Manual, AFSCME Local 236 and POLC contracts;
• Removed from the agenda approval of the 2018 Board of Trustees meeting schedule because Trustee Reggie Miller said she believes some of the April dates conflict with the planned conference of the Michigan Township Association;
• Heard John Delaney ask about the fifth version of the host community landfill agreement that was pending with Waste Management. Supervisor McNamara said the township audited WM’s books, created a catalog from all the landfill agreements in Michigan, and gathered other information for board members. “We know what they make. We know what the figures are,” he said, adding WM wants to get a deal done and there are nine years left to the present landfill. He said the wetlands permits they need will take time to get done. “We’re not giving up anything”; and
• Heard Delaney praise the board members for their work that day. The work/study session started at 4 p.m. and the regular meeting started at 7 p.m. and board members were in session from 4 p.m. until the end of the regular meeting at 7:40 p.m. The work/study and regular meetings were on the same day because of the Labor Day holiday.