VBT Clerk urges voters to drop their absentee ballots off at the township

“There is a problem going on with the post office and we are encouraging people to drop off their absentee ballots in the drop box in front of township hall,” said Clerk Leon Wright at the July 21 regular meeting of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees.
It was held by Zoom because of the coronavirus.
Clerk Wright said his office will get the ballots the same day or the next day.
He said his office will be open Saturday, Aug. 1, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for voters to come in for absentee ballots and to vote, if desired. The primary election is set for Aug. 4.
Clerk Wright said 6,300 ballots were sent out to voters and there are 2,200 ballots in so far. He would like to get the ballots back early.
Wright said other clerks have reported there are a small amount of ballots coming in.
Trustee Paul White said a letter sent to him from Detroit took seven days to get to him. A letter sent from North Carolina took 31 days to be delivered.
In other business at the one-hour-and-54-minute meeting, the board:
• Approved the second, and final, reading of Ordinance 07-07-20 (1) to add clarifications to distinguish commercial and residental/non-commercial land uses in the C, Local Business, District with respect to maximum building size and clarify restrictions on dwellings in non-residential zoning districts. This clears up the zoning problems for the Hampton .Manor project at the corner of Tyler and Morton Taylor roads;
• Heard a 57-minute presentation and discussion on the draft 2020 Master Plan and then voted unanimously to send it out to neighboring jurisdictions and utilities for a 63-day review as required by the Michigan Planning Enabling Act (PA 33 of 2008). Adam Cook, a McKenna planning consultant, presented the 100-page document. After it is reviewed it will come back to the planning commission for a vote and then back to the township board for adoption;
•Approved, on a 6-1 vote, selection of low bidder Davenport Brothers Construction for the Outdoor Tennis and Pickleball Renovation Project for a total cost of $204,475. The project will put up two tennis courts and four pickleball courts with a divider fence at the corner of Beckley and Denton roads. Trustee White cast the only no vote. He objected to the lease of the property from Harbour Club for only ten years, since the township is spending so much money on renovations to the old tennis courts. Any improvement would go to them. White said a 50-year lease would be better for the township. “Harbour Club can schedule its residents for use of the courts,” he said. “What if they want 5-8 p.m., the most popular time?” White said the cost to the township amounts to $21,000 per year for five to six months of use per year. He said it would be a tremendous advantage to Harbour Club to schedule whatever they want for their own league. Elizabeth Renaud, executive assistant to the Public Services director, said the courts will be run by the township’s Parks and Recreation Department and, “It would be an amicable agreement” with Harbour Club on use of the courts. White still objected to spending township money for a private use, but Trustee Kevin Martin pointed out that Harbour Club residents are Van Buren Township residents. Supervisor Kevin McNamara said the township wanted a 15-year lease and they would only go with ten years and two, two-year extensions. “They are not sure what is going to happen in the next few years,” Supervisor McNamara said;
• Heard Public Service Director Matthew Best say the Iron Belle Trail, which will go by the pickleball courts, is still being worked on, but a lot of the grants are held up. The county is still going to pave the steep part of the trail in Van Buren Park and the Old Denton Road connector bridge with make the second connector to the park. Director Best said Harbour Club is working to find a use for the old golf course since it won’t be using it for golf. The township’s consultant for the Iron Belle Trail has been put in touch with Harbour Club to help. Harbour Club is considering making the old golf course into a major park with a trail system with a hiking trail system and interpretative signage, improving it as an amenity for residents. It is still in the planning stages, Best said, adding township residents will be able to use it; and
• Discussed the power outage that started the previous Sunday and on the day of the meeting, Tuesday, was continuing. Supervisor McNamara said the generator at township hall “pooped out yesterday and today.” He said the generator has been tested every week with loads on it and, “When we needed it, it wouldn’t work.” McNamara also said one of three main people at the township got COVID, “We shut down the whole building.” Trustee White said DTE can’t control the weather and he complimented them for the work they were doing. “I’m really not angry with DTE,” McNamara said, “But, I’m really, really, really unhappy with them.” Officials were going to look at the possibility to require underground wires for future construction, including Planning Residential Developments and site condos.