Virginia Belinski resigns from Sumpter Township Planning Commission

Virginia Belinski’s resignation from the Sumpter Township Planning Commission was accepted by the township board at its regular, in-person meeting on Aug. 11.
Clerk Esther Hurst said Belinski has moved out of the township and is living Up North.
Supervisor John Morgan said they should get a plaque, “something nice,” to give to Belinski for her years of service. He directed Deputy Supervisor Karen Armatis to make sure Belinski gets the plaque.
Supervisor Morgan appointed Bart Patterson to fill the vacancy and the board unanimously approved the appointment. His term is until Jan. 12, 2021.
Patterson was invited to introduce himself and he said he has lived in the township for 24 years and has been a licensed builder for 37 years, first being licensed when he was 17 years old.
He said he told the supervisor he would be glad to help the township in any way and to give him a call if he could help.
In other business at the Aug. 11 meeting, the board:
• Heard Trustee Don LaPorte request a credit card purchasing policy be set up for the police department. He asked a committee be formed including department heads and the financial director and a policy be set up in line with the township’s purchasing policy. This should be brought back to the board for review, he said;
• Heard Trustee Tim Rush tell the story of Jo Gardner being stung by 25 bees at Sherwood Park the previous Saturday. They called 911 and the police were there in three minutes, followed by the fire fighters and EMS. Gardner thanked the first responders and said the many stings were toxic and she was going into shock and they stabilized her. She said it lasted a couple of days. She was working on the Butterfly Garden and now she’s back working on the project;
• Heard Sharon Pokerwinski said they need more volunteers for the parks and they need to get new signs to announce dogs can’t go in the water because the former signs disappeared;
• Heard Donald Basham complain about two businesses and the apartments at the corner of Savage and Bemis roads, since there is no handicapped parking, problems with entries from the streets, and the apartments need wider staircases for safety. He said he asked about this last year and he got no answers. He said the ordinance officer told him it was none of his business. Supervisor Morgan said they could look into it. Trustee Rush said the ordinance officer had looked into it in the past, but they could have him take a second look. “We’ll get some answers for you,” Supervisor Morgan said. Basham also said he didn’t think a shop that repaired appliances was essential and it shouldn’t be open;
• Heard Eric Partridge comment that it is hard to find postings of bids being sought for township projects. He said he found one because Ken Kunka let him know. He said there were no public postings for bids on the new newspaper of record and he’s been checking. “I don’t know where to find them,” he said of the legal notices. Deputy Supervisor Armatis called out a response from the back of the room that could not be heard on the video recording of the meeting. Partridge said he knows one project was over the $10,000 cost that required bids. There were comments back and forth and Partridge left the podium where he had been speaking into the microphone. “Point of order,” called out Trustee Rush. “We can’t have this at a board meeting… intimidating that woman seated there in the audience…” Supervisor Morgan agreed, “If you want to stay here, you have to calm down.” Partridge left the meeting shortly thereafter; and
• Heard Mary Ban praise the police and fire departments who “are there when you need them.” She noted Sumpter is the 52nd safest community in Michigan. She also again asked about cutting the brush along the side of the road to increase visibility and safety. She also asked the township to paint a marker on the sloping cement at the back door of township hall to avoid people falling.
Treasurer Ken Bednark and Trustee Matt Oddy were absent and excused from the meeting, leaving a quorum of five at the board table. At least 11 other individuals were in the audience, making a total of at least 16 in the meeting room.
Gov. Whitmer’s Executive Order 2020-154 allows alternative means to conduct government business during the COVID-19 pandemic and Executive Order 2020-160 limits statewide indoor gatherings to 10 people or less.