Banks Township Board Meeting

Monday April 20, 2009

1. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 P.M. by Supervisor Thomas Mann. Present were Supervisor Mann, Clerk Donna Heeres, Treasurer Katy Postmus, Trustee Marvin Rubingh, and Trustee Mark DeKorne. Also present: Fire Chief Mark Groenink, Zoning Administrator Andy Veenstra, Sheriff Dan Bean, Judy VanderArk, Janet Koch. Jay Peck arrived at 8:12 PM.

2. Supervisor Mann opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and Trustee DeKorne offered prayer.

3. The minutes of the March Regular Board meeting were presented. MOTION Mann, Postmus, CARRIED to approve the minutes as presented.

4. The treasurer’s report of incomes and balances was given. General Fund Balance: $378,899.31 with $80,000 due from the Fire Fund; Fire Fund Balance: $106,979.05; Roads Fund Balance: $101,566.46; Liquor Fund Balance: $1302.36; Grand Total: $588,744.18.

5. Public Comment: Sheriff Dan Bean addressed the Board and pointed out that 911 checks were up to 13 and traffic stops up to 26 within the township during the month of March. The increase in traffic stops shows an increased presence of officers within the township. He announced that his office is now open 8 AM to 5 PM with two new employees after one resignation and one retirement. He reported on investigations in progress in the break-ins in five area churches.

6. Cemeteries: DeKorne reported that the crews have begun work. Groenink reported that shingles have blown off the storage building at Ellsworth Cemetery. Judy VanderArk reported plans for work at the cemeteries & park this summer. She reported that Pete is no longer able to work due to his health. She reported that the water tank at the Atwood Cemetery is rusted. Rubingh offered to find another plastic tank, expected cost approximately $100. Question of replacing the fence on the south side of the Atwood Cemetery arose. DeKorne will contact the adjacent property owner to locate survey stakes and discuss fencing. There are two trees, a beech and a maple, at the Antrim City Cemetery that need to come down. Judy requested this be done in the fall of 2009. There are several monuments at Antrim City and Catholic Cemeteries that need repair or re-setting. Clerk to contact Patton Monument to see if they will do this work when in the area to set a monument. The board approved continuing to use Wayne Bartlett for septic tank pumping at the park. MOTION Heeres, Mann, CARRIED to purchase 6 wire baskets for the cemeteries, one leaf blower and one string trimmer. We will offer for silent auction on Clean Up Day 1 riding mower, blowers, trimmers and other items that are no longer needed. Park could use another picnic table and two benches are needed for the cemeteries. Clerk will obtain price quotes for May meeting. Park Driveway Repairs: Bids received from Heeres Excavating for $780 and from Groenink’s for $1999.80. The Groenink bid includes soil erosion permit and silt fence and a thicker layer of gravel. MOTION Mann, DeKorne, CARRIED to award the bid to Groenink’s.

7. Ambulance: Jay Peck of the East Jordan Ambulance Service presented the new ambulance vehicle to the board. He noted that the involvement of 6 townships with the City of East Jordan and a grant from the USDA for $32,000 made the purchase of this vehicle possible.

8. Zoning Administrator: Veenstra reported there have been only 2 permits issued so far in 2009.

9. Community Garage Sales: Discussion regarding common areas and advertising venues.

10. Fire Dept: Chief Groenink reported that he continues to gather information in preparation for obtaining bids on replacement of cabinets in the meeting room at the Ellsworth Fire Hall. To be included in the project is complete painting of the room. He presented a bid of $2250 from T&M Insulation of Gaylord to blow in insulation in the attic, install proper ventilation and increase to R-45. Some areas of the attic have only about 6 inches of insulation. A second vendor did not submit a bid. Two bids for replacement of the heating system that has been functioning poorly and is over 20 years old were submitted. A bid from MacGregor Plumbing & Heating was for $7738 and included re-routing the vent through the roof. A bid from Drenth Plumbing & Heating was for $5400 and included re-routing the vent through the north wall. Two bids for replacement of damaged steel around the existing heat system vent were received. CDS bid was for $1287 and Person Construction for $790. MOTION Mann, Postmus, CARRIED to hire Drenth Plumbing & Heating for $5400 to replace the heating system. MOTION Mann, Heeres, CARRIED to hire T&M Insulation to blow in insulation in the attic as per the bid. MOTION Heeres, Postmus, CARRIED to hire Person Construction to replace the damaged steel on the west wall of the Ellsworth Fire Hall with pieces from the north end (to match) and replace the steel on the north end with new. Discussion regarding changing to digital phone system at the fire hall was held. Cost of $99 for setup and $20 a month for up to 200 minutes through COLI Communications. MOTION Mann, Heeres, CARRIED to have the clerk investigate and change to digital service.

11. Fire Dept Grants: Katelyn Seaney & Jessica Pleak of the Ellsworth High School are writing a grant application to FEMA for a brush truck. Grants are also available through FEMA & Homeland Security for energy savings projects.

12. Fire Dept: Chief Groenink reported Darrell Richards has joined the department. He lives on Six Mile Lake Road and will begin Firefighter I training in the future.

13. Par Plan Risk Assessment: Report was received and distributed to the Board for review.

14. Personal Property Taxes: Postmus reported there are 12 outstanding personal property tax bills, and increase from 5-6 in prior years. She requested permission to contact the attorney for direction. MOTION Heeres, DeKorne, CARRIED to grant her permission to contact the attorney on this issue.

15. School Tax Collection agreement: Completed & signed by Postmus & Mann. No fee to be levied for collection and school will waive rights to interest & penalties.

16. Bills represented by the attached list were presented for approval for payment. MOTION DeKorne, Rubingh, CARRIED to approve the bills as presented.

17. Website Design: Two proposals have been received. Deepwater Design, Janet Koch owner, submitted proposal for $100 per quarter for up to 5 hours. This would be monthly maintenance and some revamping as time permits. Additional hours would be billed at $40 per hour. Vanessa Rubingh submitted proposal for $20 per hour with estimate of 12-17 hours for re-design and 1-2 hours per month for maintenance. Rubingh declared a conflict of interest and will abstain from the voting. MOTION Postmus, DeKorne, CARRIED to award the contract to Vanessa Rubingh with the additional stipulation of 1-2 hours per month for maintenance @ $20 per hour and the re-design to be done @ $20 per hour not to exceed $600.

18. Phragmites: Ordinance as prepared by legal counsel Bryan Graham was reviewed. Notices of the Public Hearing on May 18 will be sent to all property owners in the township, in conjunction with notices for the Planning Commission Public Hearing on May 11. Clerk will contact Heidi Lang & JF Neu to get the project set up. The Public Hearing will be at 7:30 PM with the regular township board meeting to follow.

19. Planning Commission: Wind Turbine Siting: Bryan Graham & Mary Campbell are revamping the language after the PC rejected their first draft. Lot Splits and lot sizes have been brought to the attention of the PC as an obstacle to growth within the township. Public Hearing will be held on May 11 on the proposed map and district changes. Notices will be sent to 100% of township property owners, published in the newspaper, posted in 4-5 prominent areas of the community and sent to surrounding townships (includes township boards & parcels within 300 feet). The PC is reviewing the requirements of the Planning Enabling Act of 2008 for compliance.

20. Election Inspectors: MOTION Heeres, Mann, CARRIED to approve the slate of inspectors as appointed by the Elections Commission for the May 5, 2009, School Election.

21. Pig Roast: MOTION Postmus, Mann, CARRIED to approve the committee members for the 2009 Pig Roast and sponsor the kids games/inflatables with $500 cost. Committee: Donna Heeres, Joni Wieland, Louise Alfred, Jan Olach, Susie Collins, Erin Nichols, Alana Haley, Patti Howes and others.

22. Supervisor Report: Breezeway: Supervisor Mann reported on the progress with farmers markets, the Cruise night, & signage. He plans to attend the NLEA luncheon on May 11. The State of the Community will be held Thursday May 21 @ 7 PM @ the Ellsworth High School Library. Mann & Sheriff Bean met with the Historical Society and presented plans for sheriff substation in the BTHS building.

23. Clean Up Day: May 9, 7:30 AM to Noon. Everything is in order. It was announced that a new waste hauler has started business in Ellsworth. Very competitive rates.

24. Info Items: MTA County Chapter meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, 2009 @ 7:30 PM in Bellaire. Senator Jason Allen is the speaker. Repairs have been made to the outside water faucet on the Historical Society building and the water heater during the spring opening of the building.

25. Next meeting will be Monday, May 18 @ 7:30 PM. Public Hearings on the Phragmites Ordinance will be held first, followed by the regular meeting.

26. The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Donna L. Heeres

Banks Township Clerk