Good afternoon!
Pam MacKinnon went to the Caledonia township meeting and took some notes that she forwarded to me. I am happy to share them with you.
I attended the Caledonia Twp. meeting tonight and was very happy I did. It started with the pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and approval of the agenda. Next was Public Comment; a lady named Bettsy stood and gave a comment on ACCOA. It seems she had heard some things and wanted to find out more, so she went today and met Mr. Avery who she described as “BLACK”. She spoke of the 13.5-million-dollar grant (she knows the paper said 12.5- million but…) and how important it was for this housing to go through to house our police force. She said people didn’t want it because they are racist and that our seniors are at risk. She encouraged people to go to the next ACCOA board meeting on the 24th @ 10 a.m. she then stood to leave. I then stood and spoke truth to the audience assuring them that it was not a race issue and also encouraged them to come to the meeting so they can better understand the situation for themselves. I also asked her to please get more informed since she is trying to educate people. Next was Tim Gauthier and he has a problem with everything and everyone on the board. He addressed the bill for $6.25 he received for the FOIA he requested saying it wasn’t his responsibility for it, the board agreed to refund him. (He has filed 3 FOIA’s) There was a full board present, and each did their reports with not much to report other than what bills were paid and what needed to be paid. Jim F gave a report about trying to get the last marker for the unmarked veterans grave, he even called our governor. The zoning board, and attorney agreed there was no wrongdoing or violations concerning the sledding hill which was another complaint from Tim Gauthier. Terry Scott was there recording the meeting; and Tim Gauthier requested no names be mentioned in reports.
I attended the court proceedings on Monday about the Holcomb Creek, twp. property park and took notes but then we were sworn in as part of the proceedings and sworn in so we cannot comment until it is finalized. What I can say and will say is I’m a little discouraged on how the courts are handled. Have a blessed night. Pam
Also, there is a public meeting in Mikado Township this evening, Mikado Civic Center at 7:00pm. It seems there are some issues with the emergency services and the fire chief. If you live in Mikado Township and are interested in what is going on, please plan on attending. It is important that if we can get involved locally, that we do. 🙂
Bob and I went to the Harrisville township meeting on Tuesday. I was surprised as usually the meetings last about 15 minutes but we were there for almost an hour. All board members were present and Craig Johnston and Tony Atkinson were also in the audience. There was one land use permit for 2 sheds on M-72. The ordinance officer is making progress on the property on Clemens Rd. Kaylie wants to discuss renting the hall. Chad does not seem to want to do it stating they never make any money on the deal and Mikado township loses money when they rent out their hall. Four tax resolutions were passed – 2023A regarding a $12K asset level, 2023B property exemption guidelines, 2023C legalese from the state on how the assessor canvasses and 2023D personal property exemption policy. The planning commission has revised its bylaws adding that the board representative is a voting member. Recycle Alcona asked for $1K for May 20th 2023 tire recycling. Public comment – Bob Turek said he had heard at a previous meeting that the county commissioners don’t listen to the townships. He stated that we have a new commissioner now and that he hoped they would let him know how they feel about county issues. He used PILT funds as an example. I asked if the township had their solar ordinance in place. They said they are working on it. It’s been a year. Craig Johnston said he does care about what the township has to say. He talked about the land back and the blight cleanup. The board passed a resolution that they will participate in the blight resolution program. If they want to, they have to identify the blight they want to clean up. Chad asked what if the property owner would rather let the property sit instead of cleaning it up. There are consequences if they don’t. Craig also mentioned the DNR Spark grant that allows a township to build a recreation area or rehabilitate one that is in need of repair. The township does not own any property or rec areas that they would need a grant for.
The bills were paid with an additional $534 for board of review training. The meeting adjourned at around 7:50pm.
That’s it for now. Oh, Clark Construction, who was at the school board meeting is the same construction company that will be working on the ACCOA project. It’s curious how this is all put together.
Lisa
