Township Board Minutes – April 26, 2012 (Special Meeting)

Helena Township Board Meeting

April 26, 2012 (*regular meeting held later in month)

 

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Penny Wagner and pledge of allegiance was said.   Present: Wagner, Peterson, Gurr, Teague and Rice. Motion to approve agenda with changes by Rice and support by Gurr, motion carried.

Conflict of Interest: None

Public Comment: None

Approval of minutes: Wagner made motion to approve the minutes with support by Gurr and motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report: Township beginning balance as March1, 2012              $453,278.27

Receipts              $10,492.48

General Fund Disbursements             $18,204.02

Cemetery & Bldg.          $8,194.29

Ambulance Millage    $44,282.09

Total Disbursements                       $70,680.40                                                          

                           TOTAL BANK BALANCE as of March 31, 2012            $393,090.35

Motion to approve treasurer’s report by Wagner, support by Teague; motion carried.

Presentation of bills: Township: March 1-31, 2012: $59,654.06 and April 1-26, 2012: $10,136.68

Speakers: Residents of North Cemetery Road (Stimpson, Nicholson, McCleary, VanHoff, and Colianni) read letters reporting that Cemetery Road, from Helena Road North to the cemetery, continues to have:

  • poor driving conditions (slippery) due to too much clay being added by the road

commission

  • dangerous when frozen and not sanded until the afternoons
  • dusty during the summer
  • suggestion to pave 100 feet of Cemetery Road both North and South of the intersection of

Cemetery Road and Helena road

Wagner to obtain estimate from road commission for improved maintenance of Cemetery road from Helena Road to second drive North end of the Helena Township Cemetery.

Communications: Read letter from the Friends of the Library requesting that improved hand drying is needed for the public restrooms at the community center. No action taken by the township board.

Committee reports: Zoning administrator. Molby gave report.

Planning Commission: Gurr reported that the Planning Commission identified a few additional small changes in the final draft of the zoning ordinance changes.

Ambulance authority: Teague reported that there is now a 40 year prepaid lease with the ambulance authority and Mancelona Village.

Parks & Recreation: Ruth Smith gave report. Main objective is to develop a Master Plan.

Old business: Peterson presented board with designs for a Helena Township Cemetery sign to be placed at the cemetery on posts.   Discussion followed. Rice made the motion to approve the purchase of the sign that measures 48 inches in length and 18 inches tall for $210.00 from Pro-Image and motion carried.

   Peterson presented board with a request for 250 aluminum markers for marking the cemetery lots per the request of the sexton. Wagner made the motion to purchase 250 markers for $260.00 with support by Teague and motion carried.

Peterson presented board with language for a policy for persons who inherit Helena Township Cemetery lots. Teague made the motion to adopt the policy for rules for persons inheriting Helena Township Cemetery lots supported by Wagner and motion carried.

Peterson presented board with language for the renewal of the Community Center millage proposal of 0.75 mills to be submitted for the August primary. Wagner made the motion with support by Gurr to renew the community center millage proposal for ten years; 2012-2022 and motion carried.

Wagner presented board with road maintenance projects for discussion.   Rice made the motion to do South Cemetery road gravel maintenance per road commission’s estimate and for Wagner to obtain an estimate on North Cemetery road (from Helena Road to the second drive (North) at the Helena Township Cemetery) with support by Peterson and motion carried.

New Business: Wagner informed board that the spring cleanup will be Saturday, June 9th at the Depot in Alden. It was the consensus of the board to agree to the contract for the spring cleanup.

   Roof bids were discussed and comments heard from one of the bidders.   Discussion followed and bids discussion tabled until May’s board meeting. Wagner is pursuing a grant option.

Zoning ordinance changes discussed. Wagner made the motion to approve and adopt changes to the zoning ordinance with support by Teague. Roll call vote taken; Rice aye, Peterson aye, Gurr aye, Teague aye, and Wagner aye.

Wagner presented board with a resolution for the pension plan which would include HEART and WRERA required by the IRS. Peterson made the motion for this resolution with support by Wagner and motion carried.

Peterson presented board with map of Helena Township with road end public accesses marked along with other township parks. An Alden events calendar was proposed by Peterson. The board decided by consensus to print 500 copies of the map and events calendar. These would be handed out to Alden businesses before Memorial Day.

Peterson presented the board with a request to continue with the resurveying of township properties; Depot Park and Valley Street road end, the community center, the ball park and the empty lot South of the Alden lumber yard. Wagner made the motion to continue with the resurveying of the four Township properties with support by Teague and motion carried.

Peterson presented board with concept for creating a parking area below the tennis court park. Discussion followed. Wagner to contact Rd. Commission on status of the road usage by the township. No action taken by board.

Peterson presented board with reimbursement policy for employees and members of the planning commission, ZBA, and board of appeals. Discussion followed with two changes to policy language. Rice made the motion, supported by Teague, to accept the reimbursement policy with changes.

Peterson recommended that when the portable toilets are placed that there be a second one placed at the Depot park. The board decided by consensus to place two portable toilets at the Alden Harbor, two at the Depot park and one at the ball park as well as a six yard dumpster at the Depot.

Peterson recommended to the board that an off site backup for the township computer be set up with Carbonite. Rice made the motion to have Deputy Clerk Bonnie Robbins set up with Carbonite backup for the Township computer with support by Wagner and motion carried.

Peterson presented board with estimate from Pete’s Contracting to repair four cracked welds where arms of the wooden floating docks attach to the large steel arm along the sea wall. Wagner made the motion to accept the estimate for $1500.00 to repair the four cracked welds with support by Teague and motion carried.

Peterson presented board with additional gas supplier information. A discussion followed with no further action taken by board.   The board decided to remain with the current supplier.

Announcements: Supervisor Wagner informed board of the Helena Township spring cleanup now scheduled for Saturday June 9th at the Depot in Alden from 7:00 A.M. to noon.   Announcement to be made in Antrim Review by Supervisor Wagner.

Additional Public Comment: None

Motion to pay bills by Rice, support by Wagner, and motion passed.

Meeting adjourned at 9:47 PM.

 

 

Respectfully submitted, Helena Township Clerk

David G. Peterson Jr.

David G. Peterson Jr.