May 4, 2021 Board of Trustees Minutes

KIMBALL TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES

2160 WADHAMS ROAD, KIMBALL, MI 48074

REGULAR MEETING

MAY 04, 2021

6:30 P.M.

Usakowski opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL OF OFFICERS: Usakowski, Jackson, Wrubel, Sturdevant, Hoffman and Ward.

ABSENT: Deland.

1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
   

   Sturdevant motioned to approve the agenda as amended supported by Wrubel.
   

   Motion Carried.
   

1. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES FOR APRIL 20, 2021
   

   Sturdevant, page 9, “Smith Creek” should be “Smiths Creek”.
   

   Jackson, page 8, I said that I wouldn’t be able to work all day and could you get Cal to help out.
   

   Wrubel motioned to approve the minutes as amended supported by Hoffman.
   

   Motion Carried.
   

III.    CONSENT AGENDA AND COMMUNICATIONS

        A.
Check Register from 04/14/2021 to 04/28/2021

1. Revenue & Expenditure Report for Period Ending 04/30/2021
   

Sturdevant motioned to approve the disbursement of $172,691.32 to pay the bills supported by Jackson.

ROLL CALL VOTE: YES: Sturdevant, Jackson, Usakowski, Wrubel, Hoffman and Ward. NO: None. ABSENT: Deland. (6-0-1) Motion Carried.

1. BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
   
2. St. Clair County Depart. of Public Works Minutes for April 6, 2021
   
3. St. Clair County Board of County Road Comm. Minutes for April 6, 2021
   

Wrubel motioned to receive and file boards and commissions supported by Jackson. Motion Carried.

1. PUBLIC COMMENT (Brief Comments)
   

Dennis McCallom, 702 Allen Road: Statement in minutes don’t reflect what I said.

1. DEPARTMENT REPORTS
   
   1. DPW
      

Wrubel: The DPW’s yearly goal is to camera at least two miles of sewer lines to look for cracks, breaks or illegal tap-ins. They have successfully completed a large section over in the area of Smiths Creek and Range Roads. Several leaks have been found including a manhole cover that was pushed down and broken off. They are now working over in the Roselawn Subdivision and will report their findings to me as soon as they are completed.

Illegal tap-ins are being addressed and corrected. The DPW is also mapping everything with the filming for our records. This new system that we have is working great and will be a real asset to our community in the future.

The Allen Road Lift Station update, the electrical supplies have been ordered for the partial update of the electrical panel so we can update to a 480. We are still waiting on DTE. SEMCO has already gotten the gas line installed for the generator that we are going to need to be purchasing in the near future.

The DPW guys are currently working on 39 foundations at the Caswell Cemetery to be poured within the next two weeks. We are waiting on the tractor that was taken to AIS in Richmond so they can be dug. At this point they may have to rent one so the job can be completed before Memorial Day. I did find out today that the only thing on back order is the seat.

The DPW is cutting, weed whacking and blowing the stones off at all four cemeteries. I have received two phone calls from residents on how nice the Caswell Cemetery is looking.

We have had three water main breaks in the past three weeks. The one on Griswold and 32^nd that Port Huron Township had bored two holes through our water main tower. Then one on Louks and Leland. And then we had one yesterday on Wadhams Road in front of Family Fun Skate.

From January to this point they have replaced 164 meters. 23 residents have requested shut offs or turn on. 12 meters were repaired due to broken wires or valves not totally opening. 29 final readings and 17 homes were checked to make sure the water was turned off. We found one that was supposed to be turned off but the resident had turned it back on. Six homes had their sump pump running into our sewer system. They were cited and corrected in a timely manner. We had seven new meters installed. We have 18 meters that are non-accessible and they have been given a letter of violation and have to make it available per our township ordinance.

Out at the cemeteries, the DPW have taken over all the lawn service at all four cemeteries. They are taking the dirt from the full burials and putting it into the moat at the back of the cemetery so in time it can be filled in. For this year from January until now we have had 10 cremations, 13 full burials and 1 disinterment and 12 of these were performed on a Saturday and one on a Sunday. We are currently doing 39 footings and I have seven already for the September pour.

We are continuing with the maintenance program with turning of the valves and finding the failing bolts and replacing them when needed.

Filming our sewer system, mapping our township with an infra mapping system, upgrading the Allen Road Lift Station power sources and enlarging the pit opening, upgrading the communication system between our water lift station and the City of Port Huron Water Treatment Plant, a new roof is badly needed on the water lift station and our currently planned projects are in the works for the DPW.

Hoffman: Questioned about the moat at Caswell. Isn’t that considered wetland?

Wrubel: No.

1. Parks
   

Usakowski: Sutherland Park’s grass is looking really good. Little League have done a nice job with infields there.

We’ve had mild vandalism issues out there. Cal has gone out there and cleaned up debris and branches.

Thank you to the Fire Department for helping us move some of the picnic tables.

The DPW helped us open the park.

We have a lot of things to do at the park yet. The driveway needs to be leveled off. We are hoping to put a flowerbed out at the entrance of the park and maybe replace the culvert. We are going to start to repair and paint picnic tables and the pavilions need to be painted too.

The fence out at Smiths Creek Park needs to be painted around the play area. There are names carved into the fence. Those are the people that donated to the cause and we would like to preserve that. The sign out at Smiths Creek looks like it needs painting again. Then we need to start weeding and planting flowers out there.

We are going to be looking at the gazebo roofs and check to make sure they are okay. I’m going to be meeting with Jerry and Cal to talk about how the grass cutting is going. We are still having issues with water out at Smiths Creek Park. Jerry did get some of it cut last week. We are having problems with horses and golf carts in the park. They are leaving pretty big divots there.

We are discussing adding a paved path from the pavilion on the southwest corner to the restroom at Sutherland Park for the handicap.

I would like to start the Five Year Parks Committee which has to do with the five year parks plan.

1. Planning Commission
   

Hoffman: There hasn’t been a lot going on except for the concrete company on Lapeer.

1. FIRE APPEALS
   
2. Fire Appeal #20-656, Michael Endres
   

    Didn’t show. He submitted a letter about an accident with clean up.

    Discussion.

    Sturdevant motioned to have the bill stand as is supported by Wrubel.

ROLL CALL VOTE: YES: Sturdevant, Wrubel, Hoffman, Ward, Jackson and Usakowski. NO: None. ABSENT: Deland. (6-0-1) Motion Carried.

1. Fire Appeal #19-177, Dorothy Turner
   

George explained what was going on with this fire appeal.

Discussion.

Sturdevant motioned to dismiss the fire appeal bill #19-177 if the owner tears the building down and cleans it up within six months and if they don’t, we hire someone to do it and put it on their taxes along with the fire bill supported by Hoffman.

ROLL CALL VOTE:
YES: Sturdevant, Hoffman, Ward, Wrubel and Usakowski.

NO: Jackson. ABSENT: Deland. (5-1-1) Motion Carried.

1. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
   
   1. Bids for New Phone System
      
      1. Pulsar 360 (Brady’s)
         

      Jeremi Hunter: Explained the phone system that they would provide.
      

      Discussion.
      

1. BSB Mitel
   

The board looked over the quote and discussed it.

1. TPX Communications
   

The board looked over the quote and discussed it.

1. CTS Companies
   

The board looked over the quote and discussed it.

Usakowski suggested that they will fine tune the quotes and bring them back.

1. NEW BUSINESS
   

1. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
   

   Carol Markowitz: What is the plan for Sparling Road this year? I called the road commission last year about it and they said it was up to Kimball Township and they don’t want to do nothing with it and it is a disaster and they are tired of working on it. This is beginning to be a dangerous road.
   

   Usakowski: I did FOIA the St. Clair County Road Commission because they kept saying “us” as well. It’s a primary road. It’s not a local road. The road commission has responsibility. The MIT Act from 1956 had everything to do with financing and the county road commission became responsible for primary paved roads which that is.
   

   Discussion.
   

XI.    OFFICERS REPORT

A. Supervisor Usakowski

Spring Clean-Up is May 22 and May 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sign up for time slots.

The union has expressed some concerns relating to the bookkeeper position. Just asking a lot of questions about it. Brian’s question was, when we are filling that spot? I did tell Brian that we are not changing anything at this point. We are running with it the way that we are. He is definitely being very inquisitive about that particular position.

Also, during the DPW negotiation some of the DPW workers want to make retirement contributions without the township doing the 3% available matching that we have in the contracts. That is an available option for employees with all the paperwork that we have. All they have to do is sign up.

MTA Conference, copies of those videos will be available this week.

B.
Clerk Wrubel

Election is currently going on right now and closes at 8p.m.

The DPW is flushing again tonight down by the Family Fun Skate just so we can get a clean testing.

1. Treasurer Jackson
   

I am currently working on the USDA Annual Report.

Letters have been sent out for the properties up for bid.

I have been into the deputy’s database. As you all know my deputy treasurer has left for another job. We have some people interested in it.

Jackson explained to Ms. Markowitz about our financing and what all the money goes to and there wouldn’t be enough to cover fixing Sparling Road.

1. Trustee Hoffman
   

Questions for Wrubel: Is the DPW taking over all the grass cutting at the cemeteries?

Wrubel: Yes.

Hoffman: Are they doing that on the week days or weekends?

Wrubel: Mostly week days.

1. Trustee Deland
   

Absent.

1. Trustee Sturdevant
   

We are doing a fish fry at the American Legion this Friday night.

1. 
   Trustee Ward
   

We had a successful start to our Little League season. We had about 178 kids out there playing this year. The drain tile we put in out there a couple of years ago is really paying off.

Cal is doing a good job keeping up with the trash and making sure that everyone is out of the park before locking up.

1. ADJOURNMENT
   

   Wrubel motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:25 p.m. supported by Ward.
   

   Motion Carried.
   

   Meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
   

   Submitted by Becky Wrubel, Clerk