Feb 06, 2024 Township Board

[00:01:13]

GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO THE FEBRUARY 6TH, 2024 REGULAR MEETING FOR THE TOWNSHIP BOARD IN THE CHARTER

[1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER]

PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.

ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

THANK YOU. ITEM THREE ON OUR AGENDA IS ROLL CALL TONIGHT.

CLERK GUTHRIE WILL SERVE THAT FUNCTION FOR US.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SUPERVISOR JACKSON.

HERE. CLERK GUTHRIE IS HERE.

TREASURER DESCHAINE HERE.

TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON.

HERE. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND.

HERE. TRUSTEE TREZISE.

HERE. TRUSTEE WILSON.

HERE. ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT.

THANK YOU. ITEM FOUR.

WE HAVE TWO PRESENTATIONS.

[4. PRESENTATION]

WELL, THANK YOU.

LESLIE IRELAND IS OUR NEWEST AND LAST, HIRE, WITH OUR ADDITION OF TWO EMPLOYEES THIS YEAR.

AND LIKE JOSHUA, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, LESLIE WENT TO SCHOOL WITH OUR TWO INDIVIDUALS THAT WENT TO ASCENSION'S PARAMEDIC SCHOOL THAT WE HIRED TWO YEARS AGO AS A TRIAL TO PUT PEOPLE THROUGH PARAMEDIC SCHOOL.

OKAY. AND THE NICE PART ABOUT THAT IS WE WERE ABLE TO RECRUIT TWO PEOPLE FROM THAT CLASS BY THEM.

SO THEY'RE A PART OF OUR NEW RECRUIT AND RETENTION PROGRAM.

OKAY. LESLIE LIVES IN LANSING.

SHE ACTUALLY GREW UP IN MASON.

AND SHE HAS ATTENDED THE ASCENSION PARAMEDIC, AND SHE JUST BECAME A PARAMEDIC, ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO.

AND SHE IS IN A FIREFIGHTER ACADEMY, AT BATH.

SHE'S GOING RIGHT THERE FROM HERE.

SHE'S GOING TO BE LATE. [LAUGHTER] SO, SHE'S DOING GREAT.

WE'RE REALLY GLAD TO HAVE HER.

SHE'S FITTING RIGHT INTO OUR CULTURE AS A TEAM MEMBER.

THE NICE THING ABOUT HER GOING TO THE FIRE ACADEMY IS SHE'S GOING TO GET A LOT OF HELP FROM EVERYBODY SHE WORKS WITH.

SO IT'S A BONUS FOR HER TO ACTUALLY BE LEARNING AND ON THE JOB, LEARNING AS WELL AS GOING TO TRAINING.

SO THIS IS LESLIE.

HELLO. WELCOME.

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY I LOVE WORKING AT MERIDIAN.

SO FAR, EVERYONE'S BEEN PHENOMENAL TO WORK WITH AND JUST LIKE TO SEE WHERE THAT GOES AND HOPEFULLY A LONG GOOD CAREER FOR ME.

BUT THANK YOU.

CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME.

WELCOME. GOOD TO HAVE YOU.

HI. WELCOME.

WELCOME. WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE.

THANK YOU. WELCOME. WELCOME ABOARD.

CONGRATS. LESLIE, WE WELCOME HER TO THE TOWNSHIP.

ITEM 4B TONIGHT IS THE 2023 MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP ANNUAL REPORT OFFERED BY TOWNSHIP MANAGER FRANK WALSH.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR AND BOARD.

GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS EVENING.

AS YOU KNOW, ONCE A YEAR WE PUT TOGETHER A SUMMARY OF OUR PRIOR YEAR'S ACTIVITIES.

[00:05:03]

I WANT TO THANK, MICHELLE PRINCE FOR COMPILING ALL OF THAT DATA THAT WE HAVE.

IT'S NOT ALL EVERYTHING WE DO, BUT WE TRY TO HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS.

AND TONIGHT, I JUST WANT TO WALK THROUGH THAT, WITH YOU.

THERE'S A LONG LIST OF THINGS WE'VE DONE, STARTING WITH THE STORM DEBRIS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO OUR AUDIT AND OUR IMPROVEMENTS AT THE HARRIS NATURE CENTER.

BUT I'LL WALK THROUGH ALL OF THESE, KIND OF INDIVIDUALLY.

FIRST THING IS, WE GOT TO KEEP IN MIND THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM THAT WE'VE HAD FOR A DECADE NOW.

AND THAT'S OUR PENSION DEBT, OUR PENSION DEBT FOR THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS, NAMELY, WHICH ARE ABOUT 80% OF THE TOTAL DEBT.

WE'VE COME A LONG WAY.

WE WERE 54% FUNDED TEN YEARS AGO, $33 MILLION IN DEBT.

AND THANKS TO THE BOARD'S, CURRENT BOARD AND THE BOARD'S BEFORE YOU AND THE FINANCE PEOPLE BEFORE US, WE'VE ACTUALLY AND OUR VOTERS IN 2017. WE HAVE, INCREASED THAT TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL EVER IN THE TOWNSHIP AT 74% FUNDED.

SO THE STATE AVERAGE, WE'RE ACTUALLY ABOVE THE STATE AVERAGE NOW.

AND OF COURSE, THOSE COMMUNITIES BELOW 60%, HAVE TO TURN IN REPORTS TO TREASURY ON A REGULAR BASIS.

SO I'M VERY PROUD OF YOU KNOW, YOU CAN LOOK AT BUILDINGS, YOU CAN LOOK AT ALL THIS.

BUT THE REASON WE'RE ABLE TO DO A LOT OF STUFF THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO NOW IS BECAUSE OF THE FUNDING POSITION THAT WE'VE PUT OURSELVES INTO NOW WE'RE NOT PAYING SO MUCH ON OUR REQUIRED CONTRIBUTION THAT HAS GONE DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY AND FREED UP A LOT OF FUNDS TO DO THINGS THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT, HERE IN A MOMENT.

WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE A $5 MILLION STATE GRANT, FOR THE STATE, FOR A POTENTIAL COMMUNITY SENIOR CENTER.

AND I'M SURE THAT CHAIR WILSON, TRUSTEE WILSON WILL TALK ABOUT THIS THIS EVENING, BUT WE CONTINUE TO MAKE REALLY GOOD PROGRESS FOR THIS.

THERE'S A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF US, BUT AT LEAST WE TOOK A $5 MILLION STEP FORWARD.

AND OF COURSE, BACK ON DECEMBER 8TH, AFTER YEARS AND YEARS OF PLANNING, WE CUT THE RIBBON ON WHAT IS A BEAUTIFUL WALKWAY FROM HAGADORN ROAD AT THE MUSIC BUILDING, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO FOODS FOR LIVING.

THAT'S PHASE ONE.

PHASE TWO IS COMING SOON.

WE'RE WORKING ON THAT NOW.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL ONE MILE WALK.

REDID THE ENTIRE MUNICIPAL BUILDING.

HAD TO RELOCATE 53, TEAM MEMBERS AND GREAT COOPERATION, GREAT LEADERSHIP FROM OUR DEPUTY MANAGER OPSOMMER, OUR PROJECT MANAGER, MELISSA MASSEY, AND STEVE AND HIS TEAM IN THE IT.

THEY REALLY HELPED PUT THIS ALL TOGETHER.

AND AGAIN, WE PAID CASH FOR THIS.

CITIZEN OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION WE DID A NUMBER OF THINGS UPGRADING OUR WEBSITE AND OUR SOCIAL MEDIA LISTENING SESSIONS.

THE BOARD WENT OUT AND HELD A NUMBER OF LISTENING SESSIONS, SIX OF THEM OVER 300 RESIDENTS ATTENDED.

AND ACTUALLY, WE PUT OUT A SUMMARY OF ALL OF THAT ACTIVITY HERE JUST RECENTLY, AND THAT'S AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR ANYONE THAT COULDN'T COME TO A MEETING THAT WANTS TO READ THE EIGHT PAGE REPORT.

THE LOCAL. YEAH, THIS THING'S A LITTLE TOUCHY, I DON'T KNOW, WELL, WE HAD A PRIDE EVENT THAT WENT REALLY WELL ON AUGUST 26TH, PUT ON BY THE DEI COMMITTEE. AND I WANT TO THANK BRIAN UP IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT FOR HIS LEADERSHIP ON THAT.

AND DIRECTOR AMBER CLARK ON HER LEADERSHIP ON THE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION.

WE HAD A HUGE THREE DAY CELEBRATION IN JUNE, WITH ANOTHER ONE PLANNED FOR THIS SUMMER.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE MADE GREAT PROGRESS AFTER A DECADE OF PLANNING, A GREAT PROGRESS UP IN HASLETT.

AND OF COURSE, THERE'S DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE EAST OF THAT MERIDIAN HOME LIVING.

I UNDERSTAND OCCUPANTS ARE GOING TO BE MOVING IN HERE SOON, AND, IT'S BEEN A GREAT, GREAT REDEVELOPMENT OF THAT 30 ACRE SITE.

AND OF COURSE, SOME, DEVELOPMENTS AT THE MALL WITH THE JACKSON POPCORN COMPANY AND CRUMBL COOKIES COOKIES OVER ON GRAND RIVER.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS THAT HAVE GONE REALLY WELL IN THE TOWNSHIP WOULD BE, OF COURSE, THE AMERICAN HOUSE I TALKED ABOUT.

BUT COPPER CREEK, WE FORGET ABOUT THE COPPER CREEK RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT UP IN HASLETT HAS REALLY TAKEN OFF.

AND IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN UP THERE LATELY, TAKE A LOOK AT THE, THEY'RE JUST PHASE ONE AND TWO ARE SOLD OUT.

AND SO THEY'RE MOVING ON TO PHASE THREE AND FOUR THE CREDIT UNION AND OF COURSE TRADER JOE'S, WHICH WILL BRING A LOT OF PEOPLE TO TO NOT EAST LANSING BUT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

[LAUGHTER] YEAH. LET'S MAKE THAT CLEAR.

THIS THING'S GOT A MIND OF ITS OWN.

OF COURSE, IN THE WOODWARD WAY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

THIS WAS A PROJECT THEY FIRST APPROACHED TREASURER DESCHAINE ON, I THINK SIX YEARS AGO.

[00:10:04]

BUT THIS IS BACK BEHIND WHOLE FOODS.

A NICE ADDITION. ONE OF THE GOALS OF THIS BOARD HAS BEEN AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

AND WE TOOK A BIG STEP FORWARD WITH THIS WITH WOODWARD WAY THIS YEAR.

THIS WAS IN THE SUMMER WHEN WE CUT THE RIBBON.

WE ALSO RECEIVED A GRANT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT HOUSING IMPROVING LOCAL LIVABILITY CALLED A CHILL GRANT.

I CREDIT, DIRECTOR SCHMITT, FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD, DIRECTOR MASSEY, FOR HER INVOLVEMENT WITH IT.

BUT IT'S A HALF MILLION DOLLAR GRANT, AS YOU KNOW, TO HELP, FOLKS WITHIN TARGETED INCOME AREAS WITH HOME IMPROVEMENTS.

I THINK IT'S UP TO $10,000.

AND, IF YOU LIVE IN THE HOUSE FOR SO LONG, IT'S OWNER OCCUPIED.

IT'S NOT RENTAL, OWNER OCCUPIED.

AND AFTER THREE YEARS, I THINK IT IS THE GRANT, IS ELIMINATED.

WE HAD A GREAT YEAR WITH.

IF YOU TAKE 5 MILLION AND A HALF MILLION HERE AND AND THE OTHER GRANTS, WE HAD AN OUTSTANDING YEAR WHEN IT COMES TO GRANT FUNDING.

THE HASLETT VILLAGE SQUARE REDEVELOPMENT TOOK.

IT'S A REALLY GREAT PLAN.

THE BOARD APPROVED A CRA COMMERCIAL REHABILITATION ACT FOR THIS PROPERTY.

DID SOME GREAT THINGS WITH THIS TO SPUR DEVELOPMENT, ALL DRIVEN BY THE BOARD.

WE REACHED A LITTLE HICCUP HERE IN THE LAST 60 TO 90 DAYS, WITH A DRAIN THAT RUNS THROUGH THE PROPERTY, AND THEY'RE HAVING TO WORK WITH THE COUNTY DRAIN COMMISSIONER ON THIS.

IT'S CAUSED A DELAY.

WE MET WITH THEM JUST YESTERDAY VIA ZOOM.

SUPERVISOR JACKSON PARTICIPATED IN THAT MEETING WITH DIRECTOR CLARK AND DIRECTOR SCHMITT, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM ABOUT HOW TO OVERCOME THIS.

WE KNOW WE CAN OVERCOME IT, BUT IT MIGHT REQUIRE AN ADDITIONAL BROWNFIELD PLAN THAT MIGHT COME BEFORE THE BROWNFIELD BOARD AND OBVIOUSLY WITH THE TOWNSHIP BOARD AS WELL. BUT THAT'S THE OTHER 20 ACRES JUST EAST OF MERIDIAN HOME.

SORRY ABOUT THIS THING HERE.

OKEMOS SCHOOL. THIS IS ANOTHER THING WE FORGET ABOUT.

THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

AND WE DID IT A FEW YEARS AGO, PROBABLY ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AGO, WITH EAST LANSING SCHOOL AND DONNELLY SCHOOL.

AND THAT IS THE STATE LAW ALLOWS US TO IF WE WORK OUT AN AGREEMENT WITH THE ELECTED BODY, THE BOARD AND THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ALLOWS US TO DO THE PERMITTING ON THE SCHOOL PROJECTS. AND AS YOU KNOW, WE WORKED THIS OUT WITH IN 2023 WITH THE OKEMOS BOARD OF EDUCATION.

AND THE DIFFERENCE IS WE GET ZERO BUILDING FEES IF WE DON'T DO THIS.

AND OVER THE COURSE OF FIVE YEARS OR SIX YEARS, WE GET ABOUT $800,000 IN FEES IF WE DO DO IT, BECAUSE OTHERWISE THE STATE DOES ALL THE PERMITTING. AND SO WE WORK TOGETHER ON THIS.

WE COPIED WHAT WE DID YEARS AGO WITH EAST LANSING AND DONNELLY AND WE NOW HAVE THIS IN MOTION.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, YOU KNOW, TREES AND WETLANDS AND PROTECT THE BUFFER.

A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE DID WHEN IT COMES TO ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN 2023.

AND HERE'S THE WETLAND, EFFORTS THAT WE PUT OUT THERE THANKS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, FORMER TRUSTEE WISINSKI WHO WORKED HARD ON THIS.

MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING I'M DOING THAT WAY.

OKAY, USE THAT BUTTON.

OKAY. THANK YOU. THE BATTERIES.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU STEVEN.

AND SOMETHING WE STARTED MANY YEARS AGO WAS IMPROVING ALL OF OUR OUTDOOR SIRENS.

WE ONLY HAD THREE, JUST TEN YEARS AGO.

AND IT TOOK 15 TO 16 TO COMPLETE THE TOWNSHIP.

AND WE, ERECTED THE 12TH WARNING SIREN IN 2023.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THERE'S FOUR REMAINING, SIRENS TO PUT UP.

AND AS YOU KNOW, THE BOARD APPROVED $120,000 IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET TO COMPLETE THAT PROJECT.

THIS WAS A GOAL TO COMPLETE BY 2027, AND WE'RE GOING TO COMPLETE IT IN 2024 WITH CASH.

ANOTHER GREAT MOVE.

THIS WAS LED BY A CHIEF HAMEL, WITH ARP FUNDING THAT THE BOARD APPROVED.

AND THIS REALLY IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT OR PIECES OF EQUIPMENT FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH THE POWER CUTS.

AND, THAT WAS FUNDED, I THINK THEY WERE APPROXIMATELY 230, $260,000.

THEY ARE NOW PART OF, AS I UNDERSTAND, THEY'RE NOW PART OF THE STRYKER PLAN AS WE GO FORWARD THAT THE BOARD APPROVED OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS.

BUT JUST, A LOT OF VISION FROM CHIEF HAMEL TO BRING THIS TO US AND MOVE FORWARD.

AND AGAIN, THERE'S THE LAYOUT OF THE EMERGENCY SIREN MAPS THAT ONCE COMPLETED, THAT'S WHAT THE TOWNSHIP WILL LOOK LIKE WITH THE MAPS.

[00:15:03]

A LOT OF THINGS WE DO, WE'VE BEEN DOING THEM FOR YEARS.

THE FLEX TIME AND THE FRIDAY STUFF, THE ARCHIE VIRTUE AWARD, THE LUG NUTS, THE CASUAL WEAR, THE PICNICS.

WE RETAIN IF YOU TAKE OUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE ABOUT 123 EMPLOYEES, AND WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.

WELL, I THINK WE HAVE EITHER 2 OR 3 VACANCIES OUT OF THE 123.

SO WE'RE PROUD OF THAT.

WE'RE PROUD OF THE PEOPLE THAT WORK HERE AND THE PEOPLE THAT WE RETAIN, PART OF OUR TEAM.

PUBLIC SAFETY RECRUITMENT RETENTION PROGRAM.

THIS IS ANOTHER BIG STEP THAT WAS LED BY CHIEF GRILLO AND CHIEF HAMEL ABOUT HOW DO WE COMPETE, HOW DO WE MAINTAIN, HOW DO WE GET BETTER IN OUR DEPARTMENTS AS FAR AS STAFFING? AND WE'RE MAKING REALLY GOOD PROGRESS ON THAT.

AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE FULLY, FULLY STAFFED AT 36 IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND WE'RE MAKING GREAT HEADWAY.

WE BROUGHT TWO OFFICERS SINCE SINCE WE LAST MET, WHICH WAS I THINK THIS WAS APPROVED IN DECEMBER.

RIGHT. SO ONE MONTH AGO, WE HAVE TWO FORMER OFFICERS WHO ARE BACK.

WE HAVE A DEPUTY FROM THE AREA WHO IS IN BACKGROUND, AND WE HAVE FOUR IN THE ACADEMY.

SO THAT'S SEVEN. SO THAT PUTS US UP TO AROUND 38.

AND THEN WE HAVE ONE RETIRING.

SO ROUGHLY IF EVERYTHING WORKS OUT JUST IN THE NEXT 100 DAYS OR 120 DAYS, WE'LL BE AROUND 37.

SO WHICH IS THE HIGHEST NUMBER WE'VE BEEN IN A WHILE? AND CHIEF GRILLO IS JUST MAKING AND CAPTAIN CRANE ARE MAKING GREAT PROGRESS ON THIS PLAN.

SO CAN WE GET IT DONE BY DECEMBER OR JANUARY 1ST AS WE'RE WELL ON OUR WAY.

PARENTAL LEAVE PROGRAM, I THINK I SENT YOU AN EMAIL FROM ONE OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS WHO USED THAT IN THE FIRST MONTH AND WAS VERY APPRECIATIVE.

HE AND BABY LANE, BECAME VERY CLOSE OVER THOSE FEW WEEKS.

AND SO, WE'RE GLAD HE HAD THAT TIME.

BUT HE'S A VALUABLE, VALUABLE TEAM MEMBER.

AND WE'RE ALSO GLAD HE'S BACK.

MERIDIAN CARES GRANT, THIS IS A TEAM.

THAT WAS AT THE I THINK YOU'RE IN THAT PICTURE GEORGIA.

YEAH. YES. YOU'RE THERE.

YEAH, AT THE CENTRAL FIRE STATION DOING BACKPACKS, FOR, FOR THE COMMUNITY.

AND, THROUGH KATIE LOVE'S HARD WORK, AS IN THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE.

SHE WAS ABLE TO GO OUT AND GET A $15,000 GRANT FOR, LIKE I SAID, WE HAD A TERRIFIC YEAR WHEN IT COMES TO GRANT FUNDING.

AND HERE'S JUST A FUN PHOTO FROM, THE TEAMWORK.

I THINK THIS WAS AT, MAYBE THE LUGNUTS GAME.

MAYBE. YEAH, I THINK IT CAME FROM SO.

AND OF COURSE, NILES ON THE END OF THERE.

SO, WE'LL CERTAINLY MISS HIM.

AND, ACTUALLY HIRED, OUR NEW FINANCE DIRECTOR.

AND, DANTE IS A CPA AND IS SETTLING IN WELL, AND WE HIRED OUR NEW PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR, COURTNEY WISINSKI.

AND, SHE'S REALLY DOING WELL WITH HER TEAM.

AND, IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE IN LUANN MAISNER'S GREAT EFFORTS IN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.

POLICE ACCREDITATION.

KEEP IN MIND, WE WERE THE FIRST TOWNSHIP THREE YEARS AGO.

I THINK IT WAS 2021 UNDER CHIEF PLAGA'S LEADERSHIP, THAT WE BECAME THE FIRST TOWNSHIP IN MICHIGAN TO BE ACCREDITED.

AND THROUGH CHIEF GRILLO'S WORK AN HIS TEAM, WE GOT REACCREDITED.

I THINK THAT WAS THIS YEAR, LAST YEAR.

SO 2023.

2023, OKAY.

WONDERFUL. WELL, WE SHOULD BE CELEBRATING.

SO WE WERE THE FIRST AND WE'RE PROUD OF THAT.

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, OF COURSE, OUR NEW CHIEF OF POLICE, CHIEF GRILLO, BEEN WITH THE DEPARTMENT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. BUT CERTAINLY THE RIGHT CHOICE TO TAKE OVER THE DEPARTMENT.

I WAS INVOLVED IN A MEETING WITH HIM TODAY, AND, THE LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS AND, MAKING SURE WE HAVE A STRONG RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LOCAL MEDIA AND OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.

AND AFTER THE MEETING, I JUST SAID, YOU KNOW, JUST BETWEEN US, WE HIRED THE RIGHT PERSON.

WE MADE THE RIGHT PERSON.

HE REALLY REPRESENTED US WELL IN THAT MEETING TODAY.

AND OF COURSE, OUR NEW K-9, YOU KNOW, POLICE CANINE HAVE BEEN IN THE NEWS LATELY HERE IN THE LAST FEW DAYS.

AND, WE'RE PROUD OF OUR TWO CANINES AND OUR TWO HANDLERS AND OUR HASLETT, COMMUNITY RESOURCE OFFICER COLBY CASSIDY, WHO ACTUALLY GREW UP IN HASLETT.

THE NEW LOCKER ROOMS IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT ANY COMMUNITY, JUST DOING 3 OR 4 OF THESE WOULD BE A BIG DEAL IN ANY COMMUNITY.

BUT LOOK AT THE LIST THAT GOES ON AND ON ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALL DONE TOGETHER.

AND I'M REALLY PROUD TO SAY WE'VE DONE THEM ALL IN CASH.

THE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE HARRIS NATURE CENTER, THE FAÇADE IMPROVEMENTS OUT THERE, THE DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM HAS CONCLUDED.

[00:20:02]

WE DON'T MAKE THAT DECISION.

THE DNR, BIOLOGY AND WORKING WITH THE DNR, THEY SANCTIONED HOW MANY DEER WE WILL TAKE IN.

LAST YEAR IT WAS 357.

THIS YEAR IT WAS 300 AND AS OF NOW WE'VE DONATED OVER 5,600 POUNDS OF VENISON.

AND WE'RE JUST VERY PROUD OF THIS PROGRAM.

IT STARTED LONG BEFORE I GOT HERE, AND IT'S A VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM, AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK OF OUR PARKS AND POLICE DEPARTMENT ON THAT.

COMMUNITY SIGNS. I MEAN, IF THIS HAPPENED IN ONE COMMUNITY, IT WOULD BE THE PROJECT OF THE YEAR.

BUT HERE IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, IT'S JUST ANOTHER PROJECT BECAUSE OF ALL THAT WE ACCOMPLISH TOGETHER.

BUT IT TURNED OUT REALLY, REALLY WELL A LONG TIME IN THE PLANNING.

AND ACTUALLY, THIS STARTED WITH A VISION OF CLERK GUTHRIE AS COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, PROBABLY 12 OR, PROBABLY 10 OR 12 YEARS AGO.

2017. 2017 I THOUGHT IT WAS BEFORE THAT.

TIME'S FLYING, FRANK. IT WAS.

CAN'T REMEMBER.

[LAUGHTER] IT WAS BECAUSE, SUPERVISOR LEGOFF WAS HER NUMBER ONE PROJECT.

SHE WANTED TO SEE FINISH WHILE SHE WAS SUPERVISOR, SO I HAD TO BE BETWEEN 12 AND 16.

YEAH. TIME FLIES.

YEAH. AND AGAIN, NOT TO DIMINISH THE STORM DEBRIS CLEANUP THAT WE PERFORMED AND THE BOARD APPROVED.

IT ENDED UP BEING A $30,000 EXPENDITURE, BUT IT WAS REALLY, REALLY WELL RECEIVED BY THE PUBLIC.

AND THEY WERE VERY APPRECIATIVE.

WE RECEIVED PROBABLY MORE EMAILS REGARDING THIS PROGRAM THAN ANYTHING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

AND OF COURSE, WHAT ARE WE ALL ABOUT? NUMBER ONE, PARK AND PATHWAY SYSTEM.

IT'S A VERY SAFE COMMUNITY.

WE'RE GROWING AT 1% PER YEAR.

THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A LOT, BUT WE'RE NOT STAGNANT.

AND THERE'S A LOT. IF YOU LOOK AT MICHIGAN AS A WHOLE AND THE AREAS AROUND US IN INGHAM COUNTY, THEY'RE LOSING POPULATION.

REMEMBER THAT GRAPH I SHOWED YOU ABOUT REVENUE SHARING? REVENUE SHARING IS BASED ON POPULATION GROWTH.

THAT'S WHY OUR REVENUE SHARING NUMBERS ARE UP.

OUR NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SCHOOLS WE ARE ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS, WE'RE CERTAINLY FINANCIALLY STRONG.

AND OF COURSE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.

THAT'S WHAT MAKES UP MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

SO THAT'S A SUMMARY.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN QUICKER IF MY LITTLE [INAUDIBLE] WOULD HAVE WORKED.

BUT, SORRY TO TAKE UP SO MUCH OF YOUR TIME, BUT THAT'S, AN OVERVIEW OF 2023 FOR YOU, AND WE'LL CERTAINLY HAVE THIS AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE AS WELL.

SO THANK YOU.

IN CASE THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS I'LL GO DOWN AND SIT DOWN.

THANK YOU. CLERK GUTHRIE.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR, I HAVE ONE FOLLOW UP QUESTION.

DO YOU HAVE, YOU MENTIONED THE POUNDS OF VENISON THAT WERE DONATED? DO YOU HAVE A GRAPH OR, DOES THE DEER MANAGEMENT TEAM HAVE A GRAPH THAT SHOWS NOT ONLY THE NUMBER OF DEER, BUT THE POUNDS OF VENISON THAT WERE DONATED TO THAT CAN BE SHARED WITH THE BOARD, BECAUSE I'D LIKE TO SEE THOSE THOSE NUMBERS OVER THE YEAR IF IT'S AVAILABLE.

I DON'T WANT TO CREATE AN EXTRA WORK.

YEAH. IT'S NOT IT'S NOT WORK AT ALL.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AN ADDITION TO THE 5,600 POUNDS THAT WE KNOW THAT WE'VE DONATED? DO YOU WANT TO SEE, LIKE WHERE THE DIFFERENT FOOD BANKS, WHERE THE VENISON WENT TO, HOW MANY AREAS WE HELPED? OKAY. YEAH. THERE'S STILL VENISON TO BE DISTRIBUTED.

YES. YES.

BUT WE'LL GET THAT AN UPDATE ON WHERE THE VENISON HAS GONE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOU.

SURE. THANK YOU. OTHER QUESTIONS.

OKAY, OKAY.

OKAY. I DO HAVE A COMMENT.

OH, OKAY.

OKAY. FRANK WHAT STOOD OUT FOR ME IS THAT WE HAVE REDUCED OUR PENSION DEBT BY $20 MILLION IN TEN YEARS, 27% DECREASE.

AND I WANT TO SAY WE REALLY TOOK YOUR UNRELENTING FOCUS WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THIS BOARD AND PRIOR BOARDS TO ACHIEVE THIS.

IN ADDITION, YOU'VE HELPED THE BOARD FOCUS ON RESERVE FUNDS, AND THOSE HAVE GONE UP FROM $5 MILLION TO $13 MILLION.

I MEAN, ALL THESE GREAT COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENTS.

WE SAW THE ANNUAL REPORT REALLY BUILT ON THAT FINANCIAL FOUNDATION THAT YOU'VE HELPED US ACHIEVE.

AND THIS BOARD HAS ACHIEVED.

WE HAVEN'T SPENT ALL OF OUR MONEY.

WE'VE BUILT THESE RESERVES UP.

SO NOW WE HAVE THIS GREAT FOUNDATION THAT HELPS US WHEN WE PUT OUT BONDS FOR THE ROADS, OUR FINANCIAL RATING IS HIGHER, SO WE GET LOWER RATES AND WE CAN DO MORE.

IT'S A VIRTUOUS CYCLE WE'RE IN.

IT GETS BETTER AND BETTER THE MORE WE KEEP OUR FINANCIAL ORDER, OUR FINANCIAL BOOKS IN ORDER, AND WE SPEND LESS THAN WE TAKE IN.

THANK YOU. I'VE BEEN BLESSED TO WORK FOR THE LAST, ALMOST 11 YEARS NOW, WITH GREAT BOARD MEMBERS AND A REALLY GOOD TEAM MEMBERS AND, STILL LOVE COMING TO WORK EVERY DAY.

AND I THINK WE'RE DOING, WE, I THINK ARE DOING GREAT THINGS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.

WE COME NOW TO ITEM FIVE ON OUR AGENDA, WHERE CITIZENS ADDRESS AGENDA AND ITEMS AND NON AGENDA ITEMS.

[5. CITIZENS ADDRESS AGENDA ITEMS AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS]

[00:25:05]

STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.

I AM SORRY, I'M MICHAEL MUDRY.

THE ADDRESS, MY ADDRESS IS ACTUALLY IN EAST LANSING, BUT IT'S REPRESENTING A BUSINESS.

MY WIFE AND I LOOK TO OPEN IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

I DIDN'T PREPARE ANY REMARKS, SO I WASN'T SURE EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY.

I'LL JUST NOTE THAT I SENT YOU ALL AN EMAIL OVER THE WEEKEND.

WHAT I'M HERE FOR IS TO TALK ABOUT THE VOTE THAT WAS CONDUCTED 2 WEEKS AGO LAST MEETING WITH REGARD TO A 100, 120 DAY MORATORIUM ON NEW QUOTA LIQUOR LICENSE APPLICATIONS BEING REVIEWED.

MY COMMENTS TO YOU ARE SIMILAR.

I DON'T WANT TO REPEAT EVERYTHING I SAID IN THE EMAIL, BUT WE HAD STARTED THE PROCESS, MONTHS AGO, OR AT LEAST STARTED WORKING THROUGH THE PROCESS MONTHS AGO, HAD SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION, HAD KIND OF GONE BACK AND FORTH, RECEIVED CONFIRMATION IT WAS IN PROGRESS, WENT BACK AND ANSWERED QUESTIONS, SENT SOME INFORMATION TO MY ARCHITECT, HAD HIM PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION.

I CONSIDER THAT TO BE IN PROCESS, NOT A NEW APPLICATION THAT HAS NOT BEEN STARTED.

SO I WOULD ASK THAT, DO WHATEVER'S IN YOUR POWER TO HELP US OUT IF THERE'S A WAY TO MAYBE GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT VOTE, LOOK AT THE MORATORIUM.

IT WOULD FORCE US TO PURCHASE A LIQUOR LICENSE ON THE OPEN MARKET, WHICH, YOU KNOW, CONTRARY TO WHAT WAS DISCUSSED TWO WEEKS AGO, IS $95,000 PER LICENSE, NOT $20,000.

SO IT'S A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL HIT FOR US.

I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

YEP. THE SECOND GREEN CARD IS FROM ROGER TAYLOR.

GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY.

AS YOU WELL KNOW, I SENT OUT A BOARD WIDE EMAIL, AND MY CONCERN WAS SEE IF WE COULD, TRY TO START A ETHICS COMMITTEE AND IF WE COULDN'T DO THAT TO SELECT A OMBUDSMAN.

AND THE REASON WHY I WANT TO DO THAT IS BECAUSE I'D LIKE TO SEE OUR RIGHTS PROTECTED AND PRIVILEGES FOR OUR CONSTITUENCY.

SO, I SEE ALL THESE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON, GREAT PLANS.

I SOMETIMES I SAY TO MYSELF, WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? I MEAN, ARE THERE, MY QUESTION TO YOU, ARE THERE NEEDS ANALYSIS GOING ON FOR THESE BIG PLANS.

AND THEN AND DO WE HAVE, BENEFITS AND NON BENEFITS OF THESE PLANS THAT ARE GOING ON.

I JUST LIKE TO KNOW HOW YOU GUYS DECIDE ALL THESE BIG PLANS I MEAN FRANK'S CLAIMS TEAM SUCCESS HERE.

BUT I MEAN, WHAT DO WE NEED VERSUS WHAT DO WE WANT.

SO THAT'S I GUESS THAT'S MY QUESTION TO YOU.

AND ANYHOW, I'M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT SEE IF WE CAN KEEP OUR, PEOPLE THAT COME INTO ADDRESS YOU TO HAVE, DIGNITY AND RESPECT, PRESENTED TO THEM.

THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF ISSUES THAT, FROM A SAMPLE SURVEY JUST THROUGH MY NEIGHBORHOOD THAT THEY HAD A LOT OF ISSUES.

SO, I MEAN, I CAN BRING A LIST IN, BUT, I MEAN, I DON'T WANT TO WASTE YOUR TIME HERE, BUT ANYHOW, TAKING CONSIDERATION, PLEASE, OF AN OMBUDSPERSON OR A ETHICS COMMITTEE, WE WANT TO LIKE I SAID, WE WANT TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS AND THE PRIVILEGES OF OUR CITIZENS.

OKAY, THAT'S ALL I GOT TO SAY.

THANK YOU. OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD AT THIS TIME.

THEN WE MOVE ON TO ITEM SIX.

[6. TOWNSHIP MANAGER REPORT]

I THINK YOU'VE HEARD ENOUGH FROM ME THIS EVENING.

OUR LADDER TRUCK.

IT'S NO SECRET THAT, YOU KNOW, WE BOUGHT OUR LADDER TRUCK ABOUT A YEAR AGO.

SPENT ABOUT $900,000, AND WE'RE HAVING ISSUES.

WE'RE HAVING SOME SIGNIFICANT ISSUES.

AND I WANT TO CREDIT CHIEF HAMEL'S LEADERSHIP ON THIS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT JUST BRUSHING IT ASIDE.

IN FACT, WE'RE DEALING WITH IT HEAD ON, AND WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO BE COMING TO YOU IF WE DON'T GET SATISFACTION FROM THE MANUFACTURER IN ABOUT 30 TO 40 DAYS, WE'LL BE COMING TO YOU AND ASKING YOU TO TAKE SOME PRETTY STRONG STEPS.

I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE AWARE OF THAT.

WE'RE STILL DEALING, WORKING WITH GRANGER.

THERE'S SOME ISSUES FOR OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE'VE HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF SENIORS ON THE BAG AND TAG PROGRAM.

[00:30:08]

AND GETTING PEOPLE GETTING RESIDENTS TURNED OVER TO A MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE CONTAINER AND SOME RESIDENTS DON'T WANT, THAT SOME RESIDENTS CAN'T AFFORD THAT.

AND SO WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH GRANGER TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE PROTECTED.

AND WE'LL DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT HAPPENS.

BOARD AND COMMISSION NIGHT IS MARCH 26TH.

I'M SURE THE CLERK'S GOING TO ADDRESS EARLY VOTING THIS EVENING.

AND I THINK THAT'S THAT ABOUT COVERS IT TONIGHT, UNLESS YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

[INAUDIBLE] CLERK GUTHRIE.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SORRY, FRANK, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE COMMUNITY NEEDS SURVEY? WE DO IT EVERY TWO YEARS.

EVERY THREE YEARS.

AND THEN THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS PARTICIPATE.

AND THEN THE NEEDS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT FOR THE COMMUNITY AND THE BOARD MAKES SOME OF OUR DECISIONS BASED OFF OF THOSE NEEDS.

CAN YOU IS THAT IS THAT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHEN THE NEXT TIME WE DO THAT COMMUNITY NEEDS SURVEY IS.

THIS YEAR. OH, OK.

WE DID IN 15, 18, 21.

AND, THE NEXT ONE IS THIS YEAR.

AND WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT AS WE GET INTO THE SPRING.

WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT ONE.

HOW DO YOU WANT TO DO IT? SAME COMPANY.

AND THEN TYPICALLY THE BOARD, THE LAST TWO SURVEYS, THE BOARD'S ACTUALLY DRAFTED SOME OF THEIR OWN QUESTIONS TO PUT INTO THE SURVEY.

SO IT'S NOT ALL SUCH BOILERPLATE.

BUT YEAH, THE BOARD GOING BACK TEN YEARS NOW HAS TAKEN, A LOT OF THE PROJECTS THAT COME OUT THAT WE PUT TOGETHER, COME OUT OF THE SURVEY THAT WE DO ABOUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT.

LIKE, FOR INSTANCE, I REMEMBER ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT REALLY SHOCKED ME WAS, IN THE LAST SURVEY IN 2021, YOU MAY REMEMBER THIS.

WE ASKED THE RESIDENTS BECAUSE WE HAD REMEMBER, WE HAD SOME PUSHBACK FROM DOBIE ROAD ON THE DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, SOME PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL PUSHBACK.

THAT ACTUALLY GOT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT INVOLVED WITH SOME OF THE RESIDENTS.

WE ASKED THE QUESTION, DO YOU SUPPORT? AND WE DIDN'T EVEN GET INTO DONATING VENISON AND ALL THAT.

WE JUST ASKED RESIDENTS, DO YOU SUPPORT THE DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM? I THOUGHT, OH, THIS IS GOING TO BE A 51 49 OR A 52 48.

I WASN'T SURE WHICH WAY IT WAS.

81 TO 19 81% OF THE RESIDENTS SUPPORTED THE DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, WHICH WAS A SHOCK TO ME.

I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THAT.

SO YES, IT'S TIME FOR IT.

IT'LL BE UP TO THE BOARD HOW YOU WANT TO DO IT, WHAT PROCESS YOUR QUESTIONS YOU WANT TO PUT INTO IT.

BUT THIS IS THE YEAR WE DO IT.

AND WE DO EXTRAPOLATE A LOT OF WHAT WE DO FROM THE SURVEY THAT WE PUT OUT.

THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME.

OTHER QUESTIONS COMMENTS.

THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM SIX TOWNSHIP MEMBER.

SEVEN. I'M SORRY.

TOWNSHIP. ITEM NUMBER SEVEN BOARD MEMBER REPORTS OF ACTIVITIES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.

[7. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS OF ACTIVITIES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS]

THANK YOU SUPERVISOR. JUST A QUICK REMINDER.

NEXT WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH IS VALENTINE'S DAY.

IT'S ALSO THE WINTER TAX DUE DATE.

[LAUGHTER] DEFINITELY KNOWS HOW TO MIX UP HAPPINESS WITH NOT SO HAPPINESS.

ANYWAY, IT'S A DATE WHEN OUR TAXES ARE DUE, WE'LL BE OPEN FROM 8 TO 5 EVERY BUSINESS DAY BETWEEN NOW AND THEN TO RECEIVE YOUR PAYMENTS.

YOU CAN ALSO DROP IT IN FRONT OF TOWN HALL IN THE SECURE WHITE, DROP BOX.

AND WE CHECK THAT REGULARLY, AND IT'S A SECURE WAY TO LEAVE YOUR PAYMENT.

I DON'T RECOMMEND MAILING YOUR PAYMENT AFTER THE SEVENTH, TOMORROW, BECAUSE THE US MAIL HAS BECOME LESS CERTAIN DELIVERY TIMES THAN EVER. IT COULD EASILY GET LOST IN THE MAIL, AND POSTMARKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED, SO BEST TO DROP IT DOWN AT TOWN HALL.

BRING IT IN AND WE'LL GIVE YOU A RECEIPT ON THE SPOT.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, JUST GIVE MY OFFICE A CALL 853-4140.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

OTHER BOARD MEMBER REPORTS.

TRUSTEE WILSON.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SO I AM LIAISON TO THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE COMMISSION.

SO YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THESE BABY BOTTLES OUT HERE.

KATIE LOVE CAME UP WITH A CONCEPT THAT SHE'S SEEN IN OTHER COMMUNITIES WHERE THESE BABY BOTTLES ARE DISTRIBUTED AROUND THE COMMUNITY.

AND FOR A MONTH, THEY'RE OUT.

AND WE ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO PUT IN COINS, PAPER MONEY OR CHECKS THAT WILL ASSIST US IN OUR EMERGENCY FUNDS CAMPAIGN BECAUSE WE ARE ALWAYS HELPING PEOPLE OUT.

AS GEORGIA STYKA KNOWS, WE WORK VERY HARD TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE DO NOT LOSE THEIR RENTAL HOMES AND ALSO PAY THEIR UTILITIES SO THEIR UTILITIES ARE NOT SHUT OFF.

AND WE DO BUS PASSES AND WE GIVE OUT FOOD.

[00:35:03]

SO THESE CAN BE DROPPED OFF WITH SOMETHING IN THE CONTENT AT EITHER THE CLERK'S OFFICE, THE TREASURER'S OFFICE.

AND THESE ARE AVAILABLE NOT ONLY HERE AT TOWN HALL, BUT ALSO AT TOM'S GROCERY, TOM'S FOOD CENTER, AND AT PLAYMAKERS.

SO WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS FOR A MONTH, ENDING NEAR THE END OF MARCH.

AND I THINK IT'S A VERY CLEVER IDEA.

SO I WANT TO CONGRATULATE HER ON THAT.

AND THE OTHER THING THAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IS WE ARE DETERMINING THE FEASIBILITY OF BUILDING A COMMUNITY CENTER, INCORPORATING A SENIOR CENTER IN THIS COMMUNITY. AND WE HAD OUR FIRST MEETING THIS AFTERNOON.

IT WAS A LONG MEETING WITH OUR, CONSULTANT THAT WE HAVE HIRED, WHO IS HELPING US GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF HOW WE MIGHT DO SUCH A THING, HOW TO GET COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN IT, FIGURING OUT THE COST OF IT, THE LOCATION AND THE AMENITIES.

SO STAY TUNED BECAUSE THIS IS AN ONGOING PROCESS.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. CLERK GUTHRIE.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

TRUSTEE WILSON AND MYSELF FOR BOTH ON THE INGHAM COUNTY ROAD DEPARTMENTS, MOUNT HOPE ROAD DIET.

ZOOM PRESENTATION THAT THEY GAVE TO RESIDENTS.

AND DEPUTY TOWNSHIP MANAGER DAN OPSOMMER WAS ON THE CALL AS WELL.

MAYBE OTHER PEOPLE WERE ON THE BOARD.

I'M NOT SURE, BUT I KNOW TRUSTEE WILSON AND I WERE AND I THINK HE REPRESENTED THE TOWNSHIP.

WELL, DAN OPSOMMER DID.

WITH SOME OF THE COMMENTS AND THAT HE MADE IN REGARDING TO MAKING IT VERY CLEAR THAT THIS IS AN INGHAM COUNTY ROAD PROJECT THAT THEY ARE DOING, IT IS NOT A TOWNSHIP, PROJECT.

AND SO THE MONIES FOR THAT PROJECT ARE COMING FROM $850,000 OF IT IS COMING FROM FEDERAL, $750,000 COMING FROM FEDERAL GRANT MONEY, AND $250,000 IS COMING FROM INGHAM COUNTY ROAD DEPARTMENT MONEY.

AND SO THEY WILL BE HAVING AN ADDITIONAL SESSION LATER ON FOR, FUTURE PUBLIC COMMENT.

BUT THAT WAS A VERY WELL LED, VERY INFORMATIVE, MEETING THAT WE ATTENDED LAST WEEK.

ALSO, I WANTED TO COMMENT ON THE ANNUAL REPORT THAT I THOUGHT, ONE ITEM THAT I THOUGHT OR A COUPLE OF ITEMS THAT I THOUGHT THE BOARD DID VERY WELL ON LAST YEAR, THAT WE WORKED TOGETHER AS A BOARD, WAS TO APPROVE THE JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY FOR STAFF.

THAT THE BOARD ALSO APPROVED SANITARY SUPPLIES TO BE PROVIDED IN ALL OF THE TOWNSHIP RESTROOMS. AND SO I THINK THAT THAT WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF SOMETHING THAT WE DID LAST YEAR.

AND AS CLERK, I THOUGHT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT THE BOARD SUPPORTED, VOTER FURTHER VOTER PROTECTIONS, WAYS THAT WE CAN PROTECT OF THE SAFE KEEPING OF RECORDS AND BALLOTS AND OTHER MEASURES THAT WE DO IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE.

SO I WANTED TO JUST ADD THOSE COMMENTS TO THE REPORT THAT YOU GAVE, VERBALLY.

IN ADDITION, THE LAST DAY, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER IN ANY, MANNER OTHER THAN IN PERSON WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICE IS FEBRUARY 12TH.

IT'S RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.

WE DO RECEIVE A NUMBER OF, REGISTRATIONS THROUGH THE EMAIL.

I PROBABLY, IN MY EMAIL INBOX, PROBABLY RECEIVE 50 MYSELF A DAY FOR REGISTRATIONS AND PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION FORMS AND VARIOUS OTHER FORMS TO VOTE.

THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE IN THE OFFICE ARE RECEIVING.

SO I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO BE AWARE THAT THE LAST DAY, TO DO ANY OTHER WAY, AFTER THE 12TH IS IN THE OFFICE, YOU NEED TO COME INTO THE OFFICE, TO YOUR LOCAL CLERK'S OFFICE TO REGISTER TO VOTE.

AND THEN IN ADDITION, WE ARE HAVING WEEKEND HOURS SINCE OUR NEXT MEETING ISN'T OUR TOWNSHIP BOARD MEETING ISN'T UNTIL FEBRUARY 20TH.

I DO WANT TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE DO HAVE, ADDITIONAL CLERK OFFICE HOURS ON THE WEEKEND OF SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH AND SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH, FROM 8 TO 5.

SO IF YOU NEED TO COME IN AND REGISTER, FILL OUT YOUR FORM, SPOIL A BALLOT, ANYTHING LIKE THAT, YOU CAN DO SO AT THE CLERK'S OFFICE.

I WON'T BORE YOU WITH A BUNCH OF DETAILS, BUT THE EARLY VOTING HOURS ARE ALSO LISTED ON THE TOWNSHIP WEBSITE.

[00:40:01]

AND THAT STARTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH, AND IT GOES UNTIL SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH.

AND SO EVEN THOUGH PRESIDENT'S DAY ON THE 19TH IS A HOLIDAY AND TOWNSHIP OFFICES ARE CLOSED, CLERK'S OFFICES WILL BE OPEN ALL ACROSS THE STATE TO PROVIDE EARLY VOTING SO YOU CAN COME IN ON PRESIDENT'S DAY.

WE WILL BE OPEN. YOU CAN COME IN AND VOTE EARLY.

WHAT THAT MEANS IS AN EARLY VOTING CENTER OPERATES IN THE SAME MANNER AS A POLLING LOCATION.

SO IF YOU'VE EVER GONE TO VOTE IN PERSON ON ELECTION DAY, YOU BASICALLY DO THE SAME PROCESS FOR AN EARLY VOTING SITE.

AND YOU CAN START THAT FEBRUARY 17TH RIGHT HERE IN THE TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL BUILDING AND THE TOWN HALL THROUGH FEBRUARY 25TH.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YOU CAN ALWAYS CONTACT OUR OFFICE, CLERKSOFFICE@MERIDIAN.MI.US YOU.

HAVE TO MENTION IT AGAIN, BUT THE NEXT MEETING, THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE TOWNSHIP BOARD, WHICH IS SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY THE 20TH, WILL NOT BE HELD IN THIS ROOM BECAUSE OF EARLY VOTING.

WILL BE HELD IN THE AT CENTRAL FIRE STATION, AND OTHERS MAY BE INTERESTED TO KNOW THAT T HIS MEETING WILL NOT BE BROADCAST, BUT WILL BE RECORDED.

MOVE ON TO ITEM EIGHT.

[8. APPROVAL OF AGENDA]

MR. DESCHAINE.

I MOVE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA WITH THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTED CHANGE, WHICH IS TO MOVE ITEM 12.

EXCUSE ME. ITEM 13 D TO 13 A, SO THAT THE FIRST BOARD MEMBER DISCUSSION WOULD BE THE RONALD J.

STYKA MEMORIAL PARKWAY.

SUPPORT. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SUPPORTED TO MOVE ITEM 13 D TO ITEM 13 A AND BOARD DISCUSSION ITEMS. MR. DESCHAINE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUPPORT YOUR MOTION? WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT ARE PROBABLY HERE FOR THAT, AND I THINK IT WOULD BE PRUDENT TO DISCUSS THAT FIRST.

ALL RIGHT. I CONCUR.

ALL RIGHT THEN, IF THERE'S NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO REARRANGE, ITEM 13 D AND ITEM 13 A, PLEASE SAY YES.

YES, YES. OPPOSED NO.

MOTION PASSES.

OKAY. SO, WE APPROVE THE AGENDA WITH THOSE CHANGES.

OKAY. SO NOW WE MOVE TO ITEM NINE, WHICH IS THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR THIS EVENING'S MEETING.

[9. CONSENT AGENDA]

I MOVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED THIS EVENING.

OKAY, MR. TREZISE. I SUPPORT THAT MOTION.

YOU DO.

CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD, THREE PIECES OF COMMUNICATIONS.

ONE FROM MIKE MUDRY, ONE FROM ROGER TAYLOR, AND ONE FROM SUSAN MCGILLICUTTY.

OKAY. TO INCLUDE IT AS AN OFFICIAL, PART OF THE RECORD FOR THIS BOARD PACKET.

OKAY. THAT'S THE MOTION.

I'M PRETTY SURE I NEED A SECOND FOR THAT.

SUPPORT. SUPPORT.

SO THIS IS, AROUND THE CONSENT AGENDA.

CLERK GUTHRIE HAS THREE COMMUNICATION ITEMS TO ADD TO THE PACKET.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THAT MOTION FIRST, PLEASE SAY YES.

YES. OPPOSED NO.

THEN THE COMMUNICATION.

[INAUDIBLE] OH, RIGHT.

THE COMMUNICATIONS HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED AS PART OF THE CONSENT AGENDA.

WE STILL HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA, WHICH CALLS FOR A ROLL CALL VOTE.

[00:45:05]

YES. CLERK GUTHRIE VOTES YES.

TREASURER DESCHAINE. YES.

TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON.

YES. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND.

YES. TRUSTEE TREZISE.

YES. TRUSTEE WILSON.

YES. MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO.

SORRY ABOUT THAT [INAUDIBLE]. THANK YOU.

WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO CHANGE THE PRONUNCIATION? TREZISE, NO. I'M SO SORRY.

[LAUGHTER] I WOULD JUST ADD TO THE WHOLE CONSENT AGENDA DISCUSSION.

I'M NOT SURE I'VE EVER SEEN ONE LIKE THAT QUITE LIKE THAT.

BEFORE THAT, I FELT IT WAS VERY WELL DONE, VERY WELL WRITTEN, AND I APPRECIATED GETTING IT.

WE MOVE NOW TO ITEM 12 IN OUR AGENDA, THESE ARE OUR ACTION ITEMS.

[12.A. Ordinance 2024-01 – Rezone 4660 Marsh Road from PO, Professional and Office, to C-1, Commercial-Final Adoption]

OUR PRESENTER THIS EVENING IS DIRECTOR TIM SCHMITT.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SO THE REQUEST IN FRONT OF YOU, THIS IS, I THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS SEEN THIS COUPLE TIMES AT LEAST, IS TO REZONE THIS PROPERTY RIGHT HERE, AT 4660 MARSH ROAD FROM PROFESSIONAL OFFICE TO C-1 COMMERCIAL.

THIS WOULD, BRING THE ZONING IN LINE WITH THE USES OF THE BUILDING, BOTH EXISTING AND PROPOSED.

THE PLANNING COMMISSION REVIEWED THIS LATE LAST YEAR AND RECOMMENDED APPROVAL TO THE BOARD, AND THE BOARD HAS REVIEWED IT, TWICE AND HAVE RAISED NO MAJOR CONCERNS.

AGAIN, THE APPLICANT APOLOGIZES FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO BE THERE.

THEY DID HAVE A LOSS IN THEIR FAMILY AND ARE TRYING TO WRAP THAT UP.

LUCKILY, THIS IS A RELATIVELY STRAIGHTFORWARD REQUEST.

STAFF DOES RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF IT PURSUANT TO THE TOWNSHIP BOARD'S REQUEST.

WE DID PUBLISH THIS IN THE NEWSPAPER PRIOR TO THIS MEETING, AND SO IT IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION THIS EVENING.

WE PROVIDE YOU WITH A SAMPLE MOTION.

IF YOU SO CHOOSE TO MOVE THAT DIRECTION, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE BOARD MIGHT HAVE.

THANK YOU.

MR. HENDRICKSON.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I'LL GET US STARTED WITH THE MOTION.

I MOVE TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION APPROVING ORDINANCE 2024-01, AN ORDINANCE TO REZONE THE PROPERTY AT 4660 MARSH ROAD, PARCEL ID NUMBER 330202 21 428 002.

FROM PO PROFESSIONAL OFFICE TO C-1 COMMERCIAL.

SUPPORT.

SUPPORTED BY CLERK GUTHRIE.

MR. HENDRICKSON, WOULD YOU LIKE TO? I WOULD BE HAPPY TO THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SUPPORT YOUR MOTION.

YES. AS DIRECTOR SCHMITT POINTED OUT, THIS IS NOW THE THIRD TIME WE'VE SEEN THIS COME BEFORE THIS BODY, AND WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT AT LENGTH.

TO SUMMARIZE, THIS CHANGE WOULD BASICALLY ALLOW FOR THE USE THAT WAS ALREADY OCCURRING ON THE PROPERTY.

IT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE ZONING ON THE ADJACENT PROPERTIES.

AND IS A BETTER FIT FOR THIS PARTICULAR PARCEL.

I BELIEVE THE INTENT OF WHY NOW IS TO ADD A SINGLE, CHAIR SALON TO THE EXISTING PROPERTY, WHICH HAS VERY LITTLE IMPACT ON THE NEIGHBORS THANKFULLY, GIVEN THAT IT'S ALREADY BEING USED, FOR NUMEROUS SMALL PERSONAL SERVICES BUSINESSES O N THE PROPERTY.

SO FOR THOSE REASONS, THERE'S BEEN I SHOULD POINT OUT, THERE'S BEEN NO, NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF REZONING THIS PROPERTY FROM ANY OF THE NEIGHBORS.

AND, AND THEREFORE, WITH NO REASON NOT TO APPROVE IT.

AND THE REQUEST BEING IN LINE WITH THE GOALS OF THE TOWNSHIP, I THINK WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS.

THANK YOU. CLERK GUTHRIE.

I BELIEVE YOU WOULD SUPPORT IF SUPPORTED THE MOTION FOR THE EXACT REASONS TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON STATED.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR, AND THE OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD.

THEN THIS, THE MOTION IS TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION APPROVING THE ORDINANCE 2024-01, AN ORDINANCE TO REZONE THE PROPERTY AT 4660 MARSH ROAD, PARCEL ID 33-02- 02-21-428-002 FROM PROFESSIONAL OFFICE TO C-1 COMMERCIAL.

WE NEED A ROLL CALL VOTE FOR A REZONING, I BELIEVE.

CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU.

CLERK GUTHRIE VOTES YES.

TREASURER DESCHAINE. YES.

TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON. YES.

[00:50:01]

YES. TRUSTEE TREZISE.

YES. TRUSTEE WILSON.

YES. SUPERVISOR JACKSON.

YES. MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO.

OKAY. I THANK YOU.

OH. THANK YOU. I'M SORRY, MR. SCHMITT. ITEM, 12 B IS TO SUPPORT EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN ANNUAL UPDATE.

[12.B. Support Emergency Operations Plan Annual Update]

YOU DEMOTED HIM.

[LAUGHTER] AND WE'VE SEEN THIS SEVERAL TIMES AS WELL.

SO PLEASE CONTINUE.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR, BOARD AGAIN WE WERE ON AGENDA TWO WEEKS AGO.

I HAD SOME THINGS THAT I HAD MISSED THAT I CORRECTED WITH SOME NAME CHANGES.

AND SO I BRING YOU THE FINAL PRODUCT TO BE APPROVED SO WE CAN GET THIS TO THE COUNTY.

JUST A REMINDER, THE REASON WE DO THIS ANNUALLY AND WE SUBMIT IT TO THE COUNTY IS BECAUSE WITHOUT THIS PLAN IN THE INGHAM COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT'S HAND, WE ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR ANY TYPE OF FUNDING.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, WITH THE STORM THAT MR. WALSH HAD TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, WE ARE STILL IN THE RUNNING FOR, MONEY FOR THAT FOR REIMBURSEMENT.

WE'RE NOT SURE IF WE'RE GOING TO GET A FEDERAL DECLARATION, BUT THERE'S WHAT THEY CALL SECTION $19.

SO THAT'S THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS PLAN.

SO WE STILL QUALIFY FOR THAT.

I ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS.

TRUSTEE WILSON.

NO QUESTIONS.

I'LL MAKE THE MOTION. OH THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

MOVE TO APPROVE THE 2024 UPDATES TO THE SUPPORT EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN.

IS THERE SUPPORT? MR. DESCHAINE. SUPPORT.

TRUSTEE WILSON.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

THESE ARE BASICALLY HOUSEKEEPING ISSUES.

YES, RELATED TO CHANGES IN POSITIONS.

SO THAT IS ALL THIS IS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

MR. DESCHAINE. NO FURTHER COMMENT.

I HAVE ONE QUESTION.

YES, MA'AM. SO THESE ARE THE KINDS OF MINOR CHANGES THAT DO NOT REQUIRE A SUPERVISOR'S, SIGNATURE? THEY DO NOT. AND THE SUPERVISOR WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THIS CASE IS THE BOARD SUPERVISOR.

CORRECT. THANK YOU.

CORRECT. SO WHAT I'LL DO IS ONCE THIS IS APPROVED, I GO AROUND TO ALL THE PEOPLE ON HERE THAT YOU SEE THE SIGNATURES.

I GET THE SIGNATURE, THE DATE, AND THEN ONCE IT'S APPROVED, I GET COPIES TO ALL THOSE THAT ARE LISTED IN HERE AND INGHAM COUNTY.

AND YOU'LL SEE IN HERE ALSO, I THINK IT WAS ON PAGE 12, MAYBE, WHERE THE NUMBERS ARE LEFT OFF BECAUSE IT IS NOT A PUBLIC DOCUMENT ONCE IT'S OFFICIAL BECAUSE IT GIVES CELL NUMBERS. SO IF WE DO HAVE AN EMERGENCY, WE USE THIS, WE CAN CONTACT EACH OTHER OKAY.

NO FURTHER QUESTIONS.

THE MOTION IS TO APPROVE THE 2024 DATES TO THE SUPPORT EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE SAY YES.

YES. OPPOSED? NO. THE CHAIR VOTES YES.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, CHIEF HAMEL.

ITEM 12 C IS THE 2023 MASTER PLAN UPDATE.

[12.C. 2023 Master Plan Update]

MR. SCHMITT.

MADAM SUPERVISOR.

YES. THIS IS, WE'VE GONE THROUGH WITH A FINE TOOTH COMB.

AND IN FACT, I FOUND A TYPO IN A VERY AWKWARD SPOT THAT I FIXED.

THAT NO ONE HAS NOTICED FOR SIX MONTHS NOW.

WOW. YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS.

YOU STARE AT IT LONG ENOUGH, BUT, THIS IS THE, CLOSE TO, IF NOT THE FINAL DRAFT OF THE 2023 MASTER PLAN UPDATE.

AS PREVIOUSLY NOTED, THE PLANNING COMMISSION DID RECOMMEND APPROVAL ON DECEMBER 11TH, 2023, AND THE BOARD HAS REVIEWED THIS, IN SOME DEPTH FOR SEVERAL MEETINGS NOW AND OFFERED SEVERAL SUGGESTIONS, ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS.

AND WE'VE I THINK WE'VE GOTTEN THERE.

I THINK WE'RE AT A GOOD SPOT.

TO REMIND YOU, THIS IS NOT THE FINAL FORMAT.

WHAT WE'VE DONE IS GIVEN IT TO YOU IN A PDF RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE CAUGHT EVERY TYPO AND EVERY CHANGE THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN BEFORE WE GO BACK AND RE PUT IT INTO THE FLIP BOOK MAGAZINE FORMAT AND MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE AND ALL THOSE THINGS, A LOT OF THINGS, GO INTO THAT.

AND SO RATHER THAN HAVE COMMUNICATIONS DO THAT.

AGAIN FOR ME, WE DECIDED TO MAKE THE CHANGES IN THE PDF VERSION, AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK AND FLIP BOOK IT, ONCE THE BOARD AUTHORIZES ADOPTS IT.

[00:55:05]

WE'VE TRIED TO INCORPORATE ALMOST ALL OF IT MY STAFF THAT WORKED ON THIS, THE PLANNING COMMISSION, WHO, ESPECIALLY THE THREE NEW MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION WHO KIND OF CAME INTO THIS MIDSTREAM.

AND EVERYONE GENERALLY AGREED WITH THE WAY I WAS TRYING TO LAY THIS OUT AS AN UPDATE.

AND WE'LL GO THROUGH IT IN DETAIL AT EVERY MEETING AND PLANNING COMMISSION SPENT A LOT OF TIME GOING THROUGH PIECES OF THIS, AND IT CAME TOGETHER, I THINK, IN A VERY EFFECTIVE WAY, THAT'S GOING TO, GIVE US A LOT OF SPACE TO WORK OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FIVE YEARS BEFORE WE POTENTIALLY DISCUSS A MAJOR OVERHAUL, BUT ALSO LAYS THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE NEXT FIVE, TEN, 20 YEARS, IN THE TOWNSHIP.

AND SO WE'RE PRETTY PLEASED WITH THIS.

IF THE TOWNSHIP BOARD IS PREPARED TO MOVE FORWARD, THE MOTION IN FRONT OF YOU, IS SPECIFIC BECAUSE THE STATE LAW REQUIRES A COUPLE OF THINGS.

STILL, THE CLERK NEEDS TO SIGN THE DOCUMENT OFFICIALLY, PER THE STATE LAW, AND STAFF STILL DOES NEED TO DISTRIBUTE THE DOCUMENT ONCE IT'S ADOPTED.

BASED ON THE PROVISIONS OF THE STATE ENABLING LEGISLATION.

THE DISTRIBUTION IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AS WHEN WE DISTRIBUTED THE DRAFT.

THEY ASK THAT WE DO IT AGAIN.

THEY ASK THAT WE DO IT THREE TIMES, BASICALLY, TO ANNOUNCE THAT YOU'RE PLANNING TO SHOW THAT YOU'VE PLANNED AND ASK FOR COMMENT AND THEN SHOW THE FINISHED PRODUCT.

AND SO WE HAVE OUR LIST READY TO GO WHENEVER THE BOARD IS, READY TO DO THAT.

SO I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME, ABOUT WHERE WE'RE AT.

YEAH. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

OKAY. BOARD MEMBERS, MR. DESCHAINE.

I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THIS.

I THINK WE HAVE A MEMBER AT THE TABLE WHO IS A FORMER CHAIR OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION H AD A LOT MORE TO DO WITH IT THAN THE REST OF US.

BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THE ONLY CONTENTIOUS THING THAT I HAVE HEARD ON THIS MASTER PLAN IS THE STRAIGHTENING OF THE URBAN SERVICES BOUNDARY NEAR POWELL ROAD. AND AS WE DISCUSSED LAST TIME, THAT STRAIGHTENING WAS TO KEEP CERTAIN PROPERTIES FROM BEING HALF IN AND HALF OUT OF THE URBAN SERVICES BOUNDARY, FIXED INCONSISTENCIES LIKE THAT.

AND, TO MAKE IT A MORE REASONABLE LINE AND NOT THE JAGGED LINE THAT IT IS IN THAT AREA.

I AM SATISFIED THAT WE'VE PRESERVED THE URBAN SERVICES BOUNDARY, WE'VE STRAIGHTENED THE LINE WHERE NECESSARY, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO HONOR THE URBAN SERVICES BOUNDARY THAT WAS SET FORTH BY PRIOR BOARDS.

I FULLY INTEND TO SUPPORT THIS NEW MASTER PLAN.

TRUSTEE WILSON.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I HAVE JUST ONE QUESTION, A CLARIFICATION.

YOU ARE SAYING TO US TODAY WE COULD APPROVE THIS TONIGHT.

HOWEVER, YOU ARE STILL GOING TO GO BACK AND FIX ONLY TYPOGRAPHIC ERRORS.

NO, I WE WENT, WE HAD MULTIPLE STAFF MEMBERS GO THROUGH IT LAST WEEK IN EXTREME DETAIL AND WE THINK WE'VE GOT IT ALL.

SO YOU'RE DONE. WE FOUND ONE ON ALMOST EVERY PAGE.

[LAUGHTER] WE NOTICED A COUPLE.

WELL, AND IT WAS, YOU KNOW HOW SENTENCES FLOW LIKE COMMA IN THE WRONG PLACE OR THE THAT WAS DROPPED.

YES. NOTHING MAJOR BUT ENOUGH THAT WE, WE WENT THROUGH IT A COUPLE OF TIMES, HAD SIX DIFFERENT SETS OF EYES ON IT.

WE'RE PRETTY CONFIDENT WE'RE THERE.

SO YOU WERE SAYING THAT THE DOCUMENT WE REVIEWED IN PREPARATION FOR THIS MEETING IS THE FINAL DOCUMENT? THAT IS WHAT I'M SAYING. THANK YOU SIR.

OTHER COMMENTS.

MR. TREZISE.

YES. MR. DESCHAINE REMINDED ME THAT I WAS ON THE PLANNING BOARD BEFORE.

ALTHOUGH I WASN'T CHAIRMAN.

BUT THANK YOU FOR THE PROMOTION.

[LAUGHTER] WE DID WORK VERY HARD ON THIS, AND, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF IT.

THE STAFF WAS JUST SUPER IN DEALING WITH US, PROVIDING US INFORMATION, LISTENING TO THE COMMENTS OF NINE BOARD MEMBERS WITH DIFFERENT QUESTIONS AND WORDSMITHING AND ALL OF THAT.

AND I THINK THEY CAME UP WITH A VERY COMMENDABLE PRODUCT THAT WILL SERVE THIS TOWNSHIP WELL.

AND BASED ON THAT, I WILL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE 2023 MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP MASTER PLAN UPDATE AND TO DIRECT CLERK.

GUTHRIE LEFT THE NAME OUT TO SIGN THE DOCUMENT AND DIRECT STAFF TO DISTRIBUTE THE ADOPTED PLAN, AS REQUIRED BY PUBLIC ACT 33 OF 2008. SUPPORT.

SUPPORTED BY TRUSTEE WILSON.

ARE THERE OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD? CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I TOO, LIKE TREASURER DESCHAINE WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR, THE CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME, THOUGHT AND PROCESS THAT WENT THROUGH AND EXPLAINING THE URBAN SERVICE BOUNDARY AND HOW FIXING, THAT ONE LITTLE LINE,

[01:00:10]

AND SO I CAN APPRECIATE THAT, FROM THE STANDPOINT OF A CLERK WHO HAS TO LOOK AT BOUNDARY LINES FOR HOUSES AND DETERMINE WHERE THEY'RE VOTING AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE VOTING IN THE CORRECT SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND ALL THE CORRECT AREAS, THAT THEY FALL INTO.

SO I APPRECIATE THE TIME THAT WAS SPENT DOING THAT, AND I APPRECIATE THE CLARITY AND THE LANGUAGE, AS WE DISCUSSED AT THE LAST MEETING AND EXPLAINING THE PURPOSE OF THE URBAN SERVICE BOUNDARY AND WHAT IS RECOMMENDED IN THIS MASTER PLAN.

SO I THANK YOU AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR THE WORK ON THAT.

MR. HENDRICKSON. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

IT'S MORE THAN JUST THAT, OF COURSE.

OBVIOUSLY, THAT WAS THE BIT THAT WE HEARD A FAIR AMOUNT ABOUT WAS THE URBAN SERVICES BOUNDARY.

I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M MOST EXCITED ABOUT IS THE GENERATION OF THE SMALL AREA PLANS, FOR OUR PICA AREAS, AND THE OTHER AREAS WHERE WE'VE EXPANDED IT TO AS WELL.

I THINK THIS IS GOING TO GENERATE A LOT OF EXCITING INFORMATION AND DATA.

IT'S GOING TO GIVE US SOME VERY SPECIFIC WAYS WE CAN FOCUS ON SOME OF OUR AREAS IN THE TOWNSHIP THAT ARE DESPERATELY IN NEED OF REDEVELOPMENT.

LOOKING AT THE MALL, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE GRAND RIVER CORRIDOR AND DOWNTOWN OKEMOS, WHICH OBVIOUSLY WE ALL WANT TO SEE REDEVELOPED, AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. AND SO, OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF WORK WENT INTO THIS.

THE PLANNING COMMISSION, THE STAFF, THE BOARD, THE PUBLIC WHO ALL WEIGHED IN.

AND SO WE'RE VERY THANKFUL FOR THE HOURS THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE PUT IN TO MAKE ALL OF THIS COME TOGETHER.

IT'S A HERCULEAN TASK.

AND SO MY QUESTION TO YOU WOULD BE SIGN ORDINANCE MASTER PLAN.

WHAT? [LAUGHTER] PARKING ORDINANCE WILL BE PROBABLY IN FRONT OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS.

AFTER THAT, IT WILL PROBABLY BE THE UPDATE TO THE SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON IN THE BACKGROUND FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS, AND THAT WILL PUT US AT 5/8 OF THE WAY THROUGH THE ORDINANCE.

WHICH I MEAN, ORDINANCE AGAIN IS FROM 1974.

IT NEEDS A LOT OF WORK.

AND IN AN IDEAL WORLD, I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU TO GIVE US A MORATORIUM.

BUT I CAN'T.

I MEAN, IT WOULD TAKE US A FULL YEAR, AND THAT'S JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO TACKLE THIS AS WE GO, BUT THOSE ARE THE TWO NEXT BIG ONES.

THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR THIS.

OKAY. NOW, THE MOTION IS TO APPROVE THE 2023 MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP MASTER PLAN UPDATE AND TO DIRECT THE CLERK TO SIGN THE DOCUMENT AND DIRECT STAFF TO DISTRIBUTE THE ADOPTED PLAN AS REQUIRED BY PUBLIC ACT 33 OF 2008.

I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A ROLL CALL VOTE.

THANK YOU. CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

TREASURER DESCHAINE.

YES. TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON.

YES. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND.

YES. TRUSTEE TREZISE.

YES. TRUSTEE WILSON.

YES. SUPERVISOR JACKSON.

YES. AND CLERK GUTHRIE VOTES YES.

MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

IT'S DONE. GOOD JOB.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.

ITEM 13F.

I'M SORRY.

12 D IS THE RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

[12.D. Resolution Commemorating Black History Month]

IT, ACKNOWLEDGES THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS TO THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.

THE FACT THAT IN FEBRUARY, THE UNITED STATES, THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, AND THIS BOARD RECOGNIZES, BLACK HISTORY MONTH AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT ON THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF BLACK HISTORY TO TOWNSHIP HISTORY, MICHIGAN HISTORY, AND THE US HISTORY.

SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF TOWNSHIP SPECIFIC HISTORY AND CONTRIBUTIONS BY AFRICAN AMERICANS IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP ARE NOTED.

AND WHEREAS, IN 2021, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DECLARED JUNETEENTH A NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY, A FEDERAL HOLIDAY FOR ALL,

[01:05:07]

NOW THEREFORE.

OH, WELL. WHEREAS IN FEBRUARY OF 2022, PATRICIA HERRING JACKSON WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE APPOINTED TO THE TOWNSHIP BOARD AS SUPERVISOR.

AND IN NOVEMBER 2023, SHE WAS ELECTED TO SERVE AS TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR.

THEREFORE, I'M VERY PROUD TO OFFER YOU THIS RESOLUTION.

RESOLUTION NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE TOWNSHIP BOARD OF THE CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF MERIDIAN, INGHAM COUNTY, MICHIGAN, THE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP COMMEMORATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE GENERATIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS WHO STRUGGLED WITH ADVERSITY, AND TO CELEBRATE THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, CONTRIBUTIONS, AND HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN MICHIGAN.

THE MOTION THEN, IS TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

MR. DESCHAIN. I MOVE TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH FOR FEBRUARY OF 2024.

THANK YOU. SUPPORT. SUPPORT.

OTHER COMMENTS.

WHICH ONE ARE YOU CHOOSING FOR SUPPORT.

FOR THE RECORD. OH, TWO PEOPLE TIED.

TRUSTEE WILSON.

ALL RIGHT, VERY GOOD.

CLERK GUTHRIE.

COULD I MAKE AN AMENDMENT TO THE RESOLUTION? I WOULD LIKE TO ADD, THAT BETWEEN THE SECOND TO THE LAST, WHEREAS ON THE LAST WHEREAS OR AS PART OF THE SECOND TO THE LAST, WHEREAS THAT IN 2023, THE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP BOARD APPROVED JUNETEENTH AS A TOWNSHIP HOLIDAY.

OKAY. AND IN THE LAST WHEREAS.

I'M CONFUSED BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU WERE ELECTED AS SUPERVISOR IN 2020.

NO. 2022.

SHE WAS APPOINTED WITH I WAS APPOINTED IN 22.

YOU WERE APPOINTED.

AND IN 2022.

AND THEN I WAS ELECTED IN 2022.

OKAY. AND OKAY.

THANK YOU. WELL, I THOUGHT WE HAD AN ELECTION IN 2020, SO I THOUGHT YOU WERE ELECTED IN 2020.

YOU DID HAVE AN ELECTION IN 20 ELECTIONS BOTH YEARS 2020 AND 2022.

AND THAT'S THE WHEN THE ELECTION.

OH, GOSH. TIME'S FLYING.

JUST LIKE I SAID TO FRANK.

TIME'S FLYING.

OH, OKAY.

OKAY. WHERE ARE WE? THANK YOU.

WE ARE SO JUST THE JUNETEENTH ADDING THAT THE BOARD APPROVED JUNETEENTH AS A TOWNSHIP HOLIDAY.

RIGHT. AND THAT WAS SECONDED.

THAT MOTION WAS SECONDED BY.

I SECOND THE MOTION. MR. DESCHAINE.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THAT MOTION TO AMEND THE ORIGINAL RESOLUTION, PLEASE SAY YES.

YES. YES. YES. OPPOSED NO.

CHAIR VOTES YES.

AND NOW TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION, AS AMENDED.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION.

MR. DESCHAINE, BEFORE WE APPROVE IT, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I'M QUITE HONORED TO BE ON A BOARD WITH A PERSON WHO IS BEING HONORED BY A RESOLUTION FROM THE BOARD.

[LAUGHTER] SO WE GET TO APPROVE HISTORY AND LIVE HISTORY AT THE SAME TIME HERE.

THIS IS REALLY REMARKABLE, DOING A WONDERFUL JOB AS SUPERVISOR.

AND WHAT I CAN ALSO SAY IS YOU LED THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR AROUND 16 YEARS BEFORE YOU EVER JOINED THE BOARD.

SO YOUR SERVICE TO THE TOWNSHIP IS REMARKABLE AND VERY ESTIMABLE.

AND I CAN SPEAK, I THINK, VERY WELL FOR OUR 45,000 RESIDENTS THAT YOU'VE SERVED THE TOWNSHIP WELL.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

OKAY. NOW, WHERE AM I? WE STILL HAVE TO APPROVE THE ORIGINAL THE AMENDED RESOLUTION.

WE DO. ALL RIGHT, ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION.

THIS IS A RESOLUTION, SO WE NEED A ROLL CALL VOTE.

TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON.

YES. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND.

YES. TRUSTEE TREZISE.

YES. TRUSTEE WILSON.

YES. SUPERVISOR JACKSON.

YES. CLERK GUTHRIE VOTES YES.

TREASURER DESCHAINE. YES.

MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS.

THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH.

NOW WE CAN MOVE ON TO BOARD DISCUSSION ITEMS.

[13.D. Ronald J. Styka Memorial Pathway]

SO THE FIRST THING WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT TONIGHT IS THE RONALD J.

STYKA MEMORIAL PATHWAY.

AND I THINK MR. WALSH WILL LEAD THIS DISCUSSION FOR US.

[01:10:15]

PROUD TO BE HERE.

PROUD TO HAVE KNOWN RON STYKA AND HIS LOVELY WIFE GEORGIA OF COURSE, AS YOU KNOW, IS HERE WITH US THIS EVENING.

THIS CAME FROM A DISCUSSION THAT GOES BACK, LIKE TWO YEARS AGO.

I THINK THE FIRST PERSON THAT I RECALL, YOU ALWAYS DON'T WANT TO SAY THIS BECAUSE YOU'LL SOMEBODY ELSE.

BUT I REMEMBER TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON.

YOUR FIRST THOUGHT WAS TO DO SOMETHING AND LET'S DO IT RIGHT AND TAKE OUR TIME AND DO IT RIGHT.

AND YOU MENTIONED EVEN MAYBE THE ROOM AND HAD SOME OTHER IDEAS AS WELL AS TO HOW TO HONOR, OUR FORMER FRIEND AND SUPERVISOR.

AND THE SUPERVISOR AND I WERE TALKING THIS WEEK AND CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, RON WAS REALLY PROUD OF IS THE PATHWAY THAT HE HELPED LEAD THE WAY.

HE CALLED IT THE STYKA PATHWAY.

BUT BEFORE WE GET THERE, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RON FOR THE FOLKS THAT MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN RON AND I KNOW TRUSTEE TREZISE KNOWS RON VERY, VERY WELL, HAVING SERVED, I THINK, ACTUALLY WORKED WITH HIM AT THE AG'S OFFICE AND ALSO, SERVED ON THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WITH HIM.

BUT WHAT I KNOW ABOUT RON STYKA IS, HE WAS BORN OCTOBER 29TH OF 1946, IN DETROIT AND A PROUD GRADUATE OF CASS TECH, HIGH SCHOOL, UNDERGRAD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT, AND A PROUD GRADUATE, A VERY PROUD GRADUATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW SCHOOL, AND THEN WENT TO WORK FOR FRANK KELLY IN THE AG'S OFFICE FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS.

AND DURING THAT TIME, IN AROUND 1990, HE JOINED THE OKEMOS BOARD OF EDUCATION, WHERE HE SERVED CONSECUTIVE TERMS UNTIL AROUND 2010, LEFT THE BOARD AND THEN WAS BRO UGHT BACK TO THE BOARD WHEN SOMEBODY RESIGNED, THEY ASKED HIM TO COME BACK AND SERVE.

AND THEN IN 2012, RON DECIDED TO ENTER TOWNSHIP POLITICS AND RAN AS A TRUSTEE.

HE FINISHED FIRST IN A CROWDED FIELD IN NOVEMBER OF 2012 AND SERVED AS A TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE UNTIL 2016, AND AT THAT TIME, LEADING UP TO THE 2016 ELECTION, HE DECIDED TO RUN FOR TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR.

AS SUPERVISOR LEGOFF HAD ANNOUNCED SHE WAS NOT GOING TO SEEK REELECTION, AND SUPERVISOR STYKA WAS ELECTED AND WON, AND WAS CHALLENGED AND WON ALL 19 PRECINCTS AT THAT TIME, AND SERVED AS SUPERVISOR FROM 2016 TO 2020.

AT THAT TIME DECIDED HE WAS GOING TO SEEK REELECTION, AS SUPERVISOR AND AGAIN RAN AND AGAIN WON ALL 19 PRECINCTS SO NEVER LOST A PRECINCT. AND I BELIEVE IT WAS AROUND THE SUMMER OF 20.

I BELIEVE IT WAS AROUND THE SUMMER OF 2021, THAT YOU CELEBRATED 50 YEARS OF MARRIAGE AND HAD A NICE PARTY IN THE YARD JUNE OR JULY OF 2021.

AND, YEAH, JUST SOME WONDERFUL MEMORIES OF RON.

AND I KNOW HE SPOKE VERY HIGHLY OF HIS SERVICE WITH HE ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT, SOMEONE THAT AT THAT TIME I DIDN'T KNOW WAS HIS FELLOW TRUSTEE, ON THE SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION. I THINK THEY BOTH SERVED AS PRESIDENT AT ONE TIME ON THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

AND. YEAH.

AND RON WAS JUST A REALLY CLASSY, REALLY A GENTLEMAN BELOVED IN THIS COMMUNITY.

HIS FAVORITE LINE WAS YOU NEVER TALKED ABOUT OKEMOS AND HASLETT WITH RON.

IT WAS ALWAYS ONE MERIDIAN.

THAT WAS HIS THEME ABOUT EVERYTHING.

I MADE THAT MISTAKE ONCE, NEVER MADE IT AGAIN.

[LAUGHTER] SO HE WAS A DEAR FRIEND AND I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH RON, AND VERY PROUD TO HAVE KNOWN HIM.

WE DO ALL KNOW THAT, TRAGICALLY, ON, FEBRUARY, 10TH OF 2022, RON HAD A FALL. AND ON TUESDAY, THE 15TH OF FEBRUARY, HE PASSED, VERY TOUGH TIME IN THE TOWNSHIP AND IN THE COMMUNITY.

SO TO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS TO TAKE OUR TIME AND MEMORIALIZE RON AND HONOR HIM IN THE RIGHT WAY.

AND I KNOW THAT IF I RECALL CORRECTLY, HE SPOKE OF HIS TIME SERVING ON THE OKEMOS EDUCATION FOUNDATION WITH MARNA, AS WELL AS TRUSTEE WILSON. SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE THOUGHT ABOUT IS RON ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT THE OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL WAS SUPPOSED TO GO, AND I HOPE I HAVE MY STORY CORRECT BECAUSE HE TOLD ME ABOUT 40 TIMES, SO I SHOULD HAVE IT DOWN PAT, THAT THE OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL IS SUPPOSED TO GO WHERE THE OKEMOS PRESERVE NEIGHBORHOOD IS AT, BUT GOT MOVED BECAUSE OF SOME ELECTRIC POWER ISSUES AND OTHER THINGS THAT OCCURRED.

AND SO THE HIGH SCHOOL GOT MOVED DOWN TO WHERE IT IS.

BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT RON PUSHED FOR AND, YOU KNOW, IF RON WANTED SOMETHING HE COULD BE VERY INFLUENTIAL.

AND SO THE PATHWAY THAT CONNECTS KNOB HILL UP ON OKEMOS ROAD, DOWN OVER BEHIND THE OKEMOS PRESERVE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE THE HIGH SCHOOL IS GOING TO BE.

[01:15:09]

SO IT STARTS AT SUNWIND CUTS OVER TO KNOB HILL AND THEN ENDS UP ON HULETT ROAD OVER BY OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL.

SO THE THOUGHT IS, AND SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ASKING THE BOARD TO CONSIDER IS, IS TO NAMING THAT THE RONALD J.

STYKA MEMORIAL PATHWAY.

AND IN THAT THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM HAS PUT TOGETHER, AN OUTLINE OF WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE, AND NOT JUST THE NAME, BUT JUST A LITTLE, STORY ABOUT RON AND HIS SERVICE TO THE OKEMOS EDUCATION FOUNDATION, OR OKEMOS BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE TOWNSHIP OF MERIDIAN AND THE ONLY PERSON IN THE HISTORY OF THIS COMMUNITY TO HAVE SERVED AS PRESIDENT OF THE SCHOOL BOARD AND SUPERVISOR OF THE TOWNSHIP.

AND, HE WAS A PROUD, PROUD, HUSBAND TO GEORGIA AND THEIR FOUR BOYS AND A VERY PROUD CASS TECH HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE.

HE TALKED ABOUT THAT A LOT.

SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RON AND HIS COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY AND HIS FAMILY AND, WHAT HE'S DONE, WHAT HE DID FOR THE COMMUNITY.

AND SO TONIGHT, I WANTED TO OFFER TO YOU TO THE BOARD THE SUGGESTION OF NAMING THIS PATHWAY THE RONALD J.

STYKA MEMORIAL PATHWAY.

THANK YOU. OKAY, NOW, MR. WALSH, BEFORE YOU, WALK AWAY, THERE'S IN OUR PACKET IS A MAP OF THE AREA THAT'S NOT WHAT IS UP ON THE SCREEN. NO IT'S NOT AND I DON'T SEE STEVEN SO.

[LAUGHTER] OKAY. SO THAT ENDS THAT.

YEAH. YEAH.

WHERE WE AT? 13 WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE 13 F.

PAGE 249. IT'S BOOKMARKED TIM ON THE SIDE.

OKAY. 249 I THINK IT'S 249.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT PAGE IT IS.

THAT'S TERRIBLE. THANK YOU.

THERE YOU GO. APPRECIATE IT.

SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, WHOOPS.

I TRIED TO GET IT PERFECT THERE.

YEAH. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THE TOP OF THIS IS, BENNETT ROAD AND THROUGH BENNETT WOOD THROUGH THE SUNWIND NEIGHBORHOODS THE PATHWAY ENTERS THERE AND THEN OVER ON OKEMOS ROAD, WHERE THE YELLOW DOT IS, IS KNOB HILL APARTMENTS.

AND THEN IT TRAVERSES THROUGH, HERE OVER BEHIND THE OKEMOS PRESERVE.

THIS IS WHERE THE HIGH SCHOOL AND MR. TREZISE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.

THAT'S WHERE IT WAS GOING TO BE. OKAY.

AND SO YEAH.

SO RON OFTEN TOLD THE STORY ABOUT HOW I WANTED TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE UP HERE ON OKEMOS ROAD, THE PEOPLE IN SUNWIND AND THE PEOPLE WHO AND ALSO ONE OTHER THING THAT PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW IS THAT THE OKEMOS BOARD OF EDUCATION, PUT IN THE SALE OF THIS TO MAYBERRY, RESTRICTIONS ON THE SIZE OF HOMES THAT THEY HAD TO BE CERTAIN SIZES.

SO TO GENERATE KIDS TO BE ATTENDING THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

SO A LOT OF VISION BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION BACK THEN.

AND THE FINAL SIGN WOULD BE HERE ON HULETT ROAD, JUST DOWN OR JUST SOUTH OR I'M SORRY, JUST NORTH OF OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL.

SO IT WOULD TRAVERSE ALONG HERE, COME DOWN AND GO OVER TO KNOB HILL AND THEN UP TO SUNWIND.

OKAY. IT ALSO NOW COLLECTS OR CONNECTS TO THE ELEVATION.

YES, THAT IS CORRECT.

THANK YOU FOR THAT. YEAH. WE IN FACT, WE WALKED THAT OFTEN.

IF YOU.

CLOSER FURTHER WEST. YEAH.

SO IF YOU COME DOWN HERE AND CUT ALONG HERE, I THINK IT IS.

LET ME SEE HERE. I THINK IT'S THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WATER.

YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

AND COME OVER HERE. YOU CAN WALK DOWN TO STARBUCKS.

YOU CAN WALK DOWN THE ELEVATION.

YOU CAN WALK DOWN TO STILLWATER GRILL FROM ANY OF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THAT PATHWAY.

IT CONNECTS JUST DOWN FROM KNOB HILL AND THEN GOES DUE SOUTH FROM THERE.

THANK YOU FOR THAT REMINDER.

I KNOW IT ALSO THAT PATHWAY, HEADS TOWARDS THE STYKA HOME.

WHERE I PRESUME THE STYKA BOYS MIGHT HAVE CROSSED OKEMOS ROAD THERE TO GO TO THE HIGH SCHOOL.

COULD BE. MR. DESCHAINE.

JUST TO CLARIFY, APPROXIMATELY TWO MILES OF PATHWAY HERE, MAYBE THREE.

WAS THIS PAID FOR INITIALLY BY OUR TRAILS MILLAGE OR? YES. THANK YOU.

AND WE AND IF I MAY.

PLEASE. YEAH, WE DID CONSULT ALSO WITH THE PARK COMMISSION JUST TO MAKE SURE THERE WASN'T ANY CONFLICTS BEFORE BRINGING THIS TO YOU.

[01:20:05]

SUPERVISOR JACKSON.

IN THE DESCRIPTION IT SAYS IN 2024 THIS PATH WAS DEDICATED.

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY.

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY INSTEAD OF WAS IS IT'S JUST KIND OF LIKE SEMANTICS THAT THIS PATHWAY IS DEDICATED.

RATHER THAN PAST TENSE.

ALSO, I THINK RON WAS A GREAT LEADER.

AND I THINK HE WAS SOMEONE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY WANTED TO FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS AND FOLLOW IN HIS PATH.

AND I THINK HE LED BY EXAMPLE IN THAT WAY, IN A POSITIVE WAY ACROSS THE COMMUNITY.

HE WAS ALWAYS WELCOMING, LIKE, WE SAY ABOUT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, THAT WE'RE WELCOMING COMMUNITY.

I THINK RON WAS VERY WELCOMING, TO EVERYONE, AND HE CERTAINLY TREATED ME THAT WAY.

AND I SAW HIM TREAT OTHERS THAT WAY.

YOU ALWAYS FELT WELCOMED BY RON.

AND I FEEL WHEN I READ THIS DESCRIPTION THAT THE LEADERSHIP IN HIS EXAMPLE OF, THE COMMUNITY WANTING TO KIND OF FOLLOW IN HIS PATHWAY AND IN HIS LEADERSHIP IS MISSING FROM THE DESCRIPTION.

IT TALKS FACTUALLY ABOUT HE SERVED ON THIS AND SERVED ON THIS, BUT REALLY, HE WAS A SUPREME CLASS ACT TO FOLLOW.

AND THERE'S NOT ONE PERSON THAT WOULD DISPUTE THAT.

AND I WISH THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THIS DESCRIPTION TO REFLECT THE LEADERSHIP PATH THAT HE LEFT BEHIND FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW.

AND THAT AS WE'RE WALKING AND I'VE WALKED THIS INTERURBAN PATHWAY SEVERAL TIMES MYSELF, I USED TO LIVE IN THAT AREA.

I LIVED IN KNOB HILL, LIVED IN SUNWIND AREA.

AND IT WOULD BE NICE TO READ THAT BEFORE ENTERING THE PATHWAY.

AND SOMETHING TO PONDER AS A COMMUNITY, AS WE'RE WALKING ALONG THE PATH, JUST THIS IT'S JUST A CLASS ACT THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW.

SO THOSE ARE JUST MY COMMENTS ABOUT THE DESCRIPTION IS I JUST FEEL THAT COMPONENT IS SORT OF MISSING ABOUT WHAT A GREAT LEADER HE WAS.

SOMEONE THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW AND IN HIS FOOTSTEPS.

OKAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.

WE'LL TRY TO, FIT THAT IN SOMEHOW.

MR. HENDRICKSON. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

AND THANK YOU TO FRANK FOR BRINGING THIS IDEA FORWARD.

ABSOLUTELY. IT'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE FIRST, MAYBE THE FIRST EMAIL I SENT FRANK WAS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WE DO TO HONOR RON STYKA? AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT WE'RE MAKING A STRIDE HERE TO DO SO.

I AGREE, I THINK THAT TRYING TO CAPTURE SOME OF THE SPIRIT, OF RON AND THIS IS A GOOD IDEA.

WORDS ESCAPE ME AT THE MOMENT FOR HOW TO DO THAT, BUT I'M SURE WITH TIME WE CAN FIND A WAY TO TO IMBUE THAT IN THE SIGN.

I THINK THE COMMENTS ABOUT ONE MERIDIAN IS ALSO ESPECIALLY POIGNANT, BECAUSE THE FUTURE STATE OF THIS PATHWAY WILL HOPEFULLY ONE DAY CONNECT EASTWARD AND THEN NORTHWARD INTO HASLETT, LITERALLY CONNECTING OKEMOS AND HASLETT.

AND UNITING THE COMMUNITY IN THAT WAY AS WELL.

SO OF COURSE I'LL BE SUPPORTIVE OF THIS.

THIS IS THE EASIEST DECISION THAT WE'LL EVER HAVE TO MAKE, CERTAINLY.

AND I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE ABLE TO HONOR HIM IN THIS WAY.

THANK YOU. AND ANYONE WHO HAS IDEAS FOR, LANGUAGE, PLEASE PASS THEM ON, AND WE CAN MAYBE PUT IT ALL TOGETHER AND COME UP WITH SOMETHING FOR THE NEXT MEETING.

IF YOU HAVE IDEAS, WE'LL TAKE BOTH OF YOUR COMMENTS INTO CONSIDERATION.

AT THIS POINT, YOU'RE ASKING FOR OUR SUPPORT FOR THE IDEA, APPROVAL OF WHATEVER EXPENDITURES ARE NECESSARY FOR THE SIGNS AND THE PLACEMENT OF THE SIGNS.

YEAH, WE'LL BE ASKING FOR THAT AT THE NEXT MEETING.

[01:25:04]

IT'S I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM.

IT'S JUST IT'S DIFFICULT TO WE COULD TALK ABOUT THAT VISIONARY LEADERSHIP AND CREATING A PATHWAY AND ALL THAT.

I LOVE THAT, BUT THEN PEOPLE READ THAT AND IF WE DON'T PUT THE OTHER PART IN THERE, THEY DON'T KNOW WHO HE WAS OR WHAT HE DID AND WHAT HE SERVED.

SO TRY TO PUT WHAT HE DID FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND THEN WE'LL TRY TO ENCAPSULATE ALL THAT TOGETHER.

AND IF IT'S NOT, WE CAN CHANGE IT AT THE NEXT MEETING IF IT DOESN'T ENCAPSULATE WHAT YOU'D LIKE.

SO I JUST WANT WE WANTED TO JUST ANNOUNCE AND BROACH THE IDEA TONIGHT, AND IF THERE'S SUPPORT FROM THE BOARD, WE'LL MOVE FORWARD, TRY TO WORK ON THE LANGUAGE AND START ONCE WE WON'T ORDER ANY SIGNS UNTIL YOU, FULLY VET THIS AND VET THE LANGUAGE.

THEN WE'LL ORDER SIGNS AND HOPEFULLY.

IT'D BE NICE TO HAVE MAYBE SOMETIME THIS SUMMER WHEN THE WEATHER'S NICE, MAYBE TO HAVE A LITTLE RIBBON CUTTING AND HAVE THE FAMILY HERE AND ALL OF THAT.

A PARTY. YEAH.

IF YOU DON'T, IF YOU DON'T MIND, MAY I HAVE GEORGIA COME UP? IF SHE'S. SURE, PLEASE.

GEORGE WOULD YOU. OF COURSE. SURE.

FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO THANK DEB FOR MAKING ME CRY.

BUT, WE MOVED INTO MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP IN THE SPRING OF 1978.

WE HAD LIVED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN FOR FIVE YEARS AND LIVED IN A SUBDIVISION THAT WAS LOVELY, BUT IT HAD NO SIDEWALKS.

WE HELPED A FRIEND MOVE INTO BRIARWOOD, WHICH IS WHERE WE LIVE NOW IN THE SUMMER OF 77, AND AS SOON AS WE SAW THE SUBDIVISION WITH ALL ITS SIDEWALKS, WE SAID, THAT'S IT, WE'RE MOVING TO BRIARWOOD, WHICH WE DID SIX MONTHS LATER AND HAVE LIVED THERE EVER SINCE, AND WE STILL LIVE THERE NOW.

SO IT'S SORT OF IMPORTANT IN A WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, HE'S GETTING RECOGNIZED FOR PATHWAYS OR SIDEWALKS, BECAUSE THE REASON WE MOVED TO MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP WAS BECAUSE OF SIDEWALKS, BECAUSE IT HAD IT ALL OVER THE PLACE.

AND, THIS ACTUALLY WAS THE SECOND SIDEWALK HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR IN OKEMOS SCHOOLS, BECAUSE HE ALSO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CONNECTING BRIARWOOD AND HIDDEN VALLEY AND BRIARWOOD EAST ALL THE WAY TO THE, YOU KNOW, TO HIAWATHA, BECAUSE THERE WAS SO HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THAT KIDS HAD A SAFE PATHWAY TO GET TO THAT SCHOOL AS WELL.

SO YOUR WORDS ABOUT BEING A LEADER AND SETTING A PATH, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

I'VE HEARD THAT FROM SEVERAL PEOPLE, AND ALL I CAN DO IS THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AND ALL OF MY CHILDREN FOR THIS HONOR.

I'M SURE THAT HE'S SMILING RIGHT NOW.

HE STILL HAS A SMILE ON HIS FACE FROM MICHIGAN WINNING, YOU KNOW, BUT THAT AND HE PROBABLY IS SAD ON HIS FACE FOR THE LIONS LOSING.

[LAUGHTER] BUT OTHER THAN THAT, YOU KNOW HE'S GOT A SMILE ON HIS FACE AGAIN.

SO THANK YOU. THIS WAS VERY, VERY NICE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU. SO WE'LL BE BACK TO YOU IN TWO WEEKS AND HAVE MORE INFORMATION FOR YOU.

AND WE'LL WORK ON, UPGRADING THE LANGUAGE A LITTLE BIT.

OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

YEAH. THANK YOU. WE NOW GO TO ITEM 13 B TOWNSHIP BOARD LIAISON APPOINTMENTS.

[13.B. Township Board Liaison Appointments]

NO WE CHANGED 13 D TO 13 A. BUT THERE'S A REZONING.

AND 13 A WENT TO.

OH MY ASSUMPTION WAS IT WENT TO D.

OH DID YOU BUT OKAY. WENT TO F.

I JUST MOVED IT DOWN I THOUGHT.

NO. BUT MY ASSUMPTION WE WERE EXCHANGING THEM.

THAT'S THE MOTION THAT I WROTE DOWN WAS THAT ALL RIGHT. OKAY. EXCHANGE THE TWO.

IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.

WE SWAPPED THEM. WE SWAPPED.

OKAY, RIGHT I MISUNDERSTOOD.

OKAY, OKAY. SO THAT MEANS, 13 B TOWNSHIP BOARD LIAISON APPOINTMENTS.

AND I HAVE TO EXPLAIN THAT THE WAY THIS IS, BUT NOW THAT I'VE LOST IT. THIS IS ORGANIZED.

WHAT WE HAVE DONE, I THINK, IS LISTED ALL OF THOSE LIAISON POSITIONS, THAT BOARD MEMBERS TYPICALLY FILL.

AND WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH THE LOSS OF, EX TRUSTEE WISINSKI WE HAVE SOME OPEN POSITIONS. THE OTHERS LISTED ARE THE LAST ONES APPOINTED.

[01:30:03]

SO THE WAY HE IS, I ASKED MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS, IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN ASSIGNMENT OR HAVE HAVE NOT CHOSEN A POSITION YOU'D LIKE TO SERVE IN AS LIAISON, THEN HAVE AT IT, LET US KNOW.

LET LET ME KNOW AND WE'LL MAKE THAT.

IT IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE OF US WHO HAVE BEEN SITTING IN POSITIONS AND SERVING IN POSITIONS TO CHANGE UP, IF YOU'D LIKE TO, MR. DESCHAINE, THANK YOU.

THAT'S A GREAT INTRODUCTION TO THIS TOPIC, AND IT'S GREAT THAT YOU'VE OPENED IT UP AND ALLOWED US TO DISCUSS THESE AND WHICH ONES WE'RE ON AND WHICH ONES WE'D LIKE TO BE ON.

I WOULD LIKE TO COME OFF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS.

I'VE BEEN ON THAT NOW FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AND ALSO SERVED ON IT IN 2012 AND 13.

IT'S, I WOULD LIKE TO COME OFF THAT BOARD AND I'M WILLING TO SERVE ON THE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT BOARD IF NO OTHER BOARD MEMBERS ARE INTERESTED.

I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT ONE.

GROUNDWATER IS VERY IMPORTANT.

AND ALSO THE CATA BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAVE BEEN ON THAT FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS.

WE WANT TO KEEP AN EYE ON CATA.

THEY COLLECT ABOUT $7.5 MILLION OF OUR TAXPAYER REVENUE.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE PROVIDING THE BEST SERVICES THEY CAN FOR MERIDIAN RESIDENTS.

SO THAT WOULD BE MY CHOICE TO COME OFF ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS, GO ON TO GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT AND STAY ON THE CATA BOARD.

OKAY. MR. TREZISE. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I WOULD I'M CURRENTLY ON THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS AS A REPRESENTATIVE FROM PLANNING COMMISSION WHICH WILL BE FILLED BY THEM, AND I WOULD BE WILLING TO REPLACE MR. DESCHAINE ON THE ZBA.

OH, OKAY.

ADDITIONALLY, I, SEE, THERE'S A VACANCY IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, AND I WOULD BE WILLING TO FILL THAT IF THAT'S.

WE WERE ABLE TO OTHERS.

AS A LOW MAN ON THE TOTEM POLE.

FROM EXPERIENCE, I WILL TAKE WHATEVER IS ASSIGNED TO ME.

[LAUGHTER] OKAY.

ANYONE ELSE? CLERK GUTHRIE.

I THINK TRUSTEE WILSON BEAT MY HAND UP.

BUT YOUR HEAD WAS TURNED MY WAY, SO.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I CURRENTLY SERVE ON THE COMMUNITY RESOURCES COMMISSION.

I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE THAT APPOINTMENT, AND I WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THAT THE LAND PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD THAT FORMER TRUSTEE WISINSKI WAS ON. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THAT POSITION, PLEASE.

OKAY. YEAH, OKAY.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD MY NAME TO THE ELECTION COMMISSION.

SINCE IT IS REQUIRED OF THE CLERK AND TWO TRUSTEES TO BE ON THAT COMMISSION, THAT ALL THREE BOARD MEMBERS NAMES ARE LISTED UNDER THE ELECTION COMMISSION.

OKAY. AND THEN I WOULD LIKE TO STAY ON THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, AND I WOULD LIKE TO COME OFF OF THE PENSION TRUSTEES. UNLESS IT'S REQUIRED.

IS IT REQUIRED? I DON'T BELIEVE IT IS.

OKAY. YOU DON'T BELIEVE IT IS.

WE'LL CHECK IT BEFORE ACTUALLY MAKING.

SO YOU'RE COMING OFF OF THE PENSION? I WOULD LIKE TO GIVEN A VERY HEAVY ELECTION YEAR, I HAVE FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO ADD ADDITIONAL MEETINGS THIS YEAR, SO I WOULD LIKE TO COME OFF OF THAT. OKAY.

ANYONE ELSE AT THIS TIME? CLERK.

I'M SORRY. COULD YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT RESPONSIBILITY ON THE PENSION BOARD? DO YOU KNOW.

THE PENSION BOARD ISN'T THE [INAUDIBLE] PENSION? IT IS OUR OWN, IF YOU WILL INTERNAL PENSION THAT'S NOW CLOSED.

NO, ACTIVE EMPLOYEES ARE PART OF THAT.

AND IT MEETS JUST ONCE A YEAR.

YOU WANT THAT ONE? SURE. [LAUGHTER] THANK YOU, TRUSTEE WILSON.

I WANT TO STEP INTO THOSE BIG SHOES.

[LAUGHTER] OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? TRUSTEE. SUNDLAND.

I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT I AM PERFECTLY HAPPY WITH MY COMMISSIONS THAT I'M ON.

OKAY. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, THE ELECTION COMMISSION, AND THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.

SO JUST WANT TO CONFIRM THAT EVERYTHING'S GOOD WITH THAT.

OKAY. SO I HAVE SOME WORK TO DO.

I MAY HAVE TO DRAFT SOME OF YOU FOR SOME OF THE OTHERS, BUT WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THAT NEXT WEEK.

NEXT MEETING. OKAY.

OKAY. THANK YOU FOR PLAYING THAT GAME WITH ME.

[01:35:03]

[13.C. 360 Communication between Boards and Commissions]

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR AND BOARD.

THIS IS JUST ANOTHER STEP IN THE PROCESS OF, ACHIEVING ONE OF THE BOARD'S TOP GOALS.

AND THAT'S THE COMMUNICATION PIECE.

WE'VE COME A LONG WAY JUST IN THE LAST YEAR WITH THAT IN LISTENING SESSIONS AND OTHER THINGS.

TONIGHT, ONE OF THE IDEAS THAT CAME UP WAS, HOW DO WE ENHANCE THAT? HOW DO WE ENHANCE.

SO A COUPLE OF IDEAS THAT CAME UP, THROW THEM OUT TONIGHT, GIVE YOU SOME TIME TO THINK ABOUT THEM, WAS ALL THE MINUTES FROM ALL THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE LAND PRESERVATION AND PLANNING COMMISSION AND ZBA, MAYBE DDA, EDC, MAYBE YOU DON'T SEE THOSE ON A REGULAR BASIS.

WOULD YOU LIKE THOSE ALL PUT INTO THE BOARD PACKET ONCE A MONTH, SO YOU CAN SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT MINUTES FROM THE DIFFERENT GROUPS? THAT'S ONE IDEA THAT'S OUT THERE.

THE OTHER ONE IS DO WE WANT TO I KNOW WE HAVE OUR BOARD AND COMMISSION NIGHT, WHICH IS TYPICALLY FEBRUARY OR MARCH, AND WE HAVE EVERYONE IN AND YOU HEAR AN UPDATE AT THAT TIME, BUT THEN THERE'S NOTHING FOR THE NEXT 12 MONTHS.

DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO INVITE THE DIFFERENT THE DDAS AND THE EDC, THE DIFFERENT GROUPS IN ONCE A YEAR, DURING YOUR PRESENTATION PERIOD, DURING YOUR BOARD MEETINGS, AND HAVE THEM GIVE YOU AN UPDATE AS TO WHERE THEY ARE AT THAT POINT OF THE YEAR.

DO YOU WANT TO HAVE THOSE TRYING TO MAKE THE COMMUNICATION MORE OF A 360 BETWEEN ALL OF OUR GROUPS AND THE BOARD? SO THOSE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF IDEAS WE HAVE.

MAYBE THERE'S BETTER IDEAS, BUT THOSE ARE JUST A COUPLE THAT WE WANT TO THROW OUT TONIGHT TO SEE HOW YOU FELT ABOUT IT.

THANK YOU, MR. HENDRICKSON. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

FOR THE IDEAS THAT ARE ON THE TABLE, I DON'T PARTICULARLY NEED TO HAVE MINUTES ADDED TO THE PACKET.

THEY'RE VERY WELL MAINTAINED AND IN A VERY SENSIBLE PLACE ON THE WEBSITE FOR US TO GO VIEW IF WE NEED TO, TO ADD THEM TO OUR PACKET SEEMS A BIT DUPLICATIVE. HOWEVER, I DO LOVE THE IDEA OF HAVING THEM, HAVING A REPRESENTATIVE OF EACH GROUP COME IN, AT TO A MEETING ON OCCASION AND PROVIDE AN UPDATE.

THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING IS EXCELLENT, AND PROVIDES A LOT OF GOOD INSIGHT INTO WHAT THOSE GROUPS ARE DOING.

BUT IT IS ONCE EVERY 52 WEEKS AND THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY THERE, I THINK, FOR US TO HEAR FROM THEM A BIT MORE FREQUENTLY.

SO THAT IT'S NOT AS THOUGH WE'RE ONLY GETTING THAT ONE BITE.

WE HEAR FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION A LOT BECAUSE WE GET THEIR PACKET ITEMS COMING TO US A FAIR AMOUNT.

BUT MANY OF THE OTHER BOARDS, IF YOU DON'T SERVE AS A LIAISON TO THOSE GROUPS, YOU DON'T HEAR FROM THEM VERY OFTEN.

AND SO I THINK IT WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT IDEA TO ROTATE THEM THROUGH IF THEY HAVE MEMBERS WHO ARE WILLING TO COME AND PRESENT, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE LONG.

TEN, FIVE, TEN MINUTES WOULD BE FINE.

BUT, IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE THEM COME BRAG ON THEMSELVES A LITTLE BIT.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE UP TO.

AND ALSO IF THEY HAVE ANYTHING THEY NEED FROM US, TO MAKE THAT REQUEST.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST PEOPLE.

WE'RE SEVEN PEOPLE TRYING TO DO OUR BEST TO, YOU KNOW, SERVE THE COMMUNITY.

AND, THIS IS WHY WE HAVE SUCH AN EXCELLENT AND OUTSTANDING GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS WHO WORK ON THESE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS IS TO PROVIDE EXTRA INSIGHT AND WHATNOT.

SO THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS ON THE TWO PROPOSALS THAT YOU MENTIONED.

I'M HOPING WHEN WE MADE THIS A GOAL FOR THE ONE OF OUR TOP GOALS FOR 2024, I WOULD LOVE TO EXPAND UPON THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING FOR OUTREACH TO EVERYONE AS WELL.

I THINK THE CITIZEN SURVEY THAT WE BROUGHT UP EARLIER THIS EVENING IS AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT.

I'M PLEASED TO SEE LATE LAST YEAR, THE START OF, THE MERIDIAN.

GOOD MORNING MERIDIAN.

I HOPE THAT THAT CONTINUES INTO THE NEW YEAR.

AND I THINK THE UNANIMOUS I DON'T USUALLY WAIT TO SPEAK FOR EVERYONE, BUT I THINK EVERYONE UP HERE WAS EXCITED ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF THE LISTENING SESSIONS THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR. AND TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO DO THOSE MORE CONSISTENTLY, IF A LITTLE BIT, PERHAPS MORE INTERMITTENTLY, SO THAT THEY'RE NOT ALL PACKED INTO ONE QUARTER.

I THINK THOSE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING THAT ARE GOOD.

AND THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE CONTINUE.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE MERIDIAN LEADERSHIP GROUP.

PERHAPS THAT WAS HAPPENING BEFORE I JOINED THE BOARD.

[01:40:01]

IF I MAY, ABOUT THE MERIDIAN LEADERSHIP GROUP, JUST SO EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THAT WAS OR IS.

WE CAME UP WITH THAT CONCEPT ABOUT EIGHT YEARS AGO, AND WE HAD A MONTHLY OR BI MONTHLY, BREAKFAST AT, CORAL GABLES, AND WE INVITED DIFFERENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONERS, TO COME AND ATTEND.

WE HAD WE PROBABLY AVERAGED 35 TO 50 PEOPLE PER BREAKFAST.

IT WAS VERY POPULAR.

AND WE HAD A SPEAKER EVERY MONTH TO COME IN AND TALK ABOUT SOMETHING.

FORMER PRESIDENT SIMON CAME AND ADDRESSED THE GROUP AND WITH DIFFERENT.

SO THAT'S WHAT THAT WAS ABOUT.

IT WAS VERY POPULAR.

IT ENDED WITH COVID.

YEAH. I THINK IT ENDED BEFORE COVID.

SLIGHTLY BEFORE WE WERE STILL HAVING, IT INTO 19.

OKAY. YEAH. OTHER CURRENT MR. DESCHAINE. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I LIKE ALL THE IDEAS YOU OUTLINED HERE IN TERMS OF HAVING, ROTATING PRESENTATION BY A COMMISSION.

I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.

I DO WANT TO GIVE THEM A TIME LIMIT, THOUGH.

YES. OUR BOARD, OUR MEETINGS ARE GETTING LONGER AND LONGER, AND WE OFTEN PUT THE DIFFICULT DECISIONS OFF TOWARDS THE END OF THE AGENDA.

AND WE DON'T WANT TO USE UP A LOT OF THAT TIME.

SO MAYBE A TEN MINUTE, WHICH IS A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME TO MAKE A PRESENTATION.

THE BREAKFAST MEETINGS WERE AWESOME.

IT MIGHT BE A BIT OF A CHALLENGE FOR YOU AND YOUR STAFF TO PUT THOSE TOGETHER, EVEN IF WE DID THEM EVERY OTHER MONTH OR EVERY QUARTER TO BRING THEM BACK AS A GREAT IDEA.

I DID LIKE THE SPEAKERS.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE GOT REALLY GREAT ADVICE AT ONE OF THOSE FROM LOU ANNA SIMON, WHO TOLD US THIS IS MORE LIKE 2014 SHE SAID, DO NOT APPROVE ANY MORE STUDENT HOUSING BECAUSE, WE'RE OVERBUILT ON STUDENT HOUSING NOW.

SINCE THEN, ABOUT 5000 STUDENT HOUSING UNITS HAVE BEEN BUILT, BUT NONE OF THEM ARE IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

[LAUGHTER] AND THAT MARKET WILL CRASH.

BUT MSU KEEPS LETTING MORE AND MORE STUDENTS IN.

BUT EVENTUALLY THAT MARKET IS GOING TO CRASH, AND WE ARE NOT PART OF THE STUDENT HOUSING BUBBLE.

SO GLAD TO SAY THAT.

ANYWAY, THEY WERE VERY, VERY GOOD PRESENTATIONS AND WE GOT A CHANCE TO MEET OTHER BOARD MEMBERS IN DIFFERENT IT WAS REALLY MY EXPOSURE TO TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENT WHILE I WAS ON THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS.

I DIDN'T KNOW ANYONE. AND SO THOSE BREAKFASTS REALLY HELPED.

I THINK IT'S A GREAT WAY TO NURTURE FUTURE LEADERS THROUGH THOSE KINDS OF INFORMAL EVENTS.

SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO BRING THOSE BACK.

THERE WAS A RATHER FUNNY MOMENT AT PRESIDENT SIMON'S SPEECH WAS ACTUALLY IT WAS, SEPTEMBER 2ND OF, 2018.

IT WAS THE DAY OF THE FIRST DAY OF THE FOOTBALL SEASON, FRIDAY.

IT WAS A FRIDAY THERE WAS A FOOTBALL GAME THAT NIGHT.

AND SO I CAME UP WITH THE IDEA AND LET'S GET A SIGNED FOOTBALL FROM COACH, AND WE'LL GIVE IT AWAY AT THE BREAKFAST.

RIGHT. BIG DEAL.

WE HAD A GREAT TURNOUT.

ALL SPARTANS RIGHT.

AND IF ANYBODY WAS THERE WE HAD THE DRAWING FOR THE WINNER.

AND OF COURSE JUST MY LUCK.

THE FIRST ROW RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE SPEAKER.

AND, YOU KNOW LOU ANNA SHE COULD COME BACK AT SOMEBODY.

SO THE WINNER WAS CULLEN HARKNESS.

AND HE STOOD UP AND HE SAID, OH MY GOD.

AND I WENT TO IU.

[LAUGHTER]AND SHE HAD A COMEBACK.

RIGHT. BUT IT WAS ONE OF THOSE FUNNY MOMENTS AT THE BREAKFAST.

YEAH. CULLEN AND THE FOOTBALL.

CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I AGREE WITH TREASURER DESCHAINE, QUOTE UNQUOTE.

THE BREAKFASTS WERE AWESOME.

THEY WERE AWESOME.

IT WAS A GREAT WAY TO CONNECT WITH OTHER LEADERS FROM OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS WITH WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

WE GOT BRIEF SYNOPSES FROM EVERYONE.

AND WE HAD, I MEAN, BILL BEEKMAN WAS THERE.

WE HAD SUPERINTENDENT THERE.

WE HAD JANET LILLY WAS ONE OF THE SPEAKERS.

WE HAD INCREDIBLE SPEAKERS.

I FOUND IT IN MY FORMER POSITION.

IT WAS INCREDIBLY BENEFICIAL TO KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING, TO HELP, SHARE INFORMATION WITH THE COMMUNITY.

AND I THINK IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR THE BOARD TO BRING THAT BACK.

I ALSO AGREE WITH, TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON THAT IT WOULD BE DUPLICATIVE TO HAVE THE MINUTES IN THE PACKET.

I THINK IT'S CUMBERSOME.

I THINK IT'S EXTRA WORK.

I THINK THE STAFF ALREADY DOES A VERY GOOD JOB.

ECHOING TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON'S COMMENTS, THEY ALREADY DO A VERY GOOD JOB OF PUTTING THE MINUTES ON THE WEBSITE.

BOARD MEMBERS CAN CHOOSE TO RECEIVE A WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT ANY UPDATED MINUTES YOU CAN RECEIVE YOU CAN PUT THAT IN THE E-NEWS SO THAT PEOPLE WOULD KNOW WE HAVE THESE ARE THE UPDATED MINUTES ON THE TOWNSHIP WEBSITE, AND WE COULD READ IT FROM THAT EMAIL.

[01:45:03]

I THINK THE INFORMATION IS ALREADY THERE AND IT WOULD BE REDUNDANT.

I DO LIKE THE IDEA OF HAVING, I LIKE PRESENTERS AT EVERY MEETING.

I THINK YOU ALREADY DO AN EXCELLENT JOB OF THAT.

AND SO I'M OPEN TO THE IDEA OF HAVING, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL PRESENTERS IN I'D SAY FIVE MINUTES ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, THE BREAKFAST.

I WOULD HIGHLY ENCOURAGE THAT TO BE BROUGHT BACK.

AND JUST TO CONTINUE THE JOB THAT YOU'RE DOING ALREADY WITH PRESENTERS AND ROTATING MORE PEOPLE.

I THINK THAT'S BEING DONE WELL.

THANKS. ANYONE ELSE? ALL RIGHT. SO IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO MOVE AHEAD AFTER, WE'LL WAIT TILL AFTER THE BOARD COMMISSION MEETING IN MARCH AND THEN START SOME KIND OF ROTATION FOR BRINGING FOLKS IN FOR A SHORT PRESENTATION.

AND WE'LL LOOK AT MAYBE BRINGING A QUARTERLY MERIDIAN LEADERSHIP GROUP BREAKFAST BACK TOGETHER.

AND I THINK YOU'LL FIND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO'VE BEEN THERE, I THINK YOU'LL FIND THOSE VERY, EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIVE.

SO THANK YOU.

I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND ALL YOUR INPUT.

THANKS. THANK YOU.

I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE MARCH MEETING IS TO PUT THOSE IDEAS OUT TO THAT GROUP AND SEE IF THEY HAVE ADDITIONAL IDEAS OR BETTER SUGGESTIONS.

YEAH, IN FACT, I RAN INTO JAVIER.

I THINK IT'S JAVIER HOLLIS.

DURAN HOLLIS. I THINK, HE'S ON THE LONG TIME MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF REVIEW.

I RAN INTO HIM A COUPLE, 2 OR 3 MONTHS AGO, AND HE ASKED ME HE WAS ALWAYS A PARTICIPANT AT THESE BREAKFASTS, AND HE ASKED ME WHEN THEY WERE COMING BACK.

SO THAT'S [INAUDIBLE] RELATE TO IT.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

THANK YOU. THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE RESOLUTION FOR REDEVELOPMENT READY COMMUNITY RECERTIFICATION, I BELIEVE.

OH, I'M SORRY I GOT IT WRONG THIS TIME.

WHAT IS NOW 13 D IS ORDINANCE 2024-02 REZONE 5681 CHARLES STREET FROM

[13.A. Ordinance 2024-02 – Rezone 5681 Shaw Street from PO, Professional and Office, to RC, MultipleFamily Residential]

MR. SCHMITT.

THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SO THE REQUEST THIS EVENING IS TO REZONE THIS PROPERTY RIGHT THERE, LOCATED ON SHAW STREET, JUST NORTH OF HASLETT ROAD JUST TO THE EAST OF MARSH ROAD.

SINGLE STORY STRUCTURE THAT'S BEEN VACANT FOR SOME TIME EXISTING.

IT'S PRESUMABLY PREVIOUSLY AN OFFICE, WE BELIEVE A DENTIST OFFICE BASED ON WHAT'S INSIDE.

APPLICANT IS REQUESTING REZONING TO ALLOW FOR A FOUR UNIT RESIDENTIAL BUILDING.

SO RC ZONING, PLANNING COMMISSION REVIEWED THE REQUEST AT A PUBLIC HEARING ON DECEMBER 11TH, RECEIVED NO COMMENTS, AND THEN RECOMMENDED APPROVAL ON JANUARY 8TH T O REZONE THE PROPERTY TO RC.

GENERALLY BECAUSE IT WOULD BRING THE USE OF THE PROPERTY TO FIT THE CHARACTER OF THE AREA AND MEET THE MASTER PLAN GOALS FOR INCREASED WALKABILITY AND DIVERSITY OF HOUSING.

THAT PACKET IS ATTACHED FOR YOUR REVIEW ALONG WITH THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE AND THE REZONING APPLICATION.

STAFF HAS NO MAJOR COMMENT WITH RESPECT TO THIS.

THIS IS, AN ODD ISLAND IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE ZONING MAP, IT'S ZONED PO.

EVERYTHING AROUND, IT'S ZONED RN TO THE NORTH, EVERYTHING TO THE SOUTH IS ZONED C2.

SO IT'S ITS OWN LITTLE THING.

AND IT ALWAYS KIND OF HAS BEEN.

THE APPLICANT STILL HAS A NUMBER OF, HURDLES TO CROSS PRIOR TO, BEFORE THEY'RE GOING TO GET OCCUPANCY HERE.

OBVIOUSLY BUILDING PERMITS ARE GOING TO BE REQUIRED.

YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH THE ROAD DEPARTMENT WITH RESPECT TO HOW THE PARKING IS LAID OUT AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST STEP ON THAT PATH.

I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

I KNOW THE APPLICANT IS HERE THIS EVENING AND CAN ALSO SPEAK TO THIS AS WELL.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

BOARD MEMBERS.

TRUSTEE WILSON.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

COULD WE ASK, IS THIS MARKET RATE UNITS? YEAH. THE INTENTION IS MARKET RATE UNITS.

MARKET RATE. OKAY.

THANK YOU. MR. TREZISE. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

THIS WAS A FAIRLY EASY PROCESS THROUGH THE PLANNING COMMISSION.

IT'S AN ABANDONED BUILDING, ESSENTIALLY, AND HAS BEEN FOR NOBODY COULD SAY EXACTLY UP TO 20 YEARS.

THIS IS NOT CHANGING THE FOOTPRINT OF THE BUILDING.

[01:50:01]

WHAT WE LEARNED OR WHAT WAS EXPLAINED TO US IS IT HAD BEEN A MULTI DENTAL PRACTICE DENTAL, BUT EACH ONE WAS SEPARATE. SO THEY HAD 4 OR 5 UNITS OF SEPARATE DENTISTS PRACTICING IN THEIR OWN SUITE.

WHICH WERE PRETTY SMALL SUITES.

BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE DESIGN OF THE BUILDING, IT'S A PRETTY SMALL, FOOTPRINT FOR THIS MANY UNITS.

IT WILL REQUIRE CONSIDERABLE MODIFICATION.

AND I THINK BECAUSE OF THE SIZE, IT PROBABLY WILL NOT BE ON THE TOP END OF THE RENTALS IN THE AREA.

IT DOES MORE CLOSELY FIT IN WITH THE RESIDENTIAL FUTURE OF THE AREA AROUND THE LAKE.

IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT'S GOT MUCH PROSPECTS AS A PROFESSIONAL OFFICE BUILDING.

SO, THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAD LITTLE OR NO PROBLEM IN APPROVING THIS AND RECOMMENDING THIS TO THE BOARD.

MR. HENDRICKSON.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I AGREE WITH THEN VICE CHAIR TREZISE ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION.

WHO IN THE MEETING, MINUTES FROM WHATEVER DAY THEY TALKED ABOUT IT THE FIRST TIME, DECEMBER 11TH, ASKED WHY RC AND NOT RN, GIVEN THAT EVERYTHING AROUND IT IS RN TO THE NORTHEAST AND WEST AND SO THE DIFFERENCE IS NEGLIGIBLE.

FRANKLY, IT'S A MORE OF A PROCESS ISSUE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

RC WOULD REQUIRE A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PROCESS, A SLIGHTLY MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD PROCESS THAN THE RN WOULD.

THE RN WOULD STILL REQUIRE AN ADDITIONAL, I BELIEVE, SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW FOR MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENT IN THAT, ZONING DISTRICT.

FROM STAFF'S PERSPECTIVE, IT'S SIX OF ONE HALF DOZEN OF ANOTHER AT THIS SCALE.

SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REUSE OF AN EXISTING BUILDING, THERE'S REALLY TANGIBLY NOT A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DISTRICTS AS IT RELATES TO THE USE IN THE LONG TERM. SO CERTAINLY THAT IS WITHIN THE THE BOARD'S PREROGATIVE TO REZONE IT TO SOMETHING ELSE.

YEAH. SO WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IS IT'S SLIGHTLY MORE INCONVENIENT FOR THE APPLICANT AND REALLY NO DIFFERENT FOR STAFF EXCEPT THE TIME IT WOULD TAKE TO PROCESS AN SUP.

SO I SUMMARIZE THAT APPROPRIATELY.

WE'VE NOT IDENTIFIED ANY MAJOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT.

YES. OKAY.

YEAH. I DO HAVE CONCERNS WITH THE IDEA OF ADDING A NEW, YOU KNOW, A ZONING TO THIS AREA THAT DOESN'T ISN'T CONFORMING WITH EVERYTHING AROUND IT.

NOW, THE USE MAY BE CONFORMING.

THE ZONING ISN'T, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE SUP IS AN ADDITIONAL STEP AND IT'S FRUSTRATING.

AND WE COULD CLEAR SOME RED TAPE BY SIMPLY REZONING THIS TO RC.

I HAVEN'T MADE UP MY MIND ON THIS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE PURIST IN ME WANTS TO NOT CREATE A SPOT ZONE HERE IN HASLETT WHERE ONE DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE. WELL, IT DID EXIST BEFORE, I GUESS, AS A ZONING, BUT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT IT.

AND YOU KNOW, WITH RELATIVELY MINIMAL IMPACT.

AND I WOULD LEAN, I THINK, TOWARD MAKING THINGS MORE HOMOGENOUS FROM A ZONING PERSPECTIVE.

AT THE MOMENT. STILL HAVEN'T MADE UP MY MIND YET.

TRUSTEE SUNDLAND.

ALL I WANTED TO POINT OUT AND I CAN'T FIND IT.

YOU HAD IT UP THERE ON THE SCREEN.

BUT ISN'T THAT, LIKE RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD FROM THAT CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER? YEAH. I MEAN, WHAT DO WE THINK ABOUT THAT? THAT'S A HASLETT CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD FROM WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT JUST I'M JUST BRINGING UP THAT POINT. YEAH.

SO GENERALLY, CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS, DAYCARES AT WHATEVER SCALE ARE CONSIDERED A RESIDENTIAL USE, ESPECIALLY UNDER STATE LAW.

AND SO TYPICALLY THEY ARE RELATIVELY, GOOD FITS WITH, RESIDENTIAL AROUND THEM.

YOU KNOW, YOU ALREADY HAVE A COUPLE OF RESIDENCES, SORT OF KITTY CORNER THAT ARE RENTAL PROPERTIES, AND THERE ARE CONDOS RIGHT HERE.

[01:55:01]

OKAY. MR. DESCHAINE. THANK YOU.

I'M JUST GLAD TO SEE THIS PROPERTY BEING REDEVELOPED.

IT'S BEEN IT'S SAT VACANT FOR AT LEAST 15 YEARS, MAYBE LONGER.

AND IT'S THE ODDEST LOOKING BUILDING THE WAY IF YOU WALK BY OR LOOK AT IT ON GOOGLE MAPS, YOU CAN SEE IT AND IT'S GOT THIS LONG CORRIDOR, A GLASS CORRIDOR.

HOW THEY EVER INTENDED TO USE THIS BUILDING IS REALLY ODD, SO I'M GLAD IT'S GOING TO BE REDEVELOPED.

I THINK RESIDENTIAL MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL IS A PERFECT TRANSITION UP TO HASLETT ROAD THERE, AND IT DOES FIT WELL WITH HCDC THE CHILD CARE CENTER CLOSE BY, AND IT'S REALLY RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR IT'S INFILL DEVELOPMENT, DENSER DEVELOPMENT NEAR THE HASLETT FOUR CORNERS.

IT REALLY FITS ALL OF OUR GOALS FOR THAT AREA.

I'LL SUPPORT THIS.

ANYONE ELSE. SO, THIS IS AT A STEP WHERE, IT WILL COME BACK TO US FOR THE ORIGINAL SUGGESTED REZONING.

SO WHAT WE CAN DO IS WE'LL FOLLOW UP ON TRUSTEE HENDERSON'S, QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS AND SORT OF LAY OUT THE SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES THAT WE'RE AWARE OF AT THIS TIME. OKAY. BUT YES, WHAT WILL BE BROUGHT BACK FOR INTRODUCTION AT THE NEXT MEETING IS THE REQUEST AND THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION.

THE BOARD IS ABSOLUTELY WITHIN THEIR PURVIEW TO AMEND THAT TO INTRODUCE A DIFFERENT REZONING.

OKAY. BASED ON NEW INFORMATION.

CORRECT. OKAY.

WE'LL TAKE THAT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

NOW, AM I READY FOR 13 E.

[13.E. Resolution for Redevelopment Ready Community Recertification]

DIRECTOR AMBER CLARK HAS BEEN HOLDING OUR HAND THROUGH THIS PROCESS, AND I BELIEVE SHE'S HOPING WE'VE SEEN IT ALL.

GOOD EVENING.

GOOD EVENING.

YES. SO THE REDEVELOPMENT READY RECERTIFICATION.

THIS IS A 2.0, KIND OF AN UPDATE FROM MEDC.

SO WHEN THE TOWNSHIP FIRST CERTIFIED, YOU CERTIFIED IN 2018.

ORIGINALLY, THE PLAN WAS A THREE YEAR PROGRAM, AND MEDC CHANGED THAT TO A FIVE YEAR PROGRAM TO MEET WITH MASTER PLANS.

SO, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE RECERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.

THERE WAS A LAUNDRY LIST OF ITEMS THAT MEDC EITHER WANTED TO SEE THE MOST CURRENT VERSION, OR AN UPDATED VERSION OF THAT ITEM.

WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THAT FOR OVER TWO YEARS, AND WE'VE PRESENTED THE BOARD WITH A FEW PHASES OF THE STATUS OF THAT RECERTIFICATION.

SO WE HAVE COMPLETED ALL OF THE ITEMS, INCLUDING THE BOARD ADOPTING THE MASTER PLAN TONIGHT.

SO THAT IS ONE OF THE ITEMS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT RECERTIFICATION, AS WELL AS ONLINE PERMITTING, BEING ABLE TO PAY FOR PERMITS ONLINE, WHICH IS RECENT SINCE FEBRUARY 1ST, AND OUR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN.

SO THOSE ARE THE LAST THREE REMAINING ITEMS WHEN WE PRESENTED THIS TO THE BOARD IN DECEMBER.

WE DO NOT HAVE TO DO A RESOLUTION AND A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING THAT WAS TO ENTER THE PROGRAM THE FIRST TIME SINCE WE'VE ALREADY BEEN CERTIFIED IN THIS PROGRAM, AND THIS IS ESSENTIALLY OUR RECERTIFICATION, WE JUST HAVE TO AGREE AND SIGN THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, A DRAFT VERSION OF THAT.

IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO THE FIRST VERSION THAT THE SUPERVISOR HAD SIGNED.

THAT SUPERVISOR STYKA SIGNED IN 2018.

IS IS ESSENTIALLY AN AGREEMENT THAT, YES, THE TOWNSHIP IS APPLYING TO BE CONSIDERED A CERTIFIED STATUS LEVEL OF THE REDEVELOPMENT READY COMMUNITIES.

AND SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT LEVELS TO THE RRC PROGRAM.

BEING CERTIFIED MEANS THAT WE'VE SET OURSELVES APART ENOUGH THAT THE SPECIFIC GRANTS AND PROGRAMS THAT CATER TO REDEVELOPMENT AND INCENTIVES WE WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR.

IF WE DID NOT RECERTIFY AT THE CERTIFIED LEVEL, THERE COULD BE THE BASE LEVEL, BUT AGAIN, THAT COULD REMOVE OUR ELIGIBILITY FOR FUTURE, SUPPORT AND SOME OF THE STATE INCENTIVES.

SO THAT IS WHERE WE ARE TODAY.

HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS.

BOARD MEMBERS.

MR. HENDRICKSON SAID, I THINK YOU REQUESTED THAT THIS, BE PRESENTED TO US AGAIN AS A COMPLETED PROJECT.

[02:00:04]

AND TO BE CLEAR, I WAS MERELY TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE FOLLOWED OUR OWN RULES TO TAKE AN ITEM UP FOR DISCUSSION BEFORE WE TAKE IT UP FOR ACTION ON A GIVEN NIGHT.

OKAY. BUT NO, SINCE YOU'RE GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY, I WANTED TO SAY, THAT I APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO THIS.

SIMILAR TO THE MASTER PLAN.

I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN QUITE AN UNDERTAKING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE RETAIN OUR CERTIFIED STATUS WITH THE REDEVELOPMENT READY COMMUNITIES. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT, WE ARE WORKING TO MAKE BETTER USE OF THAT STATUS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, WHILE ELIGIBLE FOR SOME GRANTS, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO ACTUALLY WIN SOME OF THOSE GRANTS AS WELL.

AND I'M VERY CONFIDENT THAT ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT, I THINK FROM, FROM DIRECTOR CLARK AND DIRECTOR SCHMITT, THAT WE ARE RUNNING LOW ON SPACE FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT.

WE ARE GOING TO BE CERTAINLY IN A POSITION WHERE WE NEED TO BE CERTIFIED TO REDEVELOP THAT.

WE ARE REDEVELOPMENT READY.

AND SO THIS IS THE RIGHT CERTIFICATION AT THE RIGHT TIME.

AND I'LL BE PLEASED TO SUPPORT IT WHEN IT COMES FOR ACTION IN FRONT OF THE BOARD.

GRANTS ARE DEFINITELY A PRO, BUT I ALSO WANT TO SAY RECERTIFYING, THE STATE ALLOCATES ABOUT $30,000 FOR EVERY COMMUNITY THAT IS CERTIFIED AT THE CERTIFIED LEVEL FOR SPECIAL ASSISTANCE.

AND SO WE'VE TALKED A LOT.

I KNOW YOU MENTIONED TO ME EVEN TONIGHT, SMALL AREA PLANS THAT FUNDING COULD GO TO AN EXPERT THIRD PARTY TO HAVE THOSE PLANS CREATED FOR US, BECAUSE I KNOW TIM AND I CONTINUE TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO GET OURSELVES CLONED.

[LAUGHTER] SO HOW DO WE TAKE SOME OF ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE PRESSURE FROM TOWNSHIP STAFF TO STILL GET THE MOMENTUM BEHIND OUR PLANS IN THE MASTER PLAN? PARTICIPATION IN THE RRC PROGRAM WILL GIVE US FUNDING FOR SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT.

WITH NO GRANT. SO DOLLARS TO CLONING.

[LAUGHTER] YES. EXCELLENT. A FORCE MULTIPLIER.

EXACTLY. OKAY.

CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT DOLLARS FOR CLONING, WOULD THAT BE FOR PURPOSES OF ITEMS ONE AND TWO, OR ARE YOU STILL ON PAGE 258 OF THE PACKET IT TALKS ABOUT COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITIES.

WILL YOU STILL BE THE LIAISON FOR THAT OR IS CORRECT? I WILL STILL BE I WILL STILL BE THE LIAISON FOR THAT.

I KNOW DIRECTOR SCHMITT AND ANOTHER PLANNING STAFF MEMBER HAVE BEEN TRAINED.

THERE IS A REQUIREMENT FOR ONE STAFF PERSON TO HAVE GONE THROUGH THE FULL MEDCR TRAINING WE ALREADY HAVE BECAUSE OF OUR PAST HISTORIES.

BUT YES, I WILL STAY ON AS LIAISON FOR THIS.

SO ARE YOU SAYING THAT THERE IS ADDITIONAL.

I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR. THERE'S ADDITIONAL MONIES TO THAT IS PROVIDED TO THE TOWNSHIP.

TO HIRE SOMEBODY TO ASSIST WITH THESE EFFORTS, IS THAT.

AM I HEARING THAT CORRECTLY? YOU ARE HEARING THAT THIS BEING IN THIS PROGRAM GRANTS THE TOWNSHIP FUNDING FOR SPECIAL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND WE HAVE NOT USED THE FUNDING FROM THE PREVIOUS CERTIFICATION, ACTUALLY.

SO MEDC STILL HAS A LINE ITEM, BUDGET LINE ITEM FOR US TO USE THEIR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON THEIR DIME.

YEAH. AND THEN ITEM NUMBER THREE UNDER COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY SAYS PROVIDE MONTHLY UPDATES TO THE COMMUNITY'S ELECTED GOVERNING BODY ON STATUS OF THE PROGRAM PROGRESS.

WILL THAT BE AT BOARD MEETINGS? WILL THAT BE THROUGH THE MANAGER? DO YOU KNOW HOW THAT WILL BE DONE AT THIS POINT? SO THAT I BELIEVE THAT IS THE LINE ITEM FROM MEDC PROVIDING US, THE COMMUNITY, THE STATUS OF THE PROGRAM, THAT BRIEF THAT THEY INCLUDED, THAT'S ONE OF THOSE VERSIONS.

BUT YES, THEY THE BOARD HAS NOT SEEN A MONTHLY UPDATE OF ALL OF THE ITEMS THAT NEEDED TO MOVE ALONG, BUT I DID PRESENT SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF THE CERTIFICATION, THE SEVERAL STEPS.

THAT IS FOR MEDC.

THAT'S THIS IS AN MOU BETWEEN BOTH PARTIES.

SO BOTH MEDC AND THE TOWNSHIP ARE AGREEING TO DO THIS.

OKAY. SO THIS IS IF I HEAR YOU CORRECTLY, THIS IS THE CURRENT PROGRAM PROGRESS OF GETTING RECERTIFIED THAT NUMBER THREE IS REFERRING TO NOT FUTURE.

OKAY. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT.

ALL RIGHT. AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE THAT GOES INTO THIS.

YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TOO.

A LOT OF THE WORK IS EITHER STUFF YOU WANTED TO DO OR STUFF WE WOULD RECOMMEND TO MAKE, DEVELOPMENT EFFICIENT IN THE COMMUNITY, SO HATS OFF TO YOU AS WELL.

[02:05:04]

SO WE CAN BRING IT BACK AT OUR NEXT BOARD MEETING.

OR DOES THAT MATTER? THERE IS A MOTION.

THERE IS A MOTION. IT'S UP TO YOU TO TAKE CARE OF IT NOW.

ARE WE STILL UNDER A CLOCK? NO. OKAY.

MASTER PLAN IS NOT. WE COULDN'T FINISH UNTIL MASTER PLAN, RIGHT? THAT WAS OUR LAST OKAY. SO WHAT WOULD THE BOARD LIKE TO DO AT THIS TIME? I THINK WE CAN GO.

GO THROUGH IT AND MAKE THE MOTION NOW, JUST TO AGREE NOW.

UNLESS THERE IS, I WOULD MOVE THAT WE SUSPEND RULES AND TAKE ACTION ON THIS ITEM TONIGHT.

OKAY. SUPPORT.

THE MOTION IS TO SUSPEND OUR RULES TO CONSIDER SIGNING THIS REDEVELOPMENT READY COMMUNITY RECERTIFICATION AGREEMENT.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND VOTE.

NOW, PLEASE SAY YES.

YES. YES. OPPOSED NO.

CHAIR VOTES YES.

AND NEXT IS, I'M READY TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE . MR. DESCHAINE. I MOVE TO APPROVE THE TRAFFIC. I'M SORRY.

WRONG MOTION. WRONG ONE.

[LAUGHTER] LET ME GET UP TO THAT.

I'D BE HAPPY TO READ THE MOTION.

251 SO ON PAGE.

YEAH. 251.

I MOVED TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTION AND SIGN OF THE MEMO OF UNDERSTANDING BY THE TOWNSHIP BOARD SUPERVISOR WITH THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, TO SIGNIFY THE TOWNSHIP'S INTEREST IN APPLYING FOR A CERTIFIED STATUS IN THE REDEVELOPMENT READY COMMUNITY PROGRAM.

SUPPORT. SUPPORTED BY.

CLERK GUTHRIE. CLERK GUTHRIE.

MR. DESCHAINE. NOTHING FURTHER TO ADD.

THANK YOU, DIRECTOR CLARK FOR YOUR EXPLANATION AND YOUR WORK ON THIS MATTER.

THANK YOU. OKAY.

LET'S GO FOR A ROLL CALL.

VOTE. CLERK GUTHRIE.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

TRUSTEE SUNDLAND.

YES. TRUSTEE TREZISE.

YES. TRUSTEE WILSON.

YES. SUPERVISOR JACKSON.

YES. CLERK GUTHRIE VOTES YES.

TREASURER DESCHAINE. YES.

TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON. YES.

MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR LAST BOARD DISCUSSION ITEM FOR THE NIGHT IS 13 F

[13.F. Traffic Control Order for Summergate Lane adjacent to Hiawatha Elementary]

OUR PRESENTERS TONIGHT ARE, CHIEF RICK GRILLO AND DEPUTY MANAGER DAN OPSOMMER.

GENTLEMEN. THANK YOU.

MA'AM. I THINK THIS DISCUSSION IS KIND OF ON POINT WITH THE EARLIER DISCUSSION THAT WE HAD WITH SUPERVISOR STYKA AND HIS PASSION THAT HE HAD FOR ENSURING THAT KIDS HAD SAFE PATHWAYS TO SCHOOLS.

SO I GUESS IT'S JUST KIND OF A, I GUESS, A HAPPY HAPPENSTANCE OF THIS CONVERSATION.

THROUGH SOME OF OUR RESEARCH THAT WE'VE DONE, WE'VE RECOGNIZED THAT THERE IS A NEED FOR, NO PARKING SIGNS ON SUMMERGATE.

IN THE AREA FROM JOLLY NORTH, ABOUT 250FT TO THE ENTRANCE TO HIAWATHA.

AND I'M SORRY, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CHANGE WHAT'S UP ON THE SCREEN, BUT, DO YOU HAVE A MAP ON THERE SOMEWHERE? YES, MA'AM. YEAH.

WHEN I WAS PROMOTED TO CHIEF, IT BECAME ABUNDANTLY APPARENT TO ME THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF CONCERNS REGARDING TRAFFIC SAFETY IN THE SCHOOL ZONES.

WORKING CLOSELY WITH TRUSTEE WILSON, WE'VE ADDRESSED THIS USING THREE DIFFERENT TACTICS ENFORCEMENT, EDUCATION AND ENGINEERING.

ENFORCEMENT AND EDUCATION ARE KIND OF RIGHT IN MY WHEELHOUSE THINGS THAT I CAN IMPACT.

ENGINEERING IS A LITTLE BIT MORE CHALLENGING.

SO WE ARE TAKING THE STEPS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO TAKE AS A POLICE AGENCY AND AS A TOWNSHIP TO ADDRESS THOSE.

AND ONE OF THOSE IS TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDERS IN SPECIFIC AREAS.

ONE THING THAT WE NOTICED THROUGH OUR RESEARCH WAS THERE IS A LOT OF CONGESTION DURING DROP OFF TIME AND PICK UP TIME.

BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY ONE INGRESS AND EGRESS TO HIAWATHA SCHOOL.

[02:10:05]

SO DURING DROP OFF AND PICK UP TIMES, IF THERE ARE VEHICLES THAT ARE PARKED ON SUMMERGATE NORTH OF JOLLY BEFORE YOU GET TO THAT ENTRANCE, IT CREATES A LOT OF UNNECESSARY CONGESTION.

DIFFICULTY FOR SIGHT LINES FOR ANY, CHILDREN OR ANYBODY ELSE THAT MAY BE CROSSING THE STREET IN WHICH THERE ARE QUITE A FEW.

SO OUR PROPOSAL IS A TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDER FOR NO PARKING ON EITHER SIDE OF SUMMERGATE.

FROM JOLLY ROAD, 250FT NORTH.

AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE PICTURE, THERE AREN'T ANY HOUSES THAT WOULD NECESSARILY BE IMPACTED.

AND I'M GENERALLY RELUCTANT TO PUT UP NO PARKING SIGNS JUST BECAUSE ESSENTIALLY YOU END UP KICKING THE CAN LITERALLY DOWN THE ROAD.

BUT I THINK IN THIS INSTANCE IT'S APPROPRIATE.

OKAY. QUESTION.

MR. DESCHAINE.

TRUSTEE WILSON.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SO WE HAVE ALREADY EXECUTED THIS KIND OF A PLAN FOR CORNELL SCHOOL.

COULD YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND ALDERWOOD AND WHAT WE DID OVER THERE.

YES MA'AM. I BELIEVE IT WAS LAST MONTH.

CAN'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS LAST MONTH OR THE MONTH BEFORE WE, WE EXECUTED A SIMILAR PLAN, ON ALDERWOOD AGAIN, NOTICING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH CONGESTION AND LINE OF SIGHT FOR KIDS THAT WERE CROSSING THE ROAD, AND THERE WAS A LOT THERE'S A LOT MORE PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC IN THIS AREA.

BUT WHAT WE DID WAS THE PATHWAY THAT LEADS FROM CORNELL SCHOOL OUT TO ALDERWOOD.

WE MOVED WHERE THAT PATHWAY GOES AS IT COMES OUT ONTO ALDERWOOD.

WE ALSO PUT UP NO PARKING SIGNS.

AND I CAN'T REMEMBER THE BOUNDARY ON ALDERWOOD AND SILKWOOD.

BUT JUST TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS BETTER LINE OF SIGHT AND LESS CONGESTION, THAT SPECIFIC AREA WHERE KIDS WERE GOING TO BE WALKING.

AND HAS THAT BEEN SUCCESSFUL? YES. YES, MA'AM, IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL.

IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, JUST ESPECIALLY WE GET A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND THEY'VE EXPRESSED THAT WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL THERE.

YES, MA'AM. GREAT.

MR. DESCHAINE.

REGARDING THIS ORDER.

THESE CARS REALLY AREN'T PARKED AS MUCH AS THEY ARE IDLING THERE.

IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.

YES. WOULD YOU DEFINE THEN SITTING IN AN IDLE CAR, NOT MOVING AS A PARKING VIOLATION? SO OUR INTENT IS TO PUT UP SIGNS THAT SAY NO STOPPING STANDING OR PARKING, JUST TO ENSURE THAT THE VEHICLES THAT ARE WAITING THERE AREN'T GOING TO, AGAIN, CAUSE MORE CONGESTION THAN WHAT'S NECESSARY.

ARE YOU WORRIED, THOUGH, THAT THE TRAFFIC WILL THEN BACK UP ON NORTHBOUND ON THE NORTH SIDE OF JOLLY? THESE CARS WILL SIT ON PULL OVER THE SHOULDER OF JOLLY ROAD.

WHERE DO YOU THINK THESE CARS WILL GO? I CAN ANSWER THAT ONE.

SO, TO CHIEF GRILLO'S POINT ABOUT KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD.

THE CAN ALREADY GOT KICKED.

SO WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE? AND I'M GOING TO ZOOM OUT A LITTLE BIT.

SO THIS IS SUMMERGATE RIGHT HERE WHERE MY CURSOR IS.

CARS ARE QUEUING FROM JUST NORTH OF THE CURB CUT.

AND THESE ARE PARENTS TRYING TO BYPASS THE STUDENT DROP OFF LINE.

THEY DON'T WANT TO GET INTO THIS LONG LINE.

THIS IS THE LINE I'M TRACING IT.

AND THEN THIS IS WHERE YOU PICK UP RIGHT AT THE FRONT DOOR.

SO IT'S THIS LINE RIGHT HERE THAT BACKS OUT.

AND SO THIS IS A LONG STUDENT PARENT DROP OFF LINE.

AND TO SAVE TIME SOME PARENTS ARE GOING AROUND IT.

NOW THERE ISN'T REALLY ANY SPECIFIC ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM THAT WE CAN TAKE TO FORCE THOSE VEHICLES AND THOSE PARENTS TO GET INTO THE LINE.

BUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IS IF YOU HAVE ABOUT A DOZEN CARS AND I WOULD SAY ABOUT A DOZEN CARS PARKED IN FRONT OF THE FIRST FOUR HOMES OR SO NORTH OF THE CURB, CUT THAT 13TH CAR THAT ARRIVES LATE SOMETIMES WILL COME, AND IT WILL PARK RIGHT HERE WHERE MY CURSOR IS.

SO SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO.

THEY WANT THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS.

THEY WANT TO PARK RIGHT HERE.

AND IF THEY CAN'T PARK RIGHT HERE, THEY WILL PARK RIGHT HERE.

AND THEN THE OTHER POINT THAT WE MAKE IN OUR MEMO, WE DO HAVE THE WIDTH ON SUMMERGATE FOR QUEUING THREE LINES OF TRAFFIC.

YOU'VE GOT ONE FOR INGRESS, RIGHT AND LEFT HAND TURN OFF OF JOLLY.

AND THEN WE NEED TWO FOR RIGHT HAND AND LEFT HAND TURN ONE LANE EACH FROM SUMMERGATE ONTO JOLLY.

SO A LEFT HAND TURN WILL QUEUE HERE.

A RIGHT HAND TURN WILL QUEUE HERE.

IF PEOPLE ARE PARKING HERE, THEY'RE OBSTRUCTING THE RIGHT HAND TURN QUEUE.

AND EVENTUALLY SOMEONE'S GOING TO GET SIDESWIPED.

[02:15:01]

AND SO A MOTORIST COULD BE A BUS DRIVER, ANYONE THAT'S DISTRACTED AND THEY'RE NOT SEEING THAT VEHICLE.

IF THEY TAKE A NORMAL TURN RADIUS TOWARDS THE CURB LINE, THEY'RE GOING TO SIDESWIPE THE VEHICLE PARKED THERE.

ON ONE OCCASION WHEN I WAS OUT THERE, I JUST INSTRUCTED THE PERSON TO PULL BACK AROUND.

THAT'S THE OTHER TELLTALE IS THEY'RE PARKING ON THE WEST CURB LINE.

THEY CAME INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, PROBABLY ON FAIR HILLS.

THEY CAME HERE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO MAKE THEIR EXIT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

SO THEY'RE ALREADY FACING SOUTH.

THEY'RE TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND ON SUMMERGATE PARKING ON THE WEST CURB LINE.

THEY'RE NOT PARKING ON THIS SIDE BECAUSE THEN THEY'D HAVE TO GET AROUND TRAFFIC AND EVERYTHING HERE THEY CAN.

AS SOON AS THEIR KID GETS IN THE CAR, THEY CAN JUST MAKE THEIR WAY TO JOLLY.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? THANK YOU. TRUSTEE WILSON.

THERE'S ANOTHER COMPOUNDING FACTOR TO THIS.

AND THAT IS THE KINDERGARTNERS AND I BELIEVE FIRST GRADERS HAVE TO BE PICKED UP IN PERSON AT A DOOR.

SO TO BYPASS ALL THIS STACKED TRAFFIC AND NOT HAVE THEY DON'T WANT TO PARK IN THE PARKING LOT.

THEY WOULD RATHER JUST PARK OUT HERE ON THE STREET AND JUST RUN AND GET THEIR KID, WHO I GUESS IS COMING OUT OF A DOOR ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE BUILDING.

SO IT'S JUST MADE A MESS AND IT'S NOT SAFE.

AND SO THE SCHOOL BOARD IS WORKING ON SOLUTIONS TO SEPARATE THE BUS AND THE CAR TRAFFIC.

THEY'RE NOT READY YET TO TAKE THAT PUBLIC.

I THINK THEY'VE COME UP WITH A PRETTY GOOD SOLUTION THAT HAS BEEN TOLD TO ME.

SO WE'LL SEE HOW THIS WORKS OUT.

BUT THAT'S A BIG PART OF THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE YOUNG CHILDREN HAVE TO BE PICKED UP IN PERSON.

SOMEBODY WALKING UP TO A DOOR TO GET THEM, THEY CANNOT GO OUT INTO THE REGULAR LOT.

MR. HENDRICKSON.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR, IS THERE ANY CONCERN THAT PARENTS WAITING IN THE LINE WILL BE IN VIOLATION OF THESE NO PARKING SIGNS? IF THEY'RE IN THE STUDENT DROP OFF LINE, I THINK THE OFFICERS WOULD JUST USE GOOD DISCRETION AND NOT TICKET THOSE VEHICLES.

YEAH, IF THEY'RE QUEUING, THAT'S NOT OUR GOAL HERE.

THAT'S NOT. THAT'S NOT OUR TARGET.

WE WANT TO STOP PEOPLE FROM ACTUALLY SITTING THERE JUST WAITING OR GETTING OUT OF THEIR CAR AND GOING UP AND PICKING UP THEIR CHILDREN.

OKAY, TO TRUSTEE WILSON'S POINT, BUT ALSO TO TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON'S QUESTION.

I DID OBSERVE THAT MOST OF THE VEHICLES PARKING HERE, I DO THINK, ARE THEY ARE EITHER PARENTS OF SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN OR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM? BECAUSE I WOULD SAY 70% OF THOSE CARS ARE EMPTY.

THE PARENT HAS WALKED UP TO THE BUILDING.

ON A GOOD DAY WHEN THE WEATHER IS GOOD, YOU SEE CARS QUEUING ON FAIR HILLS TOO WHICH IS I T'S FRANKLY A LOT SAFER JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE THE CONGESTION THERE.

BUT THOSE VEHICLES ARE ALSO TYPICALLY EMPTY.

SO THE PARENTS WALKED UP TO THE BUILDING.

YEAH. AND THESE TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDERS, THIS IS MUCH OF THE EXTENT OF WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE, TO ALLEVIATE THE TRAFFIC SITUATION IN ITS CURRENT STATE HERE IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL.

IS THAT ACCURATE? YEAH. AND I WOULD SAY THIS THIS ITEM BEFORE YOU TONIGHT IS COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM ALL THE OTHER DISCUSSIONS GOING ON ABOUT A SECOND DRIVE OR CURB CUT ON FAIR HILLS OR JOLLY ROAD OR ANY OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S GOOD GIVEN THE EXISTING CONDITIONS, BUT ALSO ANY FUTURE CONDITION THAT MIGHT BE CREATED THROUGH DEVELOPMENT ON THE SCHOOL CAMPUS.

SO THIS IS JUST GOOD FOR ADDRESSING THE EXISTING CONDITIONS THAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH.

AND NOT TO PUT TOO FINE A POINT ON IT, BECAUSE I KNOW WE'VE MENTIONED IT OBLIQUELY A COUPLE OF TIMES HERE.

THE PROPOSED PLAN THAT WE'VE READ ABOUT FROM EMAILS FROM, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTS IN THIS AREA.

THESE ARE ENTIRELY BETWEEN THE SCHOOL BOARD AND THE INGHAM COUNTY ROAD DEPARTMENT.

AND THE TOWNSHIP BOARD WOULD HAVE ESSENTIALLY NO PART TO PLAY IN THE CONSIDERATION OR APPROVAL OF THOSE PLANS.

ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

AND AS IT RELATES TO THE TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDER, TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDER BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS SUPPORTIVE.

THE INGHAM COUNTY ROAD DEPARTMENT HAS REVIEWED IT, AND THEY ARE SUPPORTIVE.

AND ALSO, ACTUALLY SOME RESIDENTS IN SPRING LAKE WHO ARE FOLLOWING THE OTHER ISSUE ARE ALSO SUPPORTIVE OF THIS.

SO ACTUALLY ALL PARTIES, ALL THREE PARTIES INVOLVED IN THE OTHER ISSUE ARE SUPPORTIVE OF WHAT'S BEFORE YOU TONIGHT.

[02:20:02]

RIGHT. I THINK IT'S FAIR HILLS.

FAIR HILLS AND ELK LANE RIGHT HERE.

OKAY. SOMEWHERE OVER THAT WAY.

IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT WERE TO BE DONE AND THE RESIDENTS WERE TO HAVE ISSUE WITH PEOPLE PARKING IN THEIR AREA, THIS MIGHT BE A RECOURSE THAT WE COULD ASSIST WITH.

IS THAT ACCURATE? PERHAPS IF THERE WAS IDENTIFIED A NEED FOR AN ADDITIONAL TCO ON THIS SIDE OF THE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD THERE.

YEAH, WE WOULD HAVE TO EVALUATE THAT.

THE ONE TROUBLE THAT WE'LL HAVE ON, FAIR HILLS AND IT WILL DEPEND ON HOW THEY, CYCLE THE TRAFFIC.

BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS IF THEY DID DO THE CONCEPT PLAN, WHICH WOULD BE A SERVICE DRIVE THAT ROUGHLY TRACKS HERE, BUSSES WOULD ALL COME IN OFF SUMMERGATE AND USE THIS REAR LOOP.

AND EXIT, AND THEN ALL STUDENT DROP OFF TRAFFIC WOULD USE THIS LOOP AND COME BACK OUT ON FAIR HILLS.

SO WE COULD CERTAINLY LOOK AT THAT.

THE ONE CHALLENGE THAT CHIEF GRILLO POINTED OUT IS YOU HAVE HOMES ON, AND WE DON'T WANT TO RESTRICT GUESTS OF PROPERTY OWNERS.

AND SO WE'D HAVE TO THINK THROUGH THAT.

AND THAT DOES APPEAR TO BE A MUCH LONGER RUNWAY, FOR THE DROP OFF THAN WHAT THEY CURRENTLY HAVE.

SO IT MIGHT NOT EVEN BE NEEDED.

I'M JUST TRYING TO DEFINE WHAT IT IS WE CAN AND WE CANNOT DO IN TERMS OF THE SCOPE OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US TONIGHT, AS WELL AS LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW WHAT, IF ANYTHING, IS POSSIBLE FOR THE FUTURE, AND IT LOOKS AS THOUGH, YOU KNOW, IT'S A WAIT AND SEE TO SEE IF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE ROAD DEPARTMENT COME TO SOME MUTUAL CONSENSUS ABOUT A NEW DRIVEWAY, AND THAT AFTER THAT TIME WE WOULD HAVE TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF THE TRAFFIC, THE TRAFFIC FROM THAT NEW THAT NEW WAY OF LIFE, AND IDENTIFY IF THERE'S ANYTHING LIKE THIS THAT WOULD NEED TO BE DONE, THAT WOULD HAVE ALSO MINIMAL IMPACT ON THE NEIGHBORS WHO LIVE IN THE IN-BETWEEN AREA.

CORRECT. THANK YOU.

OKAY. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND.

YEAH, I'VE HEARD ABOUT THIS ISSUE, WITH THE CITIZENS THAT LIVE ON THAT, THAT FAIR HILLS. IS THAT WHAT IT'S CALLED? FAIR HILLS? FAIR HILLS.

YES. WHAT'S THE FAIR HILLS DRIVE? I KNOW THAT I'VE HEARD JUST FEEDBACK FROM PEOPLE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD THAT ARE STRONGLY OPPOSED TO HAVING ANY DRIVEWAYS GO TO THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FROM THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.

I JUST WANT TO POINT THAT OUT.

I'VE HEARD STRONG OPPOSITION TO THAT.

OKAY. CLERK GUTHRIE.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

MY FIRST. I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.

ONE IS HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS AND GET INVOLVED? WAS IT FROM THE LISTENING SESSIONS OR WAS IT SOMETHING ELSE? BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING ON SOME OTHER SAFETY FOR CHILDREN.

GOING TO SCHOOLS, AND I KNOW WE HEARD SOME OF THAT AT THE LISTENING SESSIONS, BUT I COULDN'T REMEMBER IF WE HEARD THIS AT THE LISTENING SESSION AS WELL, OR IF IT WAS SOMEWHERE ELSE. WELL, I THINK IT'S KIND OF THE SLOW DRIP, RIGHT WHERE WE'VE HEARD THIS KIND OF REPEATEDLY.

I CAN'T NECESSARILY PINPOINT ONE NECESSARY INCIDENT WHERE SOMEBODY SAID, THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.

IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT HAS COME BACK TO US KIND OF OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

AND THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING WHERE THEY HAD THE DISCUSSION ON THIS SPECIFIC TOPIC, I THINK REALLY KIND OF GOT THE BALL ROLLING, IF YOU WILL.

SO IS THIS AN ONGOING TO WORK WITH THE SCHOOLS, TO MAKE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE CHILDREN, NOT JUST WITH THE SCHOOL, BUT WITH OTHER SCHOOLS IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP? IS THAT A FAIR ASSESSMENT? YEAH. OKAY. WITH TRUSTEE WILSON, WE'VE BEEN WE'VE HAD THESE CONVERSATIONS.

YEAH. HAD THESE CONVERSATIONS THE WHOLE SCHOOL YEAR.

YEAH. AND THAT CONVERSATION INVOLVES STAFF HERE.

POLICE DEPARTMENT, TRUSTEES, COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, SCHOOL BOARDS, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION.

THERE'S A LOT OF PLAYERS WORKING ON.

SO IT'S A CONTINUED CONTINUED EFFORT ON YOUR PART.

OKAY. EXCELLENT.

THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR. AND THEN FOR THE TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDER.

IF THEY WERE TO, MODIFY THE STUDENT PICK UP AND DROP OFF THE TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDER, REMAIN EFFECTIVE OR DOES THAT GET RESCINDED? HOW LONG DOES THAT STAY IN PLACE?

[02:25:04]

BECAUSE EVEN IF WE HAVE LIKE THE CURRENT PLAN, THAT THE DISTRICT HAS RECEIVED APPROVAL FROM THE ROAD DEPARTMENT, FOR WHICH WOULD BE THAT CONNECTION TO THE ELK LANE AND FAIR HILLS DRIVE INTERSECTION, THEN YOU'RE MOVING ALL THE STUDENT DROP OFF TRAFFIC OVER HERE, INGRESS AND EGRESS FROM THE SITE AND THE CAMPUS.

ALL THE BUS TRAFFIC IS GOING TO BE HERE, GOING TO THIS BACK LOOP.

SO EVEN UNDER THAT SCENARIO, WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE PARKING HERE.

WHEN I WAS OUT THERE.

SO I WAS OBSERVING TRAFFIC FOR THE UPCOMING MEETING IN JANUARY, THE COMMUNITY MEETING THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HELD JUST TO SEE WHAT THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS LOOKED LIKE. AND I MEAN, LITERALLY HAVING A MOTORIST IN A LARGE SUV, NOT A MIDSIZE, NOT A SMALL SUV, BUT PARKED RIGHT HERE.

AND THE BUSSES WERE MODIFYING AND CUTTING THEIR TURN RADIUS TO GO AROUND THAT VEHICLE.

SO CERTAINLY WE'VE MADE IT A PRIORITY TO LOOK AT SCHOOL ZONES.

AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST THEMES, PROBABLY ONE OF THE TOP TWO THEMES OUT OF THE LISTENING SESSION.

BUT ALSO JUST LOOKING SPECIFICALLY AT THIS CAMPUS, IT WAS THE FIRST THING THAT KIND OF STOOD OUT.

SO WHEN THE SCHOOL MAKES MODIFICATIONS TO THEIR PLANS, I'M ASSUMING THEY'LL HAVE DIRECTIONAL SIGNAGE FOR CARS AND BUSSES AND NO ENTRY FOR PARENTS AND THAT KIND OF THING ONCE THEY MAKE THOSE CHANGES.

YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD ASSUMPTION.

YEAH. AND WE CAN REVISIT THIS IF AS TIME GOES BY AND REVISIT IT.

ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU BOTH FOR BRINGING THIS TO US AND FOR TRUSTEE WILSON, FOR YOU WORKING WITH THEM ON THIS FOR SO LONG.

MR. DESCHAINE.

THIS SEEMS TIMELY AND APPROPRIATE TO TAKE ACTION WITH IT NOW, ON IT NOW.

DO YOU HAVE FURTHER WORK TO BE DONE WITH THIS? ARE YOU READY TO PROCEED ONCE THE BOARD APPROVES IT? I'M READY TO PROCEED.

OKAY, I MOVE, WE SUSPEND RULES AND TAKE ACTION ON THIS ITEM TONIGHT.

SUPPORT. SUPPORTED BY CLERK GUTHRIE.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO PROCEED WITH THE, APPROVAL, PLEASE SAY YES.

YES, YES. OPPOSED? NO. CHAIR.

VOTES. YES. MR. DESCHAINE, I MOVED TO APPROVE THE TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDER FOR SUMMERGATE LANE FROM JUST NORTH OF HIAWATHA ELEMENTARY.

CURB CUT TO JOLLY ROAD.

SUPPORT. SUPPORTED BY MR. HENDRICKSON. FURTHER COMMENTS.

JUST WANT TO THANK, CHIEF GRILLO, DEPUTY MANAGER OPSOMMER AND TRUSTEE WILSON FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS.

I KNOW YOU'VE ATTENDED MANY MEETINGS TRYING TO GET THIS RESOLVED.

IT'S FUNDAMENTALLY NOT OUR ISSUE.

IT'S SOMETHING BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS AND THE ROAD DEPARTMENT.

BUT, TO THE EXTENT WE CAN TAKE ACTION, THIS IS PRUDENT ACTION TO TAKE.

AGREED. MR. HENDERICKSON. THANK YOU SUPERVISOR.

YEAH, I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF COMMUNITY INPUT ON THE SITUATION AT HIAWATHA AND TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION TO IT.

AND I AM PLEASED TO SEE THIS.

IT DOES REPRESENT, I THINK, EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN DO, TO TRY TO ALLEVIATE, WHAT CAN BE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION THERE FOR BOTH PARENTS AND CHILDREN.

AND, I THINK THAT THIS WILL NOT SOLVE THEIR LONG TERM OVERALL PROBLEM.

BUT IT IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE THINGS BETTER IMMEDIATELY.

SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD TO US, AND I'LL BE PLEASED TO SUPPORT IT.

SEEING NO OTHER COMMENTS.

I'M SORRY. MR. OPSOMMER. JUST VERY BRIEFLY TO TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON'S POINT.

I WOULD SAY ABOUT 5 OR 6 RESIDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THIS CAMPUS, AND SOME OF THE OTHER ONGOING DISCUSSIONS WERE AT THE COUNTY SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING THIS EVENING.

I WAS ALSO ATTENDING DUE TO THE LAKE LANSING DAM PROJECT, BUT THEY WERE GIVING INPUT.

THEY DID STOP ME ON THE WAY OUT.

AND ARE VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE BOARD'S ACTION.

THANK YOU. OKAY, SO THE MOTION IS TO APPROVE THE TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDER FOR SUMMERGATE LANE FROM JUST NORTH OF THE HIAWATHA ELEMENTARY CURB CUT TO JOLLY ROAD.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE SAY YES.

YES. YES. OPPOSED NO.

CHAIR VOTES YES.

MOTION PASSES.

THANK YOU GENTLEMEN. THANK YOU MA'AM.

THANK YOU. ITEM 14 ON OUR AGENDA IS COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC.

ARE THERE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD AT THIS TIME? I DON'T HAVE ANY NEW GREEN CARDS.

SEEING NONE, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM 15.

OTHER MATTERS AND BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS.

[15. OTHER MATTERS AND BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS]

[02:30:03]

AND, AT THIS TIME, AS FAR AS I KNOW, THAT MEETING WILL NOT BE BROADCAST, BUT WILL BE RECORDED.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

SO WE COME TO AN OPEN TO A MOTION TO ADJOURN.

SO MOVED. SUPPORTED BY TRUSTEE SUNDLAND.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION.

PLEASE SAY YES. YES, YES.

OPPOSED? NO.

CHAIR. VOTES. YES. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.