Manchester Township to review fire penalties, seasonal road work

Manchester Township Hall

submitted by Sybil Kolon

The April 13 township board meeting was held in person. All board members were present, except Trustee Lisa Moutihno. Also in attendance were two members of the Manchester Fire Department.

Captain Shawn Booth of the Manchester Fire Department provided the monthly report. March was a very busy month. There were 63 calls for service, including 26 fires; mostly grass and brush fires that got out of hand due to drought conditions and high winds. A burn ban was established after the first serious fire. Because many of these fire calls happened at the same time, mutual aid from other local departments was needed in seven cases. There were also 27 EMS responses.

Drought conditions and high fire danger are expected to continue. There was discussion of the township's Open Burning Ordinance. It provides for penalties to increase over time from $50 to up to $500. Captain Booth indicated some of the fires were done as part of an approved permit. The township has not issued any fines for violation of the burn ordinance and the board decided it is time to review it. Trustees Krista Jarvis and Mike Fusilier agreed to begin that review.

The Zoning Administrator was not present but reported eleven permits were requested, including one residence and five pole barns or garages. It was suggested that improvements could be made to the zoning report form to provide more information.

Trustee John Seefeld reported on the planning commission meeting. The public hearing on accessory dwelling units elicited support from several local residents. No negative comments were received. The planning commission discussed the proposed ordinance and requested a few more revisions. Those will be reviewed at the May meeting, when the commission will decide if they are ready to recommend it to the township board for consideration. Other proposed and planned projects have had no recent activity. The board appointed Doug Brooks and Michelle Stace to serve on the planning commission to replace retiring members Doni McLennan and  Deena McIntosh.

Supervisor Milkey has learned there may be a development coming to the parcel between the former grocery store and the township parking lot area. This may require the relocation of the recycling bins. It was suggested they could be moved to the vacant township property, although there is no plan for this yet.

The Washtenaw County Road Commission provided a report on township roads. Manchester Township has 11 miles of paved roads and 55 miles of gravel roads. Proposed projects included continued upgrades to Buss Road and performing much needed upgrades to Herman Road. The township road fund does not have enough funds to cover all of the projects, which also include dust control. After discussion, the board approved funding for three applications of brine for dust control and to upgrade the section of Buss Road between Sharon Hollow and Lamb Roads.

Now that the township has taken over operation of the Oak Grove Cemetery, the sexton, Mike Miner, is a township employee. The board recognizes him as having a wealth of knowledge about the people buried there going back to the 1800s. His salary was increased significantly to reflect the duties he has performed for decades. Miner will work year-round at 30 hours per week, and will work on documentation of his knowledge over the winter months.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.