Presque Isle Township Planning Commission
Regular Meeting
held June 7, 2010

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Chairman David Lange.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Roll Call: In attendance were David Lange, Clif Taylor, William Schwartz, Attila Paltelky, and Chuck Winters. Absent with excuse were Karen Fournier and Molly Benson.

Audience: Also present were Supervisor Patrick Pokorski, Office Staff Erika Comerford, and Karen Pettalia.

Agenda Approval: C. Winters made a motion to approve the agenda as presented. Second by W. Schwartz. All ayes; motion carried.

Approval of Minutes (May 3, 2010 PC mtg): Grammatical errors were noted, and the date of the next meeting on the last page had been corrected from June 14th to June 7th. W. Schwartz made a motion to approve the minutes of the May 3rd meeting as amended. Second by C. Taylor. All ayes; motion carried.

Comments from the Audience (5 minutes maximum per speaker): E. Comerford asked whether or not she should refer to the current ordinance for procedures in regards to a resident who was interested in relinquishing a cemetery plot. D. Lange confirmed that it would be the proper procedure to follow.

Correspondence: none

Report from the Zoning Administrator: L. Taylor was not present. There was no report, however, she had given D. Lange a reminder that the 30-day review period from the County for the rezoning proposal had passed. They had not provided a response. C. Taylor made a motion to recommend to the Board their approval for the rezoning of parcels along Evergreen Hwy. from EC and R-1 to R-2. Second by W. Schwartz. All ayes; motion carried.

REPORT OF LIAISONS

Township Board of Trustees: K. Fournier was absent, however, had provided a written report which was read aloud by D. Lange. Alan McConnell and Jeff Lewis have attended training and are now certified by Wolverine to shoot the fireworks. There was a special meeting to discuss Township recycling at 5:30. The Township budget is to be set at the next meeting, and the Board has published a notice of vacancy on the Parks and Recreation Committee to fill P. Pettalia's seat as he had recently resigned from his position.

Township Zoning Board of Appeals: No report.

Township Parks and Recreation Committee: In lieu of a representative attending, N. Kinney had provided a written report to be presented to members for review. Reported "Accomplishments" were N. Kinney, vice chair, will be assuming chair position until the vacancy is filled, J. Lewis and A. McConnell reported that they have received certifications from Wolverine to shoot the fireworks, the lens grant has been extended another year, the budget remains unfinished, the road work in areas 1-4 & 6-7 at the 1870 park have been completed, as well as areas 3-5 at the 1840 park. A motion to allow for C. Peters to spend up to $3,000 to complete areas 1 & 5 was passed. The electrical update on the 1840 cottage is completed, the old Library is being used for storage for some larger items, the landscape plan for the 1840 cottage was approved, it was decided that no basketball hoops will be installed at the township hall, the bat problem at the 1840 cottage is being addressed and up to $250.00 was approved for materials. It was also decided that an arborist will be needed to inspect the birch trees at the new lighthouse behind the Museum. 4 of the 5 summer programs are in place and the cost is $300.00. It was confirmed that PI Township is linked in with the Pure Michigan and AACVB websites, and the GL Assoc. has stated that they are interested in helping out with fundraising events. The Donajkowski memorial will also be discussed with C. Peters and P. Pokorski. "Future Actions" were reported as the General Fund budget will be submitted to the Trustees in June. D. Rivard assisted in the project. The 1840 road project is underway and should be finished by June. $2,000 was approved for the completion of landscaping at the 1840 cottage in the fall, the Donajkowksi memorial will be planned, and the Spooky Locations group will be at the Old Lighthouse on June 6th. "Issues/Problems" were listed as concerns about the fireworks shoot (i.e. personal insurance, condition of old tubes, paint/storage supplies, cooperation from fire depts.), approval for CIP, $3,000 needed to complete road project, C. Peters requested to withdraw his resignation. Pettalia's position has been advertised, and two applications were received-an interview process will be established. Future cemetery projects may require P & R help-Morrison. Throughout the report, members of the Commission had questions, suggestions, and feedback. Notes were written and they will be directed appropriately, however, it was agreed that a physical representative would be preferred in order to ease communication. A. Paltelky made a motion to request the same report format but to also have a representative of the Parks and Rec. in attendance at meetings to be able to answer questions or pass on correspondence. C. Taylor seconded. All ayes; motion carried.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Cemetery road site plan: D.Lange stated that they are still waiting to see a site plan for the cemetery drive. A. Paltelky responded that he has read in past minutes that he was stated to have been responsible for the plan. He clarified that he was designated as the "go between" for P. Pokorski and S. Lang. He will be in contact with S. Lang to inform him of the need of the site plan. He also gave an update as to the current plans and progress of the drive. There were five stumps removed, and four more that still need to be removed, 22 trees have been planted along Kauffman, and G. Campbell is to be placing the first layer of dirt once the remaining stumps are moved. Once the dirt is placed, they will be able to have a better idea of what funds will be needed in order to complete the project.

CIP/Budget Plans-Updated worksheets: Updated worksheets were handed out. They have been consolidated and cut down to reflect only 2010-2011. The project leaders have been assigned, and reports and updates on progress will be expected each month. In regards to the Road Plan, C. Taylor asked for authorization to speak to the consultant about getting samples or examples of plans from other townships/counties. D. Lange responded that there are no funds left in the budget for this year, but after next month, they should be fine. The matter will be discussed at a later date, and C. Taylor will try to find an alternate solution in the mean time.

Range Light toilet: K. Fournier had presented a plan for the Range Light toilets to D.Lange to share with other members. The proposal was turned down due to the location of the toilets. She has since redone the proposal, as requested, and the revised plan was presented. The cost for construction would be $2,850 and was presented as a CIP due to the amount. C. Taylor made a motion to approve and recommend the plan as submitted. W. Schwartz seconded. There was discussion had regarding the exact placement of the unit and how that would correlate with the plans for future development. A. Paltelky, C. Taylor, D. Lange, and W. Schwartz aye; C. Winters nay due to the lack of a site plan. Motion carried. D.Lange agreed that a site plan should be on file and will be sure one is made available for the Board to review with the recommendation at their next meeting.

Vision Statement Draft: M. Benson was not present; no update was provided.

Zoning Map conversion to AutoCAD: D.Lange reported that he has received the new formatted files.

NEW BUSINESS

Capital Budget Request: Parks and Rec. had submitted a budget request application for stump removal and gravel for the completion of the Old Lighthouse road project. The amount requested for approval was $3,000. Members had multiple concerns in regards to the plan. They were unsure as to where and how the decision to proceed as proposed had evolved, as it was different than what had previously been discussed and recommended. Following discussion, A. Paltelky made a motion to pass the request onto the Board with the recommendation that only the stumps within the 2 ½' area of the road way which is to be widened, and only the stumps within the road right-of-way (5' on either side) should be removed; the rest remain. W. Schwartz seconded the motion. All ayes; motion carried.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Comprehensive Plan Update: D. Lange stated that the 5-year update/review for the Comprehensive plan is due and he asked for C. Taylor's help to complete it. C. Taylor agreed and informed that it is now referred to as the Master Plan. He also stated that discussion was had in the past to have an online survey, and also have a form and link included in the township newsletter for those who do not have access to the internet.

W. Schwartz informed that Long Lake is going to be doing a fireworks shoot this year as well. They have contracted with Wolverine, and he will be getting the exact date of the event to the office staff for her to post.

Adjournment: With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 8:13 pm. The next meeting is scheduled for July 5th at 7:00 pm.

Respectfully submitted;
Erika M. Comerford, Presque Isle Township Office Staff