The Lowell Charter Township Board met for 40 minutes on Monday night to discuss three pieces of business.
One of those items was a vote on a resolution approving a 425 agreement with the City of Lowell. The agreement would conditionally transfer property near the I-96 interchange to the city for a period of 50 years. This property is expected to be developed in the Covenant Business Park.
The township’s goal is to extend municipal water and sewer services to the site, something the city has refused to do unless a 425 agreement is in place. The agreement will, among other things, allow the city to collect property taxes from the site.
Trustee Carlton Blough was absent on Monday, and board members decided to delay the vote so all members could be present. Trustee Andy Vander Ziel also wanted to wait to vote until something could be received in writing that would state any other 425 agreements needed for township businesses wanting city and water services would mirror the agreement drafted for the business park.
It was unanimously agreed to table the agreement and convene for a special meeting on Monday, November 11, at 6pm. That meeting will take place at the Lowell Township Hall.
Other Agenda Items
Other items discussed and voted on during the meeting included the following:
Fire Department Report: Fire Chief Cory Velzen was present to provide a quarterly report to the board. He reviewed call volume, training activities and upcoming events. He also noted the department was doing some long-range planning. “There’s going to have to be some difficult decisions made,” he said.
Audit Report: Board members heard a review of the township’s recent audit which was described as a “pretty clean audit and a pretty simple audit.” No concerns were noted. Later in the meeting, board members voted unanimously to extend their contract with auditing firm Gabridge & Company for three more years.
Public Comments: There was one public comment received during the meeting. Daniel O’Hara, a candidate for 63rd District Court Judge, introduced himself and shared why he felt he would be a good choice for the position.
Timber Bridge Bolt Tightening: The Lowell Township Board voted unanimously to spend $112,000 to have the bolts tightened on the timber bridge spanning the Grand River and connecting the North and South Grand River Riverfront Parks. The township has already secured $50,000 in grant funding for the project and is hopeful about getting the rest from the Lowell Community Fund and LCTV Fund. Supervisor Jerry Hale said this wouldn’t be a regular expense. Instead, it was recommended that the bolts be tightened one time after several years had elapsed to account for any wood shrinking.
The board adjourned at 7:40pm. The next meeting of the Lowell Charter Township Board will be Monday, Nov. 11, at 6pm in the township hall.
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