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Regular Meeting Synopsis Denton Township Board October 2, 2024 Regular Board Meeting called to order at 4:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Present: Pedersen, Seaford and Fuller. Absent: Asher. Motion passed to appoint Pedersen to chair the meeting in the absence of a supervisor. The Treasurer’s report for September, 2024 was accepted. Motion passed to approve the regular board meeting minutes of September 4, 2024 and the special board meeting minutes of September 18, 25, and 26, 2024 as presented. Motion passed to approve the bills for September, 2024. Ambulance Department-New Hire. Motion passed to approve the hiring of Joshua Thompson as a contingent paramedic effective September 30, 2024. Fire Department. Motion passed to approve the hiring of Jeremy Gioannini as a Firefighter effective immediately. Accept Resignation/Retirement of Carol A. Asher, Clerk. Clerk Carol A. Asher’s letter of resignation was read. Clerk Asher stated it has been a “great 26-plus years at the Township.” Fuller added Carol has been one of the very best Clerks the Township has had and thanked her for her service on behalf of the Board. Carol recently married and will be moving out of the township with her husband. She will be missed. Motion passed to regretfully accept the resignation/retirement of Carol A. Asher, as Denton Township Clerk effective October 31, 2024. Appoint New Township Clerk. Theresa M. Wagner, current Deputy Clerk, has been in the Deputy Clerk position for 32 years, serving under former Clerk Sandy Palm and Clerk Carol Asher. Motion passed to appoint Theresa M. Wagner as Denton Township Clerk effective November 1, 2024. Appoint New Deputy Clerk. Motion passed to approve the hiring of Candi Stroh-Mishler as Deputy Clerk effective November 1, 2024 with a starting wage of $15.00 per hour, with a review in 90 days. Appoint New Township Supervisor. With the recent resignation of Supervisor Bob Spaulding, the office of the Supervisor is vacant and must be filled, per Election Law. Eight total interviews were held over September 25 and 26, 2024. Motion passed to appoint David DenBoer as Denton Township Supervisor effective October 3, 2024. 119 9th Street Demolition Update. Trustee Pedersen explained there is a log cabin and sheds located at 119 9th Street, Prudenville, (property number 72-003-370-300-1000), that was placed on the Dangerous Building list approximately 3 years ago. It is currently owned by the State of Michigan. The Township applied for a State Land Bank Authority Grant to pay for the demolition of these buildings. Zoning Administrator Barnes obtained an extension for the submission date from September 30 to November 30, 2024 in order to collect all the documents and approvals needed to complete the grant application. 220 Kimberly Update/Bid Request. The house at 220 Kimberly is on the Dangerous Building list. The owner of the property is deceased. A hearing at the Houghton Lake Building Authority was held on April 1, 2024 to raze the building. After the 90-day waiting period, approval was received to raze the building and an ad was placed in the newspaper requesting bids for the demo. Two (2) sealed bids have been received for the demo. Mr. Adamo contacted the Township to inform them he has a lien on the property and is in the process of buying it. Zoning Administrator Barnes stated as of this morning, there has been no recorded lien on this property. Motion passed to allow Mr. Adamo until 4:00 p.m. on November 6, 2024 to provide the Township Board with proof of ownership. If at this time Mr. Adamo is unable to provide proof of ownership, the two (2) bids received will be opened. Title Search for Unclaimed Property. Motion passed to hire TransNation Title Company to do a title search on the 10’ x 50’ strip of unclaimed property near 828 W. Houghton Lake Drive to decipher who is the owner of this property. Streetlight Operation and Maintenance Millage Renewal. Pedersen stated the Streetlight Operation and Maintenance Millage Renewal proposal will be on the November 5, 2024 ballot. As of 2015, there are 353 street lights (not including the decorative lights) in the Township of Denton. For clarification, the Streetlight Millage does not pay for erecting “decorative street lights.” The millage is used to pay the electricity bills on all of the street lights. The Township would appreciate your support. Board member Appointment-Houghton Lake Building Agency (HLBA) & Houghton Lake Sewer Authority (HLSA) Boards. Upon the retirement of Carol Asher retiring as Denton Township Clerk, a replacement appointee will be needed on the HLBA and HLSA Boards as the representative for Denton Township. Motion passed to appoint C. Richard Pedersen, Trustee, as Denton Township representative on the HLBA and HLSA Boards, effective November, 2024. Tree Trimming and Removal. Motion passed to approve the removal and clean-up of nine (9) trees total at the Mobile Home Park, and the trimming and clean-up of one tree in front of the maintenance garage at a cost totaling $4,675.00. Lease Agreement–Houghton Lake Snow Groomers. Motion passed to approve a 70-year lease agreement between the Houghton Lake Snow Groomers and Denton Township for the SW corner of parcel #72-003-020-001-0025 (140’ x 165’) at a cost of $1.00. In exchange, they will maintain the snow removal at the trailhead parking lot, and within 5 years will build a pole barn to house all the snow grooming equipment, and run power to the building and the trailhead parking lot. Up North Vintage Market. Motion passed to grant permission to Up North Vintage Market to use the Rotary Park and Soccer Fields for their 2025 Markets schedule for July 19, August 16 and September 13, 2025. Reports. Ambulance, Police, Mobile Home/RV Park and Stone Hall reports were received and filed. There were 237 Ambulance calls and 90 Original Police reports for the month of September. There are no mobile homes for sale. There were 8 hall rentals. Correspondence/Comments. -Michael Kitchen introduced himself and stated he is running as a write-in candidate (no party affiliation) for Denton Township Supervisor on the upcoming General Election ballot. He would appreciate your support. -Denton Township will be hosting its “Trunk or Treat at Trestle Park,” along with the Friends of Trestle Park’s event, “Pumpkin Fun Day” Saturday, October 26, 2024 from 3:00 p.m.to 5:00 p.m. (Rain date October 27). Free to the public. A fire truck and lots of games and fun will be on hand. The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m. Minutes subject to correction at the next regular meeting of the Board. (Find full version of the minutes on our website at www.dentontownship-mi.org.) Carol A. Asher, Clerk