OCTOBER 19, 2022
Call to Order: 6:00 PM
Roll Call: Nancy Strohschein, Chairperson; Bob Janda, Township Board Representative; Robert Lindert, Trustee; Joe Bollech, Trustee; Jay Loman, Zoning Board of Appeals Representative/Trustee; Donna Preston, Trustee; Linnea Barron, Secretary. Ken Anderson, Zoning Administrator, absent: Illness.
Recognition of visitors: Bette Gabe
Pledge of Allegiance: Recited
Comments on agenda: Nancy introduced and welcomed our new member, Donna Preston. Now our board is at the recommended seven (7) members. Nancy announced that the Township Board did approve contracting with Jason McCarthy of Northwoods Zoning and Planning from Marquette to assist us with our Recreation Plan (Land Use Plan) and update our Ordinance. We discussed and agreed to start with the Recreation Plan first and then work on the Ordinance. This work will begin next month with probably twice monthly meetings with the goal of finishing in March 2023 to take advantage of applying for grants by April.
Approval of agenda: Jay made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Bob. Motion carried.
Approval of minutes from quarterly meeting, July 13, 2022: Jay made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Bob. Motion carried.
Public Comments: Bette stated that we were doing a good job, and there is a lot of work ahead.
Chairman Comments: Our new member, Donna, will be leaving for part of the winter when we will be working on the Recreation Plan. However, we will use Zoom with our meetings so Donna can participate. The use of Zoom may be necessary if there is inclement weather.
Old Business:
- Planning commission comments/concerns: None.
- Bob Janda: Report from Township Board Rep: None.
- Jay Loman: Report of Zoning Board of Appeals Rep: None.
- Update on Master Plan: The final copy is on the website and we will request printed copies for all our board members and the Township Board members.
- Flood Insurance: Nancy had forwarded copies of letters to former township supervisor James Soli, John Preston, and present supervisor Jay Fish from FEMA, and Linda Keohane received a letter from the DEQ, regarding the purchase of flood insurance. According to this communication we have been approved for purchasing of this flood insurance, but further investigation indicated that this was not available in Baraga County. Ken had previously supplied information from Eagle Harbor that is in their ordinance about flood plains, floodways, and even how to build structures in these areas. First we need a map of the flood plain area in our area; second, wait on news release with CCO (public meeting); third, check with Jason if he has information on flood insurance, and fourth, ask Jay Fish if he has received any more documents.
- Dark Skies Initiative: Robert will have more information later, but felt we could already start with small changes regarding the lighting in the township, i.e., school, streetlights, avoid large LED signs, etc.
New Business:
- Jason McCarthy will be assisting us with our Recreation Plan and updating the township Ordinance. Jason sent copies via email of our current rec plan, which is seriously outdated. We will start work on this on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at 6 p.m. We are to review the old rec plan page for page. Maps need to be updated. We will push to finish and have this approved by March 2023. Not sure of deadline for grant requests, could be April 1. We will work remotely with Donna and possibly Jason.
- Zoning Ordinance: Linnea will provide a “clean” copy of the Ordinance to Nancy and Jason by November 1, 2022. This will have all the approved updated material. She will use a thumb drive as this is a large document. In our discussion it was felt that definitions are an important portion of this document. We will see what definitions Jason feels are necessary as well. The work on this will begin when the rec plan is completed.
- Review fee schedule. Ken was unable to attend but our feel schedule has not been updated in a long time. Ken had a sample from Ovid Township that he sent. We will table this for another meeting along with the short term rentals.
Next Quarterly Meeting: January 11, 2023, at the fire hall at 6:00 PM
Adjourn: Jay made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Bob. Motion carried. Adjournment at 7:13 PM