The November 2011 Mullett Township Board of Trustees Meeting was called to order at 8PM with a short agenda supplied by Clerk Rachel Osborn only at the start of the meeting. Because comments from the public are seldom if ever noted in the official minutes, we report them here.
While the floor was open for public comment, Dennis Jonski asked the Board when the residents of Mullett Township would be made privy to the design, landscaping and scope of the Topinabee Green Corridor/Streetscape Tiger III Grant application that has already been submitted to the USDOT. He also asked if there would be any further changes to the design after submission. After attending the meetings held to gather public input on the project, he plainly stated he had not seen any concept or design work. No one outside of the Board, Wade-Trim, and a few members of the Topinabee Development Association (TDA) has seen any Topinabee Green Corridor/Streetscape plans. Supervisor Bill Morgan stated he had some copies as email attachments he could provide to Mr Jonski.
Clerk Rachel Osborn told Mr Jonski that if he was driving by the Township Hall when she was there, she would be glad to show him the project plans. It would have been nice for the Mullett Township elected officials to simply state they would advertise and make a copy of the Topinabee Green Corridor/Streetscape plans available for public viewing at the Topinabee Library for the benefit of all Mullett Township residents, even if it is long past the time for public input.
This blog coordinator asked the Board if Wade-Trim was still within the Board approved $10,000 for survey, concept and cost estimates for the Topinabee Green Corridor/Streetscape project. Supervisor Morgan stated they had not yet seen any billing. I also asked what the $27,000 spent with Fleis & Vandenbrink over the last 2 years was for. Mr Morgan stated he thought most of that was design work for the Beach Front grant application and when he turned to Clerk Osborn, she added “I don’t have a clue”.
The question still remains. How much was spent on last year’s failed Topinabee Green Corridor/Streetscape Tiger II Grant application for a design concept that has now been scrapped on the growing pile of ill-conceived grant projects approved by this Mullett Township Board? Ten thousand dollars? Fifteen thousand dollars?
This year’s TDA sponsored Topinabee Green Corridor/Streetscape project, only .2 miles of M27 supposedly designed for $10,000 is a fraction of last year’s grandiose .6 mile project that included a complete rebuild of M27 and featured amongst it’s architectural ya-yas, a gazebo and pedestrian overpass.
Will the question require another Freedom of Information Act request to Mullett Township for dollar amounts that should have been made public when they were approved and spent? Can’t the Board just state we spent this many thousand dollars last year on a design and failed grant application that has now been scrapped; and now we are spending at least $10,000 more on a grant application that all of us agree has “slim to no chance”? No wonder the Board refers to their grant applications as buying lottery tickets. Perhaps lottery tickets should be added as a Mullett Township budget line item. Then Clerk Osborn can go over to the market every day on our dime and decide; Powerball or Mega-Millions?
That is hardly more wasteful than the news that Clerk Rachel Osborn is attempting to waste your tax dollars again. After spending an unknown amount with Fleis & Vandenbrink on the Beach Front Grant application, with the project awaiting DNRTF approval, she now wants to fire Fleis & Vandenbrink and hire Wade-Trim to build a project designed and engineered by Fleis & Vandenbrink. That is a recipe that is sure to involve more design changes and unforeseen cost overruns.
Trustee Dombroski and Supervisor Morgan discussed the issue. Although Mullett Township apparently has no contractual obligation with Fleis & Vandenbrink to complete the project, the engineering firm may at least ethically have some ownership of their design. Clerk Osborn said then we can change the design and it isn’t Fleis & Vandenbrink’s anymore. Other Board members reminded her that another design would cost more money and the Fleis & Vandenbrink design has been submitted to and found favor with the MDNRTF. She correctly argued we just spent money with Wade-Trim redesigning the streetscape project this year. That is some convoluted logic at work in Clerk Osborn’s mind.
Continuing to bow to the Topinabee Development Association’s pressure to re-submit failed grant applications on their behalf will require more convoluted logic. After a rambling discussion, the Board, excluding Clerk Osborn, reached a consensus to “try” and work with Fleis & Vandenbrink should the Beach Front grant be approved. Clerk Osborn asked if the subject could be brought to a vote and if things didn’t work out would the Board then be able to “go shopping” for another firm? Bill Morgan said, yes, we could go shopping. That’s more “shopping” with your tax dollars.
A complete digital audio recording of the meeting is again available as an MP3 file playable on Windows or other media players. The file is split into 4 equal parts to facilitate sending as an email attachment.
More Mulett Township News and Views available at mulletttownship.blogspot.com
Mullett Township Board of Trustees
PROPOSED MEETING MINUTES, November 1, 2011
Mullett Township Board of Trustees met at the. Mullett. Township Hall in Topinabee, Michigan, 49791 on November 1, 2011 at 8:01 PM Al Board Members were present: Willard Morgan, Rachel Osborn, Karen Morgan, Dennis Dombroski, and John Brown.
Trustee Dombroski led the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Mullett Township Minutes of October 4, 2011 and October 23. 2011 were approved as presented on a motion by John Brown and seconded by Dennis Dombroski.
Motion by Dennis Dombroski to spend up to $500.00 for Christmas Decorations for the townhall, library and restroom was seconded by Rachel Osborn, motion passed.
Motion by Karen Morgan to hire R. J. Foth and Company at a cost of $440.00 to clean and wax the townhall floor, seconded by John Brown, motion passed.
Dennis Dombroski made a motion to have the Cheboygan County Road Commision give Mullett Township a quote for upgrading the boat launch in Topinabee, seconded by Karen Morgan. Motion passed.
Motion by Dennis Dombroski. to pay the bills seconded by John Brown. Motion passed.
Meeting adjourned at 9:00PM
Respectfully submitted,
Rachel Osborn
Mullett Township Clerk
