A Quick Tour Of Mullett Township

Mullett Township News & Views-Promoting Open Government in Mullett Township

There is also the Mullett Township Party Line or you make drink the Kool-Aid from the Topinabee Development Association "Artesian" Well

Mullett Township is a general law township in Cheboygan County, Michigan. The population was 1312 in the 2010 US census. The township and Mullett Lake are named for John Mullett, who with William Burt, surveyed much of the area between 1840 and 1843.

The commercial center of the Township is the quiet unincorporated Village of Topinabee located on the west shore of Mullett Lake on M27 highway. The village is a trailhead for the DNR Trail with off-street parking and restrooms.

The village has a Post Office, Convenience Store with gas pumps, Public Library with 24 hour outdoor WiFi, an artisan-owned woodwork shop, a breakfast cafe and a bar and grille. Township owned buildings include the Library, Township Hall and Fire Hall, and an unused former school building on Lea St.

Recreation needs are served with a beachfront park and covered picnic area, free public boat launch at the north end of the village, a small public access to Mullett Lake across from the Nokia Cafe and tennis court, ball-field, and playground equipment at a public park located up the hill on Lea St.

The east side of Mullett Township is largely rural, with no commercial development. Township services include a Fire Hall and volunteer East Mullett Lake Fire Department.


Thursday, January 9, 2014

Hot August Nights in Mullett Township-2013....



After thousands of words and dozens of hours, the Mullett Township Board has reached the August 5, 2013 meeting. 

Public comments: 

David Ogg gives his Topinabee Park update; has lawn issues and that mean weeds. He is not pleased, but will let contractors resolve. That probably means taxpayers will pay to fix it next year.

An attendee asks when $70 per diem will be addressed and what does “reasonable” mean for Board Members daily meal allowance. It used to be $25 per day, but Supervisor MaryAnne Gale had said earlier an individual meal can often cost two or three times that $25 amount before wine. She doesn't expect the taxpayers to pay to uncork a bottle.

Carl MacPherson asks the Board to allow the Lakeshore Owners Association to participate with the engineers in the “Streetscape” design. He has concerns with parking on Beeson St and trucks making u-turns. He states Beeson St is a very “small street” and asks that the parking lot at the north end of the park be separated from Beeson St. He requests the Board and engineers meet with Graham Tillotson, president of the association. I forecast Beeson St becoming a “private drive” for these Lakeshore Owners Association members including the O’Hare’s. 

Phyllis Narker, not identified as a TDA member, comments it is the first time they have been “up this summer” and is happy with the “Streetscape” plan and says the beach is beautiful. She complains about uncut weeds across from the township hall.

A TDA member asks when the blight ordinance discussed at the TDA meeting will be implemented. Mr Macpherson also interjects he forgot to mention the 2 old white house’s north of the Post Office can be bought and several TDA supporters encourage the Board to buy these properties and tear down for parking lot development. 

Mary O’Hare, president of the TDA thanks Supervisor MaryAnne Gale for cleaning the public restrooms. I’m not sure if Mary O’Hare has ever ventured in the local potty, but if she has, good for her if she was lucky enough to find them clean. 

Board business discussion on proceeding with “Streetscape”, grants or no grants, with preliminary engineering and costs estimates by Wade-Trim approved in the amount of $33,600. Another $5,470 approved payment to Wade-Trim for site plans for Boy Scout Park. 

Supervisor MaryAnne Gale says she received two letters and alleges receiving several calls from “Sutherland” and Topinabee Shore Drive property owners over the past two weeks. They request removing the boat dock, claiming it is not being used, and that some of the people that apparently are using it are very “discourteous and disruptive” and “not very nice”. They say, and Supervisor MaryAnne Gale agrees that Topinabee Shore Drive is a private drive. First, “they” want the dock removed, second “they” want No Parking on the Sutherland road end. After discussion, Supervisor MaryAnne Gale makes the motion and the Board approves installing a no parking sign at the beach. Will the dock be installed next year? Will the property owners adjacent to Sutherland divvy up the 47 foot road end? Wait and see.

The only positive piece of work was approval of the much needed replacement of the Woodruff St boat launch. Motion approved at $49,000 cost. But, will it happen? Maybe.

Shhh, no one is supposed to know. Supervisor MaryAnne Gale had “lent” township property, banquet tables from the hall, to her friends at the TDA for the TDA rummage sale held earlier in the summer under the pavilion. She also employed the township “Facilities Manager” to deliver these “lent” tables. Shame, shame Supervisor MaryAnne Gale. Remember the old adage, neither a borrower or lender be. MaryAnne, if you do want to lend something, don’t lend things that don’t belong to you. Using, and losing those Mullett Township assets you profess to “protect”, is a no-no and employing a paid township employee to do what should be personal business is worse. Even worse, since your TDA friends apparently feel an entitlement to these assets, as a poor borrower, they simply leave the tables under the pavilion after the TDA sale ends. At least half a dozen of the six foot tables, almost new, are stolen, pinched, maybe just grabbed by someone who thought they were left over junk. Clerk Rachel Osborn only mentioned this as an aside at the end of this meeting as she had to file a police report to make an insurance claim. Did Supervisor MaryAnne Gale or even the TDA offer to pay for the stolen tables, or at least the deductible? I don’t think so. It is just another poor example of civic leadership by both parties. 

Because of constraints on my time, rather than rehashing the past foibles of the Board, the September through December 2013 Mullett Board Meeting audio files will be posted on You Tube Channel  Mullett Township Board Meetings with links to points of interest.