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actionfrompresent job duties and what the drain vene Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. to discuss thesituation in the county. Those residents with drains and the publicBy Amy Hopping MasugaHILLSDALE — The Hillsdale County Commissioners meeting held Tuesday could not be called dull and routine. The board encountered frequent participation from the public thoughout the day.Leland Britton, of Jefferson Township, came to express his dissatisfaction with board approval in the hiring of a drain maintenance supervisor for the office of drain commissioner. He explained the former drain commissioner was frequently out in the field. He felt the present drain commissioner (Wayne Weaver) was neglecting his field duties.Britton expressed his opposition tothe following:• The private use of the county drain commissioner’s truck.• The weekend use of the truck to take lake levels during the winter months.• The resolution passed the board on May 14,1985 stating no repair or maintenance could be done by anyresident without the previous written consent of the drain commissioner. (Those who went ahead and repaired the drain would not be reimbursed for cost incurred.) Britton argued that farmers couH not wait for the drain commissioner to respond.• The resolution passed Aug. 6 allowing the drain commissioner to hire a drain maintenance supervisor with services charged back to the drainage district involved.Commissioner Sid Michael and chair of the drain committee explained that the past policy of just turning in the bill for repair work caused major problems. Those problems and inaccuracies are still presently being sorted out. “We stand liable to see if it is repaired corrtfctly.”Michael said one drain was recently repaired with a garbage bag. Although the great amount of farmers are perfectly capable of doing a good job, one may repair the drain incorrectly and cause repercussions throughout an entire area,said Michael.He went on to explain Weaver’scommittee hopes to accomplish in the future.Michael stated that when Weaver took office, the paper work was in an “atrocious array’u and thatassessment districts were overlapping.“You may be paying on two and only have one. One fellow is in seven districts. We need cooperation,” he stated.In regard to the resolution passed requesting that all repair work becleared with the drain commissioner, Michael stated, “It is only beneficial to the farmers. We just need information. If you sell the farm, or God forbid, someone passes away, we don’t know where things are. We do understand the plight of the farmer.”Dennis Haskins of the Soil Conservation Service was present. He stated there was no substitute for onsite investigation.” Farmers must receive sound technical recommendations before doing repairs, he stressed.The drain committee will recon-are invited to come and givesuggestions.Fifteen people came to address the board. They represented those presently residing at Bear Lake and the sand dune area in Cambria Township. Spokesperson Paul Rogers, a resident of the sand dune area, stated guidelines and action are needed to clean up the litter, adjacent trailers and junk carspresently at the property rented by Jay Buck.Rogers said he has seen cars being stripped, but has not observed any selling from the premises. Also, a sign indicating a business is not visible.Alton Salisbury, a Coldwater resident, came to represent the concerns of his mother, M. M. Smith, who is 95 years old and lives in the Bear Lake area.“I call it Skid Row,” Salsibury said. “He threatened to shoot me if I stepped on his property.”Rogers stated abandoned vehiclesand a trailer are also being used to house loose garbage. Salisbury commented that two trailers, which are pushed together but not attached, are being used as a home. He also felt the electrical work was not up to code, nor was structure of the building.The board agreed to work on the problem. As members, commissioners Ray Bentley and PeggyAndridge will work with the HealthDepartment Board and building inspector Rodman Beard.Commissioner Marilou Ming stated in reference to the building inspector, “I think he is afraid of people. It isn’t the first time we have had to push hi.n.”The board will also be taking a tour next week of the areas designated as problems by the Bear Lake group.Wilmer French said to his fellow commissioners, “The township board is asking for your help. If we all work together. I think we can do something for Cambria Township.”Janet Collins, a concerned(Please see Commission Page 2)
Newspaper Details
Hillsdale Daily News
Hillsdale, Michigan, US
Wed, Aug 21, 1985
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
John M.
NJ, USA 31 Jan 2022
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