After saying goodbye to a longtime participant in local government, the Pleasanton Township Board considered new applicants and reassigned current members of its boards.
At the Board's Nov. 8 meeting, Jeanne Crampton resigned from the Township's Planning Commission, effective on November 5 (the day following the November Planning Commission meeting) after over 20 years of service. At the Township Board meeting, Crampton cited her absence during the winter months as a primary reason, stating that the growing workload of the Planning Commission requires more availability from members than participation at only six of twelve meetings a year. Crampton's term doesn't end until Dec. 31, 2010, but her letter notes her reason for an earlier departure. "This will allow the Township Board to begin looking for a replacement immediately--in order to be sure of a quorum at future Planning Commission meetings." Trustee Dave Ertel thanked Crampton for her service, and other Board members echoed his comments.
Supervisor Tony Merrill moved quickly to appoint a replacement for the remaining month of Crampton's term. The Township Board will need to return to the issue in December, in order to decide who should fill the seat for the new term beginning in January.
So far there have been two candidates for this Planning Commission seat, and a second, soon-to-be open seat, according to Supervisor Merrill: Bob Peterson and Gayle Crampton. Peterson lives on the east side of the lake and has been involved with local service and booster organizations. Crampton is Jeanne's youngest daughter, lives on the north side of the lake, and has a background in planning at the state and county levels. Gayle Crampton is also co-editor of the Three Pines Gander.
Merrill moved to appoint Bob Peterson to replace Jeanne Crampton. The board voted 4-1 in favor of the motion, with Babcock opposed. Babcock said that the Planning Commission needs to include those who owned large parcels of land. "I don't think that people on the lake or with five acres can represent those with 100 acres or more," he said. Gayle Crampton, who was at the meeting, noted that her family owned 40 acres on Alkire Road. Ertel argued that representation across the township, on a geographical basis, was more important. A member of the public asked how vacancies are advertised, and inquired whether the township's website could be used for that purpose. The board did not respond to the first question, but Merrill expressed interest in using the website for advertising vacancies in the future.
Reached after the meeting by telephone, Peterson said several factors led to his interest. "Tony Merrill brought this up to me last week," said Peterson. "He said they needed help in the planning community. I've seen Bear Lake change this way and that, and I have some opinions on how the Master Plan should be." Peterson, who says he moved to Bear Lake when he was five years old, has held leadership positions with the Bear Lake Promoters and the Bear Lake Lions.
In addition to this seat on the Planning Commission, another is expected to open when Brian Kidd's term expires in December. Kidd is not expected to reapply for the seat.
Dave Ertel was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Board. This completed the switch of Ertel, originally on the Planning Commission, and Bob Babcock, originally on the Parks Board. The change comes at the request of Ertel, who indicated a personal preference for the move.
Monthly bills, including $140 to computer consultant Kris Kranz, were paid. The board said that updates to its website are coming soon. An overview of cemetery procedures was given, and there was discussion on whether updating cemetery records was possible. The board also approved a possible expenditure of $519 for a bundle of accounting software, in case an option to share software used by Manistee County doesn't work out. County Commissioner Ken Hilliard believed that the County was willing to transfer all of the Township's data to the new system if the Township decides to participate in the sharing program. Amy Cross, Pleasanton Township Clerk, agreed to look into this.
The board also plans to replace the outdoor carpet on the hall steps for safety reasons, and all expressed support for County Commissioner Hilliard to serve on the Revenue Sharing Board.
The Township Board is expected to meet again on Monday, December 13 at 7pm.
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