By Phyllis Rose
Having approved a 2026 withdrawal from the South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority (SKCFA) in March, the Brady Township Board in April heard a report from Supervisor Randy Smith about his research into finding a site for a satellite fire station within the Township.
At the March meeting, Smith explained that the Township has $400,000 in savings from COVID funds which had been spent in areas that normally would have come from township funds. The money could be used for a new fire station.
Smith reported at the April meeting that he had been looking for a site in Brady for a satellite fire station to be used by Pavilion Township’s fire department. Brady has contracted Pavilion to provide fire services once withdrawal from the fire authority is complete on April 1, 2026.
Smith was looking for property in the center of his township because insurance companies base their rates on how close a building is to a fire station. By having the station in the center, no property would be more than three miles away from the station.
Talking to land owners about the possibility of purchasing some land for the station, he said he found an owner who is thinking about selling the land. Though located at D Avenue and 28th Street, the property is not exactly in the center of the Township, he said.
It is located at the end of a Consumers Energy gas line which will allow the township to use natural gas for the station, he said. Going beyond that point would require the use of propane which would be more expensive.
The township board would have to approve purchase of the property and building the station, he said.
Related to the fire issue are changes needed in the emergency services special assessment which had specifically named the SKCFA as the recipient of the assessment funds. However, since the Township is withdrawing from that entity, the language of the special assessment needs to be more generic, Smith said.
Making this change requires that residents be notified of the change followed by public hearings, he said. Letters to residents will go out in May and the public hearings will be held in June and July.
In other business, the board approved a resolution to maintain, improve, and consolidate two drainage districts – the Parker Drain and the Longley Drain.
Randy Ramsey, engineer from Civil Engineers Inc., in Battle Creek, reported on the problems with flooding and maintenance in the drains.
“The drainage district isn’t realistic to what’s out there,” he said. “Today, we have ways to better define the watershed in the districts.”
Trustee John Meyer brought up the issue of beavers and the damage they cause in the drains since the beaver population seems to be increasing.
Kalamazoo County Drain Commissioner Jason Wiersma agreed that beavers can cause a lot of damage and detailed the efforts to dismantle their dams and to trap the beavers and remove them.
The issue of dangerous buildings was addressed at the meeting with Smith noting that the Township has been operating in “complaint mode,” — the township acts when someone calls to complain about a dangerous building.
The township needs to be a bit more proactive, he said. The board authorized building inspectors from South Central Michigan Construction Code Inspections to take action if they see an issue when they are out in the community doing other business.
The board adopted an ordinance to rezone parcels in several sections of the township. The changes were recommended by the Planning Commission following a public hearing in February. The goal was to make zoning consistent with the township’s updated master plan and also to eliminate split zoning of parcels.
As the Board prepared to vote on the ordinance, Trustee Meyer, who is on the Planning Commission, said, “In every single case, people will have more leeway to do what they want on their property. There’s no financial impact, no tax impact. I’m not aware that anyone has been negatively impacted by the rezoning.”
Treasurer Elise Stephens said people have called and asked questions about the rezoning.
“No one has left mad,” she said.
The Board approved the ordinance.
Smith reported that the issue of early voting was discussed at the county supervisors’ meeting. Townships have three options for the early voting. They can do it themselves, partner with another township, or let the county do it.
“I would prefer not to have the County do it,” he said. “Running it out of Pavilion or out of here would be closer.”
The Board appointed Fred Rainer to the Zoning Board of Appeals and Emily Foster to the Library Board.
Also approved was a request from the Lions Club to use the Township Hall’s parking lot and to hook up to its water spigot during the Lions Club’s Summer Festival, July 24-26.
