Schoolcraft Township’s Board, planning a trail between villages of Vicksburg and Schoolcraft, learned at a September meeting it has received one grant. It’s seeking others to develop the project.
Bill Deming, retired Portage parks and recreation director, retained by the township board to develop a plan for the trail, gave a report on the current status of the plans.
Deming said the Vicksburg/Schoolcraft trail plan is waiting to get a needed wetlands determination, he said.
The Board in August approved an amendment to a parks planning contract with Prein&Newhof, a civil engineering firm, to include a wetland delineation which is required by the State of Michigan.
Deming said the final cost for the trail isn’t known yet. He anticipates that there will be a public meeting in the future with the details of the trail. Also, a letter will be sent to the property owners adjacent to the trail.
Trustee Jennifer Sportel said, “I think the trail would be very valuable.”
“It brings so many people together,” added Deming.
At a June meeting, the Board approved Phase 1 of the trail and approved a contract with Prein&Newhof to create a five-year parks and recreation plan, another requirement for the trail plan.
Trustee Tamra Stafford, who is also chair of the Township’s Parks and Recreation Committee, gave additional information regarding the trail plan. The township has received a $6,500 grant from Bike Friendly Kalamazoo and has proposed a $3,400 grant from the Vicksburg Foundation.
Stafford also said the committee is working with writer Leeanne Seaver to develop a brochure to be used in the grant-writing process and to showcase the trail.
In other business, the Board dealt with tree issues in Vicksburg Cemetery and Swan Park adjacent to the Township Hall.
The issue in the park is whether to replace 24 trees purchased in 2021 which are now diseased and dead. The trees need to be removed and burned to prevent further infections, according to two tree-removal companies the Township had contacted. It was also reported that one issue with the trees is that they were not maintained properly.
Schoolcraft resident Kathy Mastenbrook recommended letting the soil rest after the trees are removed, then having it tested in case the disease which killed the other trees is still in the soil.
The Board tabled action on the trees until they can obtain quotes for their removal.
Clerk Eska Brown reported that in the Vicksburg Cemetery, the trees need to be trimmed since they are starting to hang down over the graves. The Board voted to trim the trees now rather than in the spring. Brown will be getting quotes for the trimming.
Another cemetery issue discussed was expansion of the Vicksburg Cemetery which would provide about 900 additional graves. The Board decided to wait until the next budget year to complete this issue.
Brown also reported that the Webber one-room schoolhouse in the Gourdneck Prairie Cemetery on Portage Road needs to be repaired since the foundation is crumbling. The board approved a bid of between $1,500 and $2,000 for the work to be done by MTH Concrete Division.
Other issues needing attention at the school include the removal of an oil tank. While it could be sold for scrap, it’s unclear whether there is any oil in the tank which would prevent it being sold for scrap until the oil is removed. Removing the oil tank and the ivy on the building would cost another $2,000.
According to a report in the South County News in 2017, the Township purchased the school in 1969 for $3,010, hoping to eventually use it as a museum. Built in 1870, the school was one of 20 one-room schools in the Vicksburg District. In 1947, the schools were consolidated into what is now the Vicksburg Community Schools.
In routine business decisions, the Board voted to contract with D. L. Gallivan for the township’s copier needs at a cost of $216 per month, which is slightly cheaper than its current rate of $232 per month.
In her motion to approve the contract with Gallivan, Treasurer Teresa Scott said she likes the idea of going with a local firm who have people in the office to talk to about issues.
The minutes of a special meeting on August 19 were also approved. At that meeting, the Board accepted a bid of $21,606 from Land Pride/Wolf Kubota for a bat-wing mower, since the current bat-wing mower is old and deteriorating.
It also approved purchasing a float valve for the mower in the amount of $675, also from Wolf Kubota. This is to help with ground contours when mowing.
