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(Editor’s Note: Every Friday, I’ll be posting a weekly update from Peninsula Township Supervisor Maura Sanders on township happenings, meetings, events, etc. Thank you, Maura! We appreciate you keeping in touch with residents via the Gazette, Facebook and NextDoor app. Read on for this week’s note. -jb)
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-Friday, December 6, 2024
That’s a wrap! (and sometimes I rap, too)…
This week, winter showed up with a debt to repay for winters’ past. We marched through the snow at the Township and had a solid post-Thanksgiving week. Here are a few points of interest for this week…
Upcoming Town Board Meeting. The newly elected Township Board was sworn in, and we will have our first Town Board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Township Hall. View the agenda here. We have a robust agenda that includes:
- Two Public Hearings: Police Power Ordinance #33, Amendment #1, Stormwater Control Ordinance; and Special Use Permit (SUP) #35, Amendment #3 for Seven Hills;
- An update on the DNR East Bay Boat Ramp and Parking Lot Plans;
- Introduction of Ad Hoc Committees for Internal Compliance and HR, and for Finance and Budget;
- Award Bid for Non-Motorized Transportation Analysis RFP;
- Continued Discussion on SUP #138, Amendment #1 for Lightwell Lavender Farm; the item will be tabled to the Town Board meeting on Jan. 14, 2024;
- Discussion and Next Steps on the Maner Costerisan Final Report (Consultant on Peninsula Township structure and organizational analysis; read the report here).
More info can be found in the meeting packet, which will be posted on the Township website here prior to the meeting. Reminder: You may watch a live stream of the meeting on our YouTube channel here. The video will be available for 30 days following the meeting.
Special Town Board Meeting: The Town Board has a special meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m., for a Land Division Appeal. Once the meeting agenda is complete, it will be posted on the Township website here. This is the first Land Division Appeal that I have been a part of, and I am very interested in the process. Again, it will be streamed on our YouTube channel for those who can’t attend in person, and available to view for 30 days following the meeting.
Snow Days. The Township offices were closed Monday and Tuesday mornings and again Wednesday afternoon due to weather. Then the 50 mph gusts commenced, and I ended up with tree branches on my front porch and beach sand in my backyard. Point being, Thursday was a beast.
The Township offices operate on the TCAPS weather/road condition decision. When the office closes in the morning, we will re-assess mid-morning to see what the conditions are. The standard time to open on a TCAPS snow day is 10 a.m. Thursday was the exception; it was not safe for most of the day.
I fielded calls from residents requesting the emergency number for the Road Commission because cars slid off of the road on the big hills and the towing companies would not come out until the road was able to be cleared. However, the Township staff has the ability to continue the majority of their work from home. We have weather/emergency plans in place.
Cookie Sale. The Old Mission Women’s Club will be hosting their annual cookie sale on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 8 a.m. at the Township Hall. I recommend getting there before I do!! More info here.
First Responder Support. Please take a few minutes to read this story that was published via Interlochen Public Radio. Cobey Taylor, a firefighter with the Peninsula Township Fire Department, shares his story and explains why organizations like the Northwest Michigan Peer Network are so important. Cobey is President of the mental health support group, which offers resources for people working in public safety. It’s a good reminder that all of our First Responders deserve ALL of our support. I am thankful for each and every member of our Fire, EMS and Law Enforcement in our community.
Keeping in Touch. I strive to keep communication open and available, and am trying to get the word out via NextDoor and the Gazette. I figure that enough residents check the updates they can help spread the word if need be. I always include my phone, (231) 313-5921, and email, [email protected], to those posts. You can always reach out to me, and I will get you an answer and report back, or direct you to the correct resource. I also created a Facebook page for the Peninsula Township Supervisor, which you can find here.
Have a great weekend!
-Maura Sanders, Peninsula Township Supervisor
Also Read…
SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.
Because Old Mission Gazette is a "Reader Supported Newspaper" -- meaning it exists because of your financial support -- I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks our way if I mention your event, your business, your organization or your news item, or if you simply love reading about what's happening on the OMP. In a time when local news is becoming a thing of the past, supporting an independent community newspaper is more important now than ever. Thank you so much for your support! -Jane Boursaw, Editor/Publisher, Old Mission Gazette
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