The Bingham Township board approved its five-year parks and recreation plan following a public hearing last week.
The document outlines improvements for Boughey Park, which is located between M-22 and Grand Traverse Bay, and plans for opening the undeveloped Groesser Park to the public, among other items.
Steve Hannon, a township resident who collaborated with the township parks and recreation committee to prepare the document, said the five-year plan will help the township secure funding through programs like the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.
“It’s been a good process working with the Steve and tapping into his experience,” said Trustee Todd Stone, the township representative on the parks and recreation committee. “The final document is well written and will help us a lot towards possibly getting future money for the parks that we need.”
The five-year plan was informed by a public input process that included an online survey in July and August. It can be found online at binghamparksandrec. org/5yearplan.
The public hearing was well attended, but most of the audience seemed to be there for an update on blight control. Township board members have discussed blight on and off since March. To some residents, the greatest offender is a residence on Shady Lane Road near M-22. Neighbors raised concerns about dozens of vehicles and other items strewn across this property.
Since these township residents say that they don’t expect the homeowner to clean up in a timely manner, they are asking that local agencies and officials compel them to do it. The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department has visited the home several times to investigate complaints about health hazards.
But township Supervisor Midge Werner said health department representatives haven’t seen anything that requires government intervention. Test samples have shown no evidence of ground or water contamination from the many vehicles on the property. And the last representative did not observe a mouse, rodent, or vermin infestation, which was another concern.
So, it would fall upon the township to enforce a clean-up by introducing blight regulations. But while at least some township officials seem to share residents’ concerns, the board is reluctant to pass an ordinance like this for philosophical and practical reasons.
Philosophically, treasurer Sandra Grant said that she’s “not willing to kick somebody out of their house, (which is) the endgame of an ordinance.” Trustee Jeff Layman, the board’s representative on the planning commission, takes a somewhat similar view.
And practically, addressing blight could be costly. Werner said they probably need professional help in drafting an ordinance and they may need to pay a blight enforcement officer to enforce its rules across the entire township.
The issue has reached a stalemate. Occasional reports about blight on the Shady Lane property reach the township board, but the board seems unwilling to accept some of the implications of regulating it via ordinance. Still, Werner said that their former planner, Kathy Egan, will prepare a possible blight ordinance for their consideration sometime after Jan. 1.
At their Nov. 18 regular meeting, the township board also had their now-officially-elected new clerk, Rachel Amalfitano, take the oath of office. They expressed appreciation to the outgoing Clerk Kathy Morio for her service and administering two very difficult elections. They also appointed Shelley Collins to the board of review, filling a vacancy left with the passing of Virginia Schultz.
