Allegan County Commissioner Gale Dugan Thursday evening told the Watson Township Board that Cheshire Township is the first municipal unit in the county to be fully equipped with broadband Internet service.
The Board of Commissioners earlier this month agreed to a match of more than $200,000 of American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds to pay for the project of providing high-speed Internet to residents in the township, which has a population of 2,244 according to the 2020 census.
Allegan County received a large sum of money from the federal government this year to distribute on a matching basis to rural communities, much like the federal Rural Electrification program of the 1930s.
Watson Treasurer Stephanie Caulder told her colleagues earlier in the evening that the township has $124,995 in ARPA funds, which are supposed to be used for infrastructure needs and improvements.
In other business at Thursday night’s meeting, the board:
• Adopted a special assessment district for fire services from Hopkins and Martin for a one-mill levy, same as before.
• Agreed to pay All-Around Trees $800 for cutting down and removing a tree in Hicks Cemetery that had been severely damaged by a recent storm.
• Learned from Trustee John Caras, who is the board’s representative on the Planning Commission, that Professional Code Inspections is putting the final touches on a master parks and recreation plan to apply to the property at the corner of M-222 and 20th Street.
• Was told by Trevor Beilby of the Hopkins Area Fire Department that 42 percent of its calls come from Watson. Beilby also promised the firefighters will remove a hedge that is obstructing the new Watson Township sign in front of the hall on n118th Avenue.
• Adopted a resolution thanking Scott Pavlak Excavating for cleaning up the Barnhart property on 22nd Street, which saved the township about $45,000.
• Decided to support the candidacy of Monterey Township Supervisor Henry Reinart for County 911 Board, succeeding Jim Pitsch of Salem Township.
• Learned from Dugan that the county clerk, treasurer and drain commissioner all were awarded 3.5% pay increases, the same amount as other county employees this year.