The aftermath of the purchase of the former CrossWinds Church for a new township hall continues to be a struggle for the Dorr Township Board.
Board members Thursday night again bickered over what needs to be done with the new township offices what priorities are in things to be done and purchased and just how to spend federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
Several proposals came before the board, but many decisions were postponed.
Clerk Debbie Sewers suggested, “Let’s just see what needs to be done. We need to spend that ARPA money before the end of the year. I’d like to know how much we’ve spent and how much we have left.”
Supervisor Jeff Miling said, “The thing about ARPA funds is if we don’t use them, we lose them.”
Sewers made the ARPA remarks while fielding a proposal to install a backup generator at the new hall, for use by citizens when the power goes out in summer or winter for heating and cooling centers.
But Trustee John Tuinstra pointed out that such generators already exist at many locations in the community, including the current township hall.
“There are plenty of places to take refuge,” he maintained. “I say we close this building (at the new hall) when we’re out of power.”
Trustee Chandler Stanton objected to spending money on an electric sign, which already exists at the old hall at the corner of 142nd Avenue and 18th Street.
“Quite frankly I think these electric signs are just light pollution,” he said. “I don’t think it’s conducive to a friendly neighborhood.”
More differences of opinion surfaced with a proposition to build an in-ground sprinkler system.
While examining bids, Stanton said, “This is expensive for a pretty small piece of real estate.”
Eventually the board agreed to have the township maintenance department handle the sprinkling system at a cost of no more than $10,050.
Tuinstra, Stanton and several others insisted the most important thing to be done is paving the parking lot at both the new and old hall.
However, Supervisor Jeff Miling said asphalt companies don’t even want to talk about taking paving bids.
The supervisor told his colleagues to “bring their ideas about what’s most important at the next meeting (in October)”
There were, however, some bids that were approved during the evening.
Hopkins Electric’s bid to replace the halogen lighting at an entrance with LED was agreed to at a cost of $11,900.
The board agreed to move the assessor’s office to the north end and accommodate a large meeting room on the south end for meetings and rental arrangements.
The board decided to spend $1,820 to replace the old playground site with a concrete slab and have the maintenance department install a handicapped accessible walkway for the east side entrance of the old church at a cost of up to $4.000.
