COVER PHOTO: Leighton Township Clerk Rachel Fennema swears in Supervisor Steve Wolbrink. Both are beginning their second four-year terms.
The Leighton Township Board Thursday evening was asked by the Allegan County Road Commission to abandon 136th Avenue between Second Street and Hayes Road.
Though no official vote was taken on the request, it was clear that a majority of board members opposed the move. Trustee Brian Bonnema insisted the board’s position doesn’t matter and the requesting party, High Grade, wanted the change to accommodate plans for a gravel mining operation.
Supervisor Steve Wolbrink said the gravel mining was being processed on Second Street in Leighton Township, but the mining was being done in neighboring Wayland Township.
The official reason for the request was given as the desire to create a perpendicular intersection at Second and Hayes..
“They (the developers) can do it, it’s a county road, so we have no say,” Bonnema maintained.
So the board declined to take any action on the request.
In other business at the meeting Thursday night, the Township Board:
- Agreed to Clerk Rachel Fennema and Jackie Bultsma’s request to purchase an upgrade for B S & A software. The move will negate the need to use two servers and and will streamline business operations in both offices. The $24,000 cost will be covered eventually by termination of the servers.
- Approved payment of $3,277 to Windemuller Electric to install lights for two signs at the driveway entrance to the township.
- Tabled a resolution to increase fees from Professional Code Inspections, which were said to increase the bills for developers instead of for taxpayers.
- Approved payment of $2,150 for cyber insurance against potential hackers.
- Approved the appointment of Greg Bultsma to one of the two Leighton seats on the Wayland Area Emergency Services Board. He succeeds Tim Rose, whose job duties mean he can no longer serve on the WAEMS Board.
- Learned from Fire Matt Weston that the department has dealt with 25 percent more calls in 10 months in 2024 than it did during all of 2023.
- Was told by Fennema that a total of 1,773 citizens participated in the early voting program. That figure, along with mail-in vote totals, was higher than the number who voted on Election Day, Nov. 5.
