The Watson Township Board Thursday evening received five bids for mowing the grass at the township hall and Miner and Hicks cemeteries, and two bids for dust control.
In the end, the board agreed to award the bid for mowing to MNS Lawn Care of Otsego for $9,698 for 26 mowings. The breakdown was $39 for each time at the township hall, $145 for each time at Miner and $89 each time at Hicks. Two of the bidders were eliminated because they did not follow specifications and another was dropped because it was not local.
Board members acknowledged there could be as many as 28 mowings, which could put the final cost at around $10,500.
The bid of Michigan Chloride Sales for $14,190 for each application was accepted for dust control. In the past, the township has had two or three applications, depending on the summer weather.
In other business, the Watson Township Board:
• Agreed to have one more budget workshop at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16. The board will have to decide whether to participate in the $25 per household surcharge fee for curbside recycling and later ask residents for the $36 per year fee, which would mean the township would only have to pay $700 out of its general fund budget. Treaurer Sue Jones said the township currently pays $8,867.13 a year for having two recycling bins at the township hall parking lot.
• Decided to proceed with the purchase of surveillance cameras at the township hall to help stop people from dropping off trash at the recycling bins. The $4,900 cost will be absorbed by a state grant through the township’s insurer if the cameras are in place by Aug. 7.
• Renewed the yearly rental agreement with Alan Henrickson for property along M-222.
• Learned that two “nuisance properties” with single-wide mobile homes within the township have been identified for meth cleanups. The township is not on the hook for cleanup costs.
