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Minutes of the Village of Martin Board
August 16, 2010
Martin Village Council
Regular Meeting
August 16, 2010

The Martin Village Council met for its regular meeting on August 16, 2010, rescheduled from August 9, at the Martin Village Office, 1586 South Main Street, Martin, Michigan.

Call to Order and Pledge to Flag: The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by President Harness, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag.

Roll Call: Members present: Brinkhuis, Flower, Harness, Rambadt, Seiser, and Acting Clerk Merrill. Member Martin was absent.

Approval of Minutes: Motion was made by Member Flower and seconded by Member Brinkhuis to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of July 12, 2010, as submitted. Motion carried.

Recognition of Visitors: Don Rambadt was present. Also present were Marge Bakker and Joyce Jenkins. Marge Bakker is a candidate for Allegan County Circuit Court Judge and introduced herself and presented information on her experience and community service. Joyce Jenkins works for Marge Bakker and gave her support and endorsement for Ms. Bakker.

Approval of Agenda: Motion was made by Member Flower and seconded by Member Seiser to approve the agenda as submitted. Motion carried.

Communications: The following were presented:
1. Thank you note from Wayland Area Emergency Medical Services for the donation in memory of Keith Rambadt.
2. Synopsis of the August 12, 2010, Allegan County Board of Commissioners meeting. Commissioner Don Black was unable to attend the Village Council meeting.
3. Notice of Hearing from Michigan Gas Utilities Corporation on September 2, 2010.
4. Information from Consumers Energy with documentation for a revocable franchise to permit Consumers Energy to provide electric service in the Village. Information will be presented to Attorney Ed Annen for approval. Ordinance will be considered at the October 11 council meeting for first reading and then at the November 8 meeting for adoption.

Treasurer's Report: The July report was presented by Treasurer Rambadt who further stated that she has begun to collect summer taxes. After review of the report, motion was made by Member Brinkhuis and supported by Member Flower to accept the treasurer's report for July 2010 as submitted. Motion carried.

Payment of Bills: Acting Clerk Merrill added two bills. There were questions regarding the bill for the Bobcat broom and some of the bills from Plainwell. After discussion and review, motion was made by Member Flower and seconded by Member Brinkhuis to pay the bills as presented with additions and to hold payment on the Bobcat broom and four of the bills from Plainwell until further investigation. Motion carried.

Audit/Bank Update: Acting Clerk Merrill reported that Yeo & Yeo, village auditors, had questioned the amount of F.D.I.C. for the village. Merrill had contacted PNC Bank and had spoken with Vivian Laux who deals with Public Finance. She will be e-mailing some information about government accounts with recommendations for some rearranging of the village accounts.

Department Updates/Reports:

Public Safety: Brinkhuis will contact the Allegan County Sheriff Department and inform them of the school start date of September 7.

Public Works: Member Flower stated that the phone was switched from the old garage to the new garage.

There was considerable discussion on the Contract Documents and Specifications for the Equipment Shed Project, including demolition of the old barn, new pole barn construction and concrete work. Concerns were raised about some of the wording and the time needed to obtain bonding. Possible extension of time for bids was also discussed.

Streets: Member Seiser had contacted the school about their construction area, expressing concern by the village about the condition of Templeton Street. He also reported that the sign issue at 944 East Allegan Street mentioned at the July 12 meeting had been addressed by the school board.

Flower gave an update from Chad Kraai regarding the pump problem on South Main Street. Chad believes there is no check valve and recommends putting one in. After further discussion, motion was made by Member Brinkhuis and supported by Member Flower to hire Chad Kraai of Kraai Well Drilling to put in a check valve per his recommendation. Motion carried.

Sewer/Water: Flower reported on the recent Joint Sewer meeting which he attended. He also had some sewer charts and gave an update on recent readings.

County Commission: Report presented under communications due to absence of Don Black.

Old Business:

1. Update on New Office, 1609North Main: It was reported that the bathroom is working, Doug Hilton dewinterized the building, water heater was installed, and Tim and Lori have been doing other minor upgrades.
2. Update on Barn Demolition: It was agreed that the bid deadline should be extended to allow more time for contractors to obtain bonding. A motion was made by Member Brinkhuis and supported by Member Flower authorizing the Building Committee to extend the deadline for bids on the barn demolition as needed . Motion carried. Motion was made by Member Brinkhuis and seconded by Member Flower giving power to the Building Committee to award contract bids accordingly. Motion carried.

New Business:

1. December 3 Christmas Parade and Activities: Member Rambadt gave information to the council regarding the plans being made by the school for the Christmas parade and other activities and requested support from the village council, mostly for advertising and publicity. Motion was made by Member Rambadt and supported by Member Flower that the village support the plans for the Christmas parade and other activities on December 3 by providing advertising and assistance in street closing for the parade. Motion carried.

Recent Community Deaths: The following names were submitted: Gary Groen, Carol Ann Staley, Mildred McGuire, Ann (Leep) Adrion, and Roy Wykstra.

Adjournment: Motion was made by Member Brinkhuis and seconded by Member Seiser to adjourn the meeting at 8:40 p.m. Motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,

Joyce Merrill
Acting Village Clerk