Bridgeport Township Board Meeting March 3rd, 2015

On tonight's agenda:
Public Comment begins at 2:52 in the video
Unfinished Business -
- Fire Department Station Upgrades begins at 4:15
New Business -
- Little Free Library - Carmen Sawshuk begins at 7:02
- Hoffman Canoe Launch - seeking public input begins at 15:50
- R15-2 DNR Trust Fund Grant canoe/kayak launch Hoffman property begins at 17:48
- Bridgeport Cass River trail head - seeking public input begins at 18:38
- R15-3 DNR Trust Fund Grant Bridgeport Cass River trail head property begins at 19:40
- Oath of office for two New Police Officers begins at 20:48
- Building Department Truck purchase begins at 29:10
- Police Department Tahoe purchase begins at 30:31
- Fire Department Hazardous materials response technology begins at 34:20
- Police Department & Governmental Center Grant for AED Machines begins at 37:24
- Commitment of Fund Balance Funds begins at 39:13
Board Comments begins at 41:29

Welcome to Bridgeport's two new police officers!  And again Thank You to the voters that approved the assessment so they could be hired.
I think the Little Free Library will be a nice thing to have here in downtown Bridgeport.  They are seeking public input for the Hoffman property canoe launch, that property is located on the Dixie where it crosses the Cass River. They are also seeking public input for the property where the former Bridgeport Oil and Gas station was located next to the historic State St. Bridge.  It would be nice if community members would get involved in these projects now and help provide input.

Bridgeport Township Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Meeting February 25th, 2015

On the agenda:
Committee Reports- a. Park & Landscape Committee, b. Recreation Programming Committee, c. Finance Committee, begins at 2:43
Old Business -
a. Canoe/Kayak Launches begins at 11:25
b. Basketball Season Summary begins at 26:57
New Business -
a. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Meeting Dates begins at  30:15
b. Easter Egg Hunt begins at 32:00
c. River Clean Up July 25, 2015 begins at 37:00
d. Baseball/Softball Season begins at 42:50
e. Great Lakes Bay Miracle League begins at 43:18
f. Young Champions Cheer Leading Program begins at  50:57
g. Free Fishing Weekend begins at 54:08
Parks & Recreation Director Report -
a. 2014 Year in Review begins at 58:08
b. State MRPA Conference Report, c.CYSA Certification, d. Grant Writing Class Update begins at 1:00:38
e. Seasonal Employees begins at 1:11:45
Board Member Comment begins at 1:13:42

Parks & Recreation Director Bill Wheeler will be holding more regular scheduled meetings.  This meeting is very informal and more fun than some of the township meetings.  The members seem like a great bunch of people.  Hopefully community members will start attending the meetings and get involved in the committees and events.  I will get the exact dates for the meetings and keep the public updated.
The Parks Department offers some great activities for residents like the sports programs, easter egg hunts, the Cass River clean up, etc....
After the meeting I looked at the proposed site plan for the canoe/kayak launch in Davis Park and it is good.
There are some exciting things happening in Bridgeport.  Bill Wheeler and the board members have put a lot of work into these programs.  Good Job!!
The Parks & Recreation Department are on Facebook, go give them a like and keep updated on all the latest events --  Bridgeport Parks & Recreation Department

Bridgeport Township DDA Board Meeting February 25th, 2015

On the agenda:
New Business -
- Mike Szuhkent from the Birch Run Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce begins at 3:00 in the video.
- Business Development.Marketing begins at 13:50
Old Business -
- Canoe Launch and walking trail discussion begins at 17:45
- Great Lakes Discovery Center begins at 28:12
- Beautification begins at 30:57
- Review of 4422 Williamson begins at 33:50
- I-75 Billboard begins at 1:13:38
- Carpenter Plaza begins at 1:15:45
DDA Member Comments begins at 1:19:16
Next Meeting will be on March 11, 2015 at Noon in the Governmental Center

First up was Mike Szuhkent from Birch Run.  I am a person that is resistant to change but they have won me over as far as the merging of the Bridgeport and Birch Run Chamber of Commerce groups.  I am very impressed with Mr. Szuhkent, with his positive attitude and energy, with his vision for the future.  I believe that the Birch Run members and Steve Dobis can make this merger work and bring some good things in the future for our two communities.  Mr. Szuhkent will be making a longer presentation at the March 11th DDA Board meeting.  I plan on being there and look forward to hearing what he says.
The future of the Great Lakes Discovery Center is finally closer to being a reality and that will be exciting.
The canoe/kayak launches are going to be a reality soon.  I don't think I am the only resident that  will be excited about that!!
The former Bridgeport Oil & Gas / B & S Heating property is now called Bridgeport Cass River Trailhead.  I think that is a great name for it and hope they keep that name.  Here is the proposed plan for the restoration and improvements for the site from December 2014.  Click on the photo to see a larger version and see the detail.

Several of the board members are concerned about the cost of this plan.  That is a very legitimate concern but I just don't quite agree with their suggestions for lowering the cost.  The largest line item on the cost projection is for the restoration of the old gas station.  The plan is to restore the facade of the building to make it look like the old Hamann station and then working on the inside to install public bathrooms.
Here are two photos of the station, first one is from 1956 and the second is from 1970.

The gas station may not be as old as the bridge but it is as much a part of Bridgeport as the bridge is.  Restoring the facade to look like the old station would be a nice touch to the proposed park area.  The station and station owners were a much loved part of Bridgeport and restoring it would be supported by many members of the community.  By not restoring it, it may cost the loss of some support from the community for the park area.
One board member mentioned the old gas station on Washington  Ave. in Saginaw near St. Mary's Hospital.  It is a very cool old building.  It was sitting boarded up and I believe it had graffiti painted on it.  To try and hide some of the blight in Saginaw, they have had some talented artists paint murals on the blighted buildings.  It looks nice, but it is still a boarded up blighted building.  Here are two photos of that gas station on Washington posted on the Pure Saginaw and Lost in Michigan Facebook pages.

In my opinion -- I would rather see the facade of the building painted to look like the old Bridgeport Oil & Gas Station than having a mural painted on it to look like a painted blighted building.  How much money would really be saved by doing the suggestion of the board members or in their other suggestion of just tearing the old station down?  Tanya Moore is the professional here and I trust her work and vision on this project. 

Bridgeport Township School Board Meeting February 23rd, 2015

On the agenda:
- The school board members went into a closed session to discuss several items, one of them being pending litigation at :50 in the video.
- Public Comments from Larry Brown, John Rhines, and the school lawyer Joe Urban, begin at 6:00 (I had to change my camera battery so I missed the first minute or so of Mr. Rhines comments)
 - Unfinished Business and Agenda Adjustments begins at 14:20
- Committee Reports - Finance and Technology Ad Hoc, begins at 15:45
- Brunkow Property Sale Discussion begins at 20:00
- Acting Superintendent Out Of State Conference Discussion/Approval begins at 28:06
- Moss Proposal - Technology begins at 37:40
- Policy Discussion begins at 43:40
- Board Resolution concerning discretionary spending begins at 45:35
- School Messenger updates for school board members begins at 50:24
- School Resource Officer and Electronic Devices In The School begins at 1:07:05
- Superintendent's Update begins about 1:17:50
- Board Member Comments begins at 1:35:26
After the comments the board went into closed session to discuss the Acting Superintendent Evaluation for Mrs. Selby

Yes Facebook, YouTube and other forms of media are powerful tools.  They put the truth and facts out there for all to see.  They shine a light in the darkest corners.  They are tools that can and should be used to make a positive impact in our society.  Who has been running this school system for years?   Has anyone actually been managing the day to day operations?  My impression is that it has been chaotic for years.  It seems that there has been a serious lack of communication, from top to bottom in the district.   Who has the ultimate responsibility for it?  Where does the buck stop? 

I look forward to the public comment period.  Mr. Brown is always informative.  He had some good news tonight. Carla Priest Hurd and other alumni and community members donated nine cases of paper to the schools.    It has been discussed in several previous meetings that the teachers were not being provided with the paper needed to perform their duties.  One teacher spoke later in the meeting that she does not have textbooks and she uses online sources for the curriculum so she has to print copies off to provide to the students.  There is talk of a future fundraising effort to help provide needed textbooks for the students.  It is great to see the community stepping forward and helping when needed.  The first priority should always be the students and doing whatever it takes to provide them with the needed resources to be successful. The teachers will hopefully always be given the support and resources they need.  If the teachers were not being given the paper they needed, then there WAS a paper shortage.  If word goes out to the community in the future that the teachers are not being given the paper they need again, I wouldn't be surprised if there was another paper drive.

John Rhines once again brings up very serious subjects.  I took a quick look through the Michigan Freedom Of Information Act and I didn’t see anything in there that says the school can require anyone requesting documents under the FOIA law to first sign a confidentiality agreement.   

Exactly what is the role of the school board?  Guess I will have to read the entire 990 pages of the Board of Education Policies manual to figure it out.  If the Superintendent Mr. Hill and/or any members of the school board have acted outside of the law or set policies, then perhaps they should be dismissed.
The lawyer for the school district says there will be a  communication going home with the students and posted on the districts website concerning issues that have been raised.  I look forward to reading it.

I was glad to see so much discussion and action by the members of the school board at tonight’s meeting.  Glad to see the members taking the bull by the horns so to say.  There are so many serious issues that need to be straightened out in this district.  Looking forward to seeing more action being taken by the board members in the future. 

LASTLY - I tip my hat to Mark My, a student at Bridgeport High School for the phenomenal job he did with raising the money to buy a much needed new drum set for the High School Pep Band!!

Brenda and Rusty Kind Of Night

Brenda Lee - You Don't Need Me For Anything Anymore (1969)

  

 

Brenda Lee - All Alone Am I (1963)

 

Dusty Springfield - YOU DON'T OWN ME

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

The Bridgeport High School Pep Band Needs Your Help

It would be great if members of our community could step up and help them get a new drum set.

 "The Bridgeport Spaulding High School Band is in desperate need of a new drum set. Our current drum-set has went through dozens of years and dozens of players, and is simply in no condition for performance anymore (due to our lack of funds in the music department). There are everything from cracks in cymbals/wooden body, to holes in 50% of the heads. Every single donation counts and we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for your help/support and donations. Thank you :)"

http://www.gofundme.com/revivetheband

Bridgeport Township School Board Meeting February 9th, 2015

On tonight's agenda:
- Citizen Participation - public comments from John Rhines and Larry Brown, begins at :46 in the video
- Committee Reports begin at 12:40
- Student and Teacher Recognition begins at 20:20
- Minutes and Personnel Report begins at 30:19
- Priority School Quarterly Report begins at 30:59
- Acting Superintendent's Report begins at 34:45
- Board Member Comments begin at 44:03

Congratulations to the students and teachers for their well deserved awards!!  I was sorry to see that another long time teacher is leaving the schools.
Three board members were absent this evening, Dempsey Allen, Robert Lange and Jay Bruns.
John Rhines was the first speaker during the public comment period.  He had a list of questions and concerns he wanted to address.  He ran over the 3 minute time limit and was cut off before he could finish.  He had some very valid questions and points that should concern all parents and concerned residents.  These questions and concerns should be addressed publicly by the school board!
Larry Brown also spoke and there are still problems that sound like they are not being addressed.  He has some good points and good suggestions.  One of the problems they are still having is a paper shortage.  They need plain white printer paper.  Maybe there are individuals or businesses that could donate to help with the paper problem.

Winds Of Change Are Coming

Bridgeport Township Board Meeting February 3rd, 2015

On tonight's agenda was -
- Public Comments which begins at 3:15 in the video.
New Business:
1.  R-15-01 Policy for Review of Assessment Records begins at 6:29
2.  Township Board Meeting change for May election begins at 7:47
3.  Boards and Commission Appointments begins at 8:45
4.  Precinct 3 - Polling Place change begins at 10:03
5.  Fire Chief Nelson regarding fire truck begins at 11:50
Accounts Payable Checks discussion begins at 35:17
Board Comments begins at 37:22

"Best of Awards" presentated by the Birch Run / Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce January 14th, 2015

I was busy at the cup cake table so I sadly missed the introduction of our local area dignitaries by Mr. Mike Szukhent.
Video starts with the introduction of the newly crowned Miss Bridge Fest Chelsea Nedrow.
Inspirational Guest Speaker Eric Thomas segment starts at 7:02
Andy Suski, Chamber Chair, speaks at 32:30
The awards ceremony starts at 37:25