Bridgeport Township Board Meeting November 6th, 2024

 On the Agenda:
Adoption of Agenda begins at 0:54
Approval of Minutes - October 1st, 2024 Regular Meeting begins at 1:17
Special Orders - 
1.  Public Hearing for 2025 General Fund Budget begins at 1:52
Public Comments begin at 2:32
Unfinished Business - 
1.  Resolution R24-20 General Fund Budget & Appropriation Act for FY2025 begins at 13:13
New Business - 
1.  2025 Fiscal Year Budgets begins at 19:18
2.  Resolution R24-21 Fort Road Trail Loop Development begins at 38:33
3.  Resolution R24-22 Police Protection Public Safety Resolution begins at 42:37
4.   Resolution R24-23 Healthcare Employer/Employee begins at 44:37
5.   Resolution R24-24 Mid Michigan Waste Authority Appointment Trustee & Alternate begins at 46:52
6.   Streetlight Assessment begins at 47:42
7.   Firearm Disposal begins at 48:25
8.   Brush Contract begins at 49:29
9.   MSHDA 3rd Party Administrator begins at 51:06
10.  123, Net Metro Act Permit Application begins at 1:06:51
Accounts Payable Checks 73078 through 73165  &641,182.10 begins at 1:07:48
Police Department Report begins at 1:08:24
Fire Department Report begins at 1:09:48
Manager's Report begins at  1:12:03
Board Member Comments begin at 1:14:57

I have been thinking long and hard about what I was going to say about this meeting and I still don't know so I guess we will find out as I type.  LOL :-)

First -  Once again Bridgeport residents don't surprise me.  Major increase of views of this video over the normal sad amount of views.  I would like to think it is because residents are interested in the meeting content.  But with years of experience here, I do believe it is just because there was some yelling and drama.  Drama always brings in views, kind of like vultures circling around a dead carcass.

Second - Lets talk about Roger, and Roger and the brush contract. Roger is a local fixture.  I have seen and heard some true nonsense come from him over the years, sadly some of the best hasn't been captured on video.  I could make money on those videos.  So on to the brush contract.  I believe it is every two years they put out the notice for bids for the contract to pickup the brush in our township.  This is a free service to the residents.  Roger had that contract multiple times in the past.  It was several years ago that Roger had won the contract again, but just 2 weeks I believe before the pickup service was supposed to start Roger did make a scene I heard in a board meeting and tore up the contract right there.  That left the township with no time to put out the request for bids from companies so the township had to hire whatever company could come in at the last minute and take over the service.  Of course the township had to pay a higher price for the service .  Then I believe that Roger was complaining about the township "costing the residents because of the higher price".  It wasn't the township that cost the residents, it was Roger because of the games he played.  He didn't screw the township board members, he screwed the residents.  Some people might suspect he did it all intentionally.  So for the 2025 pickup year the township put out the notice for bids for the service.  I got the notice in my email from the township, saw it on the website.  When I saw the notice I wondered "is Roger going to apply", 🙄.  Roger claims he was unaware of the bid notice and wanted to put in his bid at the last minute at the meeting.  They said the bids had already been opened and the decision made so he was too late.  The township verified that he did receive the email with the notice.  If Roger had won the contract 3 times in the past I would think he would be aware of the time frame that this process is done in.  As a business owner I would think keeping on top of these things would be your priority.  Just more drama.  In my view once you screw over a customer, that customer should never allow you back to possibly screw them over again. 

Third - The Great Lakes Discovery Center and the Fort Road Trail Loop.  They are separate items but they do tie together.  I have a lot to say but will probably leave most for later.  Lets start with the Discovery Center.  The township spent years working on a land swap with the federal government to swap the two sections of land between Fayette/Fort Rd and I-75.  The township owned the section that borders Fayette/Fort Rd.  The section behind the truck stop and Cracker Barrel was owned by a private citizen begore it was sold to the federal government.  The township swapped these two sections and now owned the section behind Cracker Barrel.  The purpose was supposed to be to build the Great Lakes Discovery Center there and it would be a part of the refuge.  I will never forget the DDA Board meeting when the paperwork was final and the presentation was made.  Sadly the township also announced at that meeting that the Great Lakes Discovery Center was off the table and that land would be set for sale for commercial property development.  It was a shocking day and I have never gotten over it.  Any moron knows that land is no good for commercial development, and to even try would damage the already damaged wetlands that are in these areas.  So now years later, that land is still sitting there and nothing is being done with it. Thankfully it hasn't been harmed any more than it already is.  So it is possible some investors want to come in and develop the Great Lakes Discovery Center.  That would be fantastic.  Will have to hear the details though because the devil is always in the details.  I trust No One especially when it comes to these sections of land. The former private owner of the township section went in and put in culverts and drainage ditches that damaged the land and wetlands.  That damage needs to be repaired on that section of land.  

Now onto the Fort Road Trail Loop.  But first we have to go back decades, back to when Bridgeport somehow got permission from the Army Corp of Engineers to dig that stupid canal along Fayette/Fort Road from the river to the once beautiful pond in Davis Park.  I believe it was around the same time period that the road needed repairs from flooding and when they did that they took out one of the two culverts that drained water from the other side of the road into the pond in Davis Park.  Anyone ever wonder why there are all those dead trees on the other side of the road?  Because after removing one culvert and the stupid canal, the flow of the river and the natural flow of water through the wetland area was changed, totally screwed up.  Those trees are dead from the flooding on the other side of the road and the pond is destroyed due the culvert and road work and the canal.  That pond never used to dry up and the fishing there and in the river was fantastic.  Not anymore.   Why does anyone think the big sandbar is forming in the river in front of the canal by the bridge?  Basically the river is trying to repair itself.  That manmade disaster of a canal is dry 11 months out of the year, the rest of the time it is flooded or just sitting there with a few inches of nasty stagnant water in it.  No one in Bridgeport wants to  repair the damage they caused by digging that stupid canal and other issues, no one cares about it.  Hey the Parks guy has his pretend island so that is all that is important.  It was never a island, it will never be a island.  It was a small finger of land that was between the once beautiful river and the once beautiful pond.  Davis Park Island, a total fantasy and a sad and destructive fantasy.  It breaks my heart every time I go there and look at the damage, it breaks my heart that no one cares and no one will ever repair the damage. It is such an ugly nasty mess now.  I am all for the Fort Road Trail Loop.  I have been walking that path myself for years and years, without a paved trail.  I just wish that they would first restore the land and river to its natural state and its natural beauty before they build the loop trail.  Maybe I can lead tours on their new path and point out all the damage and tell them tales of how beautiful it used to be years and years ago.

Final Thoughts -  

  I would like to say Thank You to Augie and Jimmy for their years of service to our township and for some years of memories, some good and some not so good, even though they really all turned out to be good, and an educating and fun experience for me.

  And to you residents that were posting online that Augie should not be allowed to even attend meetings in the future, I think one person even thought they should start a petition to stop him from being able to attend meetings in the future, Sorry but he will be attending meetings as is his right to do so, where as most of you can't ever be bothered to attend or really contribute anything to our community.

  The MSHDA grants.  I don't know much about it except it is grant money that will be available to repair Bridgeport resident's homes.  The process is just beginning.  When it is up and running then residents will be able to apply and if they meet the qualifications they will get the help.  Will share more information when it is available.  Keep and eye out on their township emails and website also for any updates.

  Maybe it would be better for one person to be doing the Parks and Recreation department job and a another person doing the DDA Coordinators job.  I guess it saves money having one person do both jobs but common sense says having two people for the two jobs might be more effective.  And probably less stressful for the people.