February: “Another lesson learned”
Report on the February 16, 2023, regular council meeting
The site of the water main break of February 4, taken on February 12. Photo by Emily Votruba
I was in TC for an eye appointment, and my car wasn’t handling the roads in the snowstorm that had kicked up. So the car stayed at Oleson’s, and I waited for a ride. I got back just as the meeting was ending and President Wilkins gave me this recording.
Audio of the council meeting
Trustees Wilkins, Ken Holmes, and Ryan Fiebing were there, making a bare quorum.
We really, really, really, need an Elberta resident to step up and be part of the council. The requirements are: (1) you have a pulse; (2) you are registered to vote in Elberta; (3) you will attend monthly meetings.
00:03:20 Correspondence: Mutual Appreciation in Wake of Water Main Crisis
Wilkins read Emergency Manager Rebecca Hubers’s letter regarding the excellent work of those who helped deal with the February 4 water main break. Wilkins said she had sent letters of gratitude to the Village of Benzonia for Chris Pritchard’s help and to the Record-Patriot (2/15/23 edition) acknowledging the efforts of Ken Bonney, Lucas McClellan, Officer Hutchinson, Bob Kerby, and others.
00:06:40 Sewer Smell Issue on Furnace Avenue
“This is an old problem,” said Holmes, about the sewer smell issue on Furnace Avenue, which he said dates from at least 10 or 15 years ago, the last time major sewer work was done, when a main line was put in from the oil company’s property and the Life Saving Station, and a new manhole was put in near Mr. Radtke’s house. The LSS line hasn’t been used much lately in the off season, but the line is being used by Furnace Street Distillery (formerly Trick Dog). Ken Bonney said the vent on the house was raised, one line was capped, and the lines have been flushed. Investigations are ongoing.
00:10:40 Revenues and Expenses: It’s Annual Budget Time
Just a couple of weeks to go before the end of the fiscal year. Wilkins said the attorney was reviewing the wage-resolution language, which the Village has never done before as part of the annual budget-setting meeting (February 23 this year)—just one example of the new properness. The draft budget is available in the Village Office and on the Village website home page.
Did you know? The Budget, Grant, Finance, and Audit Committee meets the first Tuesday of the month at 9 a.m. in the Village Office, and members of the public are welcome to attend and see the sausage getting made; the next meeting is March 7, which is also when Saturn transits into Pisces, so it should be a doozy.
00:11:52 Unfinished Business: Former Clerk to Be Paid for Accrued “Flex Time”
Back in January, former clerk Bobbi Benedict submitted a request to be paid for 237.75 hours of “flex time” at $16 per hour ($3,804). “I am chalking this up as a very big learning experience,” said Wilkins. “Being a former pre-school teacher and now a painter by trade, I never had to really manage people. I have learned my lesson in not writing down every single thing I said.” Wilkins referred to the September 15 regular council meeting in which we updated our wage and compensation policy (No. 2014-004) and the rules for paid time off (PTO). Wilkins said that after that update she told Benedict and treasurer Mary Kalbach to follow the new policy for PTO. But Benedict continued to claim extra hours on her time sheet and Wilkins signed the sheets, not noticing what was happening. Wilkins made a motion to pay Benedict, but not until the new fiscal year beginning March, because otherwise the payment would throw us off track on our Deficit Elimination Plan.
00:14:30
The FEAS Panther Parents booster organization decided to rent elsewhere. Wilkins said we do need a nonprofit/off season rental policy for the Life Saving Station and other facilities, but that she wished the Panther reps had stayed around longer at the meeting to discuss the rate, as it would have enabled a decision to be made that night instead of tabled. “Another lesson learned.”
00:15:31 New Business: Bid Awarded to Team Elmer’s for Water Main Break Repair
Ken Mlcek, an engineer and project manager at Fleis & VandenBrink who has been under contract with the Village for some time now to manage our huge water system upgrade and had already been working on the new design for the section that broke, said they had stepped in to help us find three bids for the water main repair: Kerby’s Backhoe Service ($232,500), Team Elmer’s ($186,350, plus $11,180 for fencing, catchbasin, gravel and asphalt, which Mlcek said could be done later as part of the major project), and Gerber Construction ($259,894). “We also talked with USDA to see if there was an opportunity for you guys to roll in the cost to the upcoming USDA project. The unofficial answer is yes.” The Village may have to cover some of the cost in the meantime, but probably will be reimbursed eventually from the grant. The water main will be replaced from the top of the hill as close as possible to the water tank to the base of the hill and connect to the existing water main. The bids for the main USDA project haven’t been awarded yet, so we’re doing the bare minimum to fix the immediate issue and restore the water tank to service. “All these contractors are capable of doing the work,” Mlcek said. Wilkins said it was especially important to go with the lowest bid because we have to take a short-term interdepartmental loan from our sewer fund, because we don’t have enough money in Water because we’ve already paid engineers for the upcoming water projects, which we will be reimbursed for from the grant. “It just sort of decided to break before,” Wilkins said.
Mlcek said Elmer’s could begin work the following Monday, February 20.
00:21:24 Jon Ottinger Appointed to Planning Commission
Wilkins said that she and Ottinger had had a chat before the meeting about everything that’s going on with the Planning Commission, such as the master plan and zoning ordinance work. Ottinger has experience serving on councils but hadn’t had to deal with zoning. Treasurer Norma Corwin provided him with our current zoning ordinance, master plan, meeting schedule, and bylaws, and he said he had completed the master plan survey already. “Maybe we won’t scare him off,” said Holmes. Fiebing, who is on the planning commission, said he too had talked with Ottinger.
00:23:10 The Search for a Deputy Clerk Resumes
“Some doors were left open and unlocked, and they were some pretty important doors,” Wilkins said. Teri Reisner had received the termination letter with this explanation. “I hated to do it,” said Wilkins. Reisner was also removed as a signatory on the bank accounts at State Savings Bank and Michigan CLASS, a municipal investment account. An ad was placed for the position in the Record-Patriot, and I am doing official minutes and website stuff for the time being as a volunteer. Wilkins will continue going to the office at least once a week and will help with coding and other tasks as necessary. Holmes said, “There’s got to be a time when you don’t have to do their work.” “Yes, we’re working on it,” said Wilkins.
00:26:53 Model of the J.H. Hartzell, a Ship Famously Wrecked on Our Shore in 1880, Will Be Loaned to Leelanau
A model made for and used in the production of The Wreck and Rescue of the Schooner J.H. Hartzell, 1987, was donated by the film’s director, Richard Brauer, to the Village a number of years ago and was meant to be displayed in the Life Saving Station. Unfortunately, it has been sitting upstairs in the LSS attic for most of the intervening years for want of a person or persons to spearhead the creation of a display case for the mutual protection of it and reveling renters. Jed Jaworski, a local maritime historian who crewed on the film and was instrumental in bringing the model to Elberta, had asked Wilkins if it could be retrieved for temporary display at the Leelanau County Historical Museum. Jaworski volunteered to help set up the model at the LSS when it’s done being shown in Leelanau. “The wreck of the Hartzell is why the Life Saving Station was built,” said Wilkins. “So.” Council discussed its eventual debut: There’s a place for it at the LSS on a bench. “It’ll give me time to talk to Park & Rec about paying for plexiglass,” Wilkins said. When the model is on view somewhere, I’ll post an update.
00:30:20 Report from County Commissioner Gary Sauer
The county has entered an agreement with Traverse City to house overflow prisoners, which will offset the county’s jail expenses. “We have to have just as many corrections officers for five prisoners as we do for the max, which is 35 or 40,” Sauer said, so any cost increase to the county will be just for food. The new county equalization officer will be “mentored” by Polly Carnes, whom the county hired to “get our equalization department back where it should be. We had some issues and the state’s been on us.” The health department unusually had money in its general fund to start the year—“a lot of it is Covid money.” On a Zoom call with the Ironman people, Sauer said he’d asked for more info on where donations had gone in our community. “You’ve got to clue me in on how to get some, because we haven’t gotten anything,” Wilkins said. Sauer said he was on it. Sauer mentioned Gilmore’s six-month moratorium on zoning decisions, recently passed, and that he thought it was a good move. The Maples is at capacity (two of the 78 beds are reserved for Covid); we’re relying on traveling nurses, who cost more, because of a shortage of trained local people, Sauer said. “I’ve got relatives who work there, but, same old thing, they don’t pay enough,” said Holmes. Sauer had attended a public hearing in Benzonia Township regarding a road put in without a permit by the Sunkissed Hills Development. Five or six of the planned eight homes have already been framed in, Sauer said. They did get the permits for the homes. “Good news: Asphalt prices didn’t go up much,” so all the scheduled county road improvements are on track, and Elmer’s will do the work. Cherry Capital is seeking letters of support showing the local need for internet expansion as it seeks federal funding to do that.
“I guess I’ll go back to T-ville because you always like water stories,” Sauer said. Because of necessary cleaning and improvements to 70-odd-year-old wells in Thompsonville, their water rates will be going up from $35 a month to $47, with scheduled increases for the next three years that will see their rates about double. “Oh—I don’t feel so bad now,” Wilkins said. “Our wells are in that same category but we have the new screens and they’ve all been serviced in the past five years,” Holmes said. On March 7 at the Mills Community House there will be a presentation on proposed sewer work at 6:30. There’s money available from the state for blight problems, and the Land Bank has a list of properties that might be dealt with. “If you have properties that aren’t on that list, I would get a hold of the county treasurer. Next year the grant might be even better.” If you would like to know if your property is on the blight list, get in touch with the Land Bank. Tire and electronic waste (including batteries!) collection will be held in Frankfort at the high school on June 3.
Did you know the Village Office will take your dead batteries? Bring them by the office during open hours.
00:42:58 Fire and Rescue Report by Chief Michael Cederholm
I’m on the Fire Advisory Board, and I had submitted a report to council on our most recent meeting, including the “money stuff” (which I will be posting on the Village website). The combined Gilmore-Elberta share of the proposed 2023/24 Fire and Safety budget is $43,861.39; other communities have received the proposed budget request too. Frankfort Fire and Rescue serves Frankfort, Elberta, Lake Township, Crystal Lake Township, Gilmore Township, and Blaine Township. “Believe it or not,” Cederholm said, “I’ve just finished run number 96 for this year.” They are having a hard time finding a frozen lake to do ice training on.
00:44:50 Life Saving Station, Zoning Administrator
Wilkins delivered Kristi Mills’s report. Twelve rental contracts are set for this year. All the rekeying has been done. Wilkins will be painting the kitchen. Wilkins said Josh Mills had spoken with a party interested in buying the Elberta Land Holding Company property, but that person is no longer interested.
00:47:25 Planning Commission
In addition to posting the Master Plan Community Survey, the commission had discussed strategies for creating the beach conservation district. Fiebing said they will incorporate that into the zoning overhaul and zoning map update after the master plan update is completed. It could come in the form of a conservation district overlay. Other communities have done similar things and the commission will be researching the issue. Networks Northwest’s Coastal Resiliency Study will be … studied.
00:49:35 DPW
“What have you been doing lately,” Wilkins asked Bonney. “I saw him playing in the dirt,” said Holmes. (Both referring to the water main efforts.) Bonney said he had trimmed some trees along 168, and been to court. The Village has been seeking damages from a teen who vandalized the Waterfront Park with a vehicle last May. “With all the destruction that kid did, it was like Jen and I were the ones who ended up in court,” Bonney. It was unclear that the time of the meeting whether the judge was going to award any damages. “If anybody wants to write a letter to the editor, feel free,” he said. Bonney listed the people who had helped during the water main event, including Leroy Reed and Chris Pritchard. “To keep from having to boil water, we had two hydrants that have relief valves while we kept well 3 running all the time until the tank can get hooked up. When I called Bob [Kerby] he was in the UP working on a house, and he drove 2 hours and 15 minutes. Sheriff department and some of the fire department guys were there to keep people from driving up behind us while we were trying to work. Other than that, waiting for spring.”
00:51:57 Clerk/Treasurer’s Report
Corwin said she had filed a claim with our insurance company for the Knowles family, who own the green house whose basement was flooded during the water main break, and for the Village, and a decision was expected the following week. Holmes said the flooding and sand had stopped right at the church basement door, built up again at the kitchen door, stopped, and then proceeded on down the driveway. Bonney said that we could thank Lucas with a shovel for that. Wilkins said she was thankful in a way that the budget hearing had to be put off, because it gave her time to investigate whether we could hire Lucas on full-time, and it seems that we can. “We’ve been in a deficit for a long time but we are closing in on being out of it. And it’s time we start paying people—we won’t be able to pay people what they’re really worth, but at least we can give them more than what we have been.” It’s going to be a huge year for grants, Wilkins said. Other good grant news: We got the DWAM grant to cover GIS maps of all our water system assets including curb stops for meter reads, valves, and hydrants, which is something EGLE is requiring everyone do by 2025. “We won’t have to look for that other valve in the ice,” Bonney said.
00:59:00 BLUA
The bond is up in 2028, and Holmes constantly reminds the authority that it shouldn’t burden Elberta and Frankfort with more funding requests till then. Wilkins said there’s an issue with a certain company that’s not paying its sewer bill. She didn’t say who. “Make a paper trail no matter how small it is,” Holmes said.
Speaking of water, did you know that Elberta’s water isn’t fluoridated? It’s something to bear in mind, and perhaps mention to your or your child’s dentist.
Here’s a link to the excellent presentation on the sinking of the car ferry Ann Arbor No. 4 delivered by Tim Foster, brought to you by the Benzie Area Historical Society.