Several items on the agenda encouraged Fruitland Township residents to attend and speak at public comment at Monday's township board meeting.
One concerned resident spoke on behalf of himself and his neighbor, who were upset following the enforcement of fire suppression systems to their new-build homes at the requirement of the White Lake Fire Authority. Some residents feel this requirement is an overreach on the fire authority’s part, as fire suppression for residential homes is not required in either Fruitland building codes or by the state. According to the resident, the addition of fire suppression systems has affected the aesthetic value of his home, and will be a costly, inconvenient addition for his neighbor as the notice was sent after insulation was installed. He implored the board to “exercise your oversight responsibility, and hold the unelected chief and fire marshal accountable… the fire authority works for you.”
The agenda item in question was the appointing of new member Adam Stark to the Fire Authority board, though not directly related to the appointment and just pertained to the fire authority in general. During public comment before the meeting adjournment, this same resident made it known to the board that the township and the fire authority share the same lawyer, which may create conflict, a statement with which treasurer Justin Roggero agreed.
Also on the agenda was the establishment of a citizen’s advisory committee for the spraying of pesticides along the right-of-way roadside. The second public comment was in regard to this, and the resident read a poem about wildlife coexisting with traffic before asking the board to approve the establishment of the advisory committee. Later in the meeting, the board unanimously approved this action item.
Much of the meeting surrounded the changes made by clerk Alexa Steffes to the township’s policy and procedural manual, which she explained was in dire need of updating. While the board was satisfied with the updates to matters such as office hours, publication of public notices, and PTO changes, Steffes did bring one dilemma to the board’s attention. According to the previous manual, the board must “obtain sealed quotes from a minimum of three vendors… We would publish on our website and in a local newspaper that we’re entertaining bids, [vendors] would have to provide us sealed bids, which we would open in a public meeting.”
Steffes did not recall any previous vendor bids being sealed and opened only at a public meeting, and that the bids had always been opened prior to discussion, though she did note that the manual did say the procedure could be waived if “impractical to obtain.” Steffes did state that this procedure would be inconvenient should it be followed and would likely add time to decision-making on the board’s part. She asked the board to consider the matter and whether it should be changed. Another public commenter pointed out that it was concerning to hear that the board was not following its policy, and should either change it or follow it properly in the future.
Also discussed was the impending end-of-life of the Windows 10 software, and the need for the township to switch to Windows 11. This presents some issues, as some computers at the township office are too old to support the new software, and therefore must be replaced. The board approved the current township IT providers, VC3, to install, update, and provide new hardware up to the cost of $7,500. This decision was met with some disappointment by members of the board and public at the IT company. As trustee Christopher VanOosterhout said, “This end-of-life of Windows 10 is not a surprise. This has been known for a couple years. I would say our contractor let us down on this, if they put us in this bind where we don't have enough time [to install new hardware].”
Steffes explained the township had only been contacted about the upgrade installation by VC3 in the past few months, and only shortly after discovered the issue surrounding the outdated computer units. This time crunch, in turn, led to the township defaulting to VC3 for the installation and provision of the new software and hardware, rather than seeking other bids.
Finally, the efforts to rectify the traffic concerns at the Riley-Thompson Road and Whitehall Road intersection are ongoing. The most recent update is that, when Fruitland approached Michigan’s Adventure owner Six Flags Corporation about possibly splitting the bill for an in-depth and independent traffic study, Six Flags made it clear it was not interested in such an arrangement.
Meanwhile, the Muskegon County Road Commission did conduct a speed study at the intersection, finding that during the 3-6 p.m. timeslot, 85% of traffic was speeding at an average of 69-70 mph, well over the posted speed limit. The road commission recommended Fruitland send this information to the sheriff's department so a flashing speed limit sign may be installed.
While supervisor Jeff Marcinkowski was satisfied with the results of the speed study proving citizens' concerns, there is still the issue of cars dropping off park attendees at the intersection to avoid parking fees. The board agreed that, to address this issue and, hopefully, secure grant funds, they would proceed with the independent traffic study, which was quoted for $12,000. At this time, however, it is unclear whether there is enough time before the park closes in September to conduct this study or if it will be postponed to the beginning of the 2026 season.
