At its regular Monday meeting, the Lockport Township Board of Trustees authorized Township Supervisor Mark Major to sign onto an agreement with the City of Three Rivers and Clark Logistics regarding the development of a property on North Main Street. The agreement would permit the property to connect to city water and sewer service lines and pay for those services from the city. Because the property sits immediately outside the city line on township land, it would remain under the jurisdiction and taxation of the township.
Major is authorized to sign the agreement on the township’s behalf once the city has signed it first, and the township’s attorney has had a chance to review it. Once the agreement goes into effect, Clark Logistics and the City of Three Rivers would enter into a separate service agreement to govern the terms of the actual installation and operation of the service.
Tamarac Special Assessment District
Trustees also approved a measure to create a Special Assessment District (SAD) within the Tamarac Subdivision that would allow the township to enter into a service contract with American Electric Power (AEP) that would reduce the cost of operating the subdivision’s street lights. Currently, the township’s governing association pays the bills from its’ membership’s dues. The township is eligible for rates that cut the association’s cost by half or more.
Under the arrangement, subdivision residents will be responsible for billing. However, previous conversations indicated the association would continue to assume responsibility for the lighting costs. At Monday’s meeting, trustees said such an arrangement would be between the residents and the association. However, the township can accept payment from anyone, and the association can still send funds to the township in payment for the service. In such case, the township would deduct the amount paid by the association before billing residents for any remainder.
A contract between AEP and the township is forthcoming, pending finalization of some details, including a proper definition of the service area and naming of persons responsible for fee adjustments and oversight of any technical issues with the lights.
Drop Box Coming to Township Hall
Township Clerk Tammy Babcock said she plans to have drop boxes in place for November’s general election regardless of the means in compliance with pandemic voting measures, but the township approved a bid for the installation of a permanent drop box at the township hall. M&TT General Construction submitted a cost of $5,760 which the Lockport Township Water Board will split evenly with the Board of Trustees.
The drop box would be installed integral to the building and would permit after-hours and socially distanced deposits not only of ballots, but also utility bills. It would occupy one of the building’s windows and would include modification of interior space and installation of a concrete pad outside.
Election Turnout Above Average
Babcock said election day was “a busy day for all” at the Township Hall. She said about 35 percent of the township’s residents, or around 1,100 people, turned out to vote, which she said was comparable to statewide turnout. According to statistics reported by County Clerk Lindsay Oswald, turnout has gradually risen for the last several August primary elections.
Because of pandemic concerns, Babcock said the arrangement for in-person voting was slightly different this time, with tables set up in lieu of the usual voting booths. She provided the tables herself. In order to permit her to purchase tables for regular use at the Township Hall, Major asked her to look into what it would cost to acquire four tables, including quotes from a local supplier.
Babcock said, “I didn’t think we’d have that many at the Hall, but we did, and that’s good.” She expects an even higher turnout in November and will begin preparing for the general election in a few weeks.
Water Board Discusses State Pandemic Relief Option
In a report to the township’s Board of Trustees, Water Board Secretary Rhonda Wright said the board would not become directly involved in a State program that has $25 million available to assist in paying delinquent water bills amid the challenges of the pandemic. Under the program, a customer who is already receiving food assistance can be eligible for up to $700 toward catching up on water bills. If the Water Board were to participate directly, it would have to collect information about potential applications for the program and forward that information to other agencies.
Because it does not have access to food assistance data, and because of the amount of work it would require compared to the low number of likely applicants, Water Board members decided not to participate. However, Wright said, people who are potentially eligible for the program could still inquire about participating directly through the St. Joseph County Department of Human Services.
Dave Vago is a staff writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.
