Alice Pickering
Linwood Area Reporter

Linwood Town Board supervisors said ìNoî to a renewed transportation contract with the Met Council for 2007.

Supervisor Dave Tryon said the body has changed from one which makes recommendations to one which makes decisions, with primarily appointees making the decisions.

He asked what proportion of taxes in the township goes to the Met Council and what the township gets in return. He is annoyed that the because of what he perceives to be mostly an imposition of rules and regulations with little return for the taxes paid.

As an example, there has been no help provided to help with the development of senior housing in the township, he said.

Initially, the township entered into an agreement with Met Council with the understanding that the subsidy would increase. That has not happened according to Town Clerk Judy Hanna, who coordinates the Senior Transportation program in Linwood.

Not signing the agreement means turning down a $9369 subsidy to help cover costs of the transportation program. Hanna told the board the $780 a month does not cover much. ìIt is costing us more to get the subsidy,î than it seems to be worth,î she said.

Hanna said paperwork requirements for the townshipís two buses for senior transportation are under the same rules as MTC fleet. She estimated about four hours of paperwork a month, most of which is not applicable to a transportation system with volunteer drivers.

The decision not to sign the contract was 5-0.

Disc golf course

Fairway Flyerz has nearly completed the disc golf course at the new township park. The company submitted an additional bill for $800, about 10 percent over the estimated cost of the work.

Hanna said this was for additional labor costs, including cleaning up barb wire in various places. The bill was at the same hourly rate as if completed by Sentence-to-Serve crews. The board approved payment for the additional amount.

A resident appeared to complain about a sign to advertise Linwood Pizza. The sign is in the form of a large pizza baker, holding a completed pizza. Part of the objection is due to the height of the sign, which is taller than the store.

The complaint about the sign comes from a realtor who believes that it falls far below the standard of the township and it would cause her to hesitate to show homes in the area.

Randall said the township sign ordinance addresses the size and supports for signs, but no specific definition of what constitutes a sign. Supervisor Mel Pfaffendorf asked if all permanent signs should go through the planning and zoning for review. Randall said if a sign is a message to be conveyed, the ìpizza manî would qualify. He is to develop additional definitions for the board to consider in making the ordinance specific.

Township officials are also dealing with another sign posted near the intersection of Viking Blvd. and Sunrise Road. A long time resident asked what is being done about the sign advertising lots in the Shadow Ridge Development.

Originally placed in the county road right-of-way, it has been moved onto private land. However, it violates the township ordinance that says signs advertising developments must be located on the property being advertised, not off site. The sign has been up since September and the question was why it is taking so long to have it taken down.

Randall said the township ìcanít resort to vigilantism.î The legal process must allow time for compliance, and ensure the rights of the defendant. Randall said the threat of legal action against the landowners where the sign is now posted will be used as leverage to deal with the problem.

Randall provided updates about progress of legal action being taken to correct problems with nuisance houses in the township. One case is to go to trial January 17, 2007.

The owner of a house on Feather Street continues to move debris to a refurbished HUD house on an adjacent lot that faces West Martin Lake Drive. Randall is in contact with the realtor representing the house. Officials are trying to get witnesses to come forward about the situation and/or pictures.

The goal is to get these homes cleaned up. To do that, officials are staying on top of the complaints and initiating legal action against violators.

Supervisors approved the application for CDBG for a new range for the Senior Center. Hanna said a planned project or purchase must cost at least $10,000 before the township can apply for a grant. Application is due January 15, 2007. The vote was unanimous.

Finally, the board scheduled a special budget workshop meeting for 6 p.m., Wednesday Jan. 3, 2007, to complete additional work on the 2008 budget levy proposals.

This will be the first opportunity to newly elected supervisors Howard Holm and Robert Johnson to participate in the budget process.

Other business

In other business, the board:

ïApproved the size and wording for cemetery regulations that are to be placed near the Linwood Cemetery entrance.

ïApproved work crews to attend state spring maintenance training Expo Workshops.

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