Emmett Twp. discusses park grant steps
EMMETT TWP. — The Emmett Township Board agreed to a contract with BMJ Engineering & Surveyors Inc. to engineer additional park and site work at township hall.
The contract is a first step in executing a $75,000 Department of Natural Resources grant the township received for handicap-accessible equipment, and possibly a gazebo, trail work, and playground work.
The township is putting forward $25,000 toward the grant, as the grant is technically a matching program requiring the township to pay a portion.
State rules require the township to work with a licensed engineer for work associated with the grant.
The board is considering several other options, including a parking lot redo, a hall expansion, installing a digital sign, and other improvements. The board may look into developing a master plan to spread work over five years.
Local farm preservation
Board members discussed how two parcels in the township had been approved in an application for Public Act 116, a farm preservation program that gives income tax credits in exchange for property owners signing an agreement to preserve farmland practices on the parcels.
A third parcel is still in consideration for the program.
— Max Kappel is a reporter covering local government and agriculture for The Yale Expositor and is a Report for America corps member. Report for America recruits, places and supports talented journalists in local newsrooms across the United States. Make a tax-deductible donation to support his work and Report for America will match it dollar for dollar. Go to: tinyurl.com/2s372ebu.
