December 16, 2011 Morton Township Newsletter

The Township Board and employees want to wish you a very happy holiday season and a prosperous new year.  2011 has been a great year for the area and we hope it has been good for you as well.

RECYCLING NEWS:

Because both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve fall on Saturdays, we will need to cancel our collections on those days.  We hope everyone understands the need to do this.  We will attempt to have 2 containers available on January 7th as we know there will be lots of demand after Christmas.

We are experiencing some people dropping off items in our trailer at times other than when we are open for business.  Unfortunately, without any supervision, many items are being put into the container that are not acceptable.  Our contractor can stop our program if this continues to happen.  That would be very unfortunate.  If you see this occurring, please politely ask the violators to not do this.  We will be asking the State Police to watch for violators as well. 

Please continue to insure that your recyclables are clean.  Containers need to be washed out and labels need to be removed from cans.  Plastic lids have to be removed and thrown away.  We appreciate your attention to these things.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

We hope to have a strategic planning session for the Township sometime in the spring.  We want you to be thinking about what changes or additions you would like to see in the Township.  Send us your suggestions to supervisor@mortontownship.org.  Our planning session will be open to the public.  You’ll hear more after the first of the year.

ROAD COMMISSION NEWS:

The Mecosta County Road Commission presented us with their proposed projects for 2012.  We should see lots of improvements to our roads next year.

Buchanan Road from 100th Avenue to 125th Avenue will be pulverized and paved using a combination of Federal and Township dollars.  The County is trying to come up with additional money to continue the paving into Austin Township to 150th Avenue.  East Blue Lake Drive and Wood Street are also under consideration.

During our Strategic Planning, we will try to prioritize other Township roads for attention. Recently the Board has been trying to allocate about $200,000 each year towards roads.  This has addressed our roads that have historically been neglected.

RIVER ACCESS PARK

Yo has convened a great group of residents to look at possibilities for a rustic river access park in the Township. We get many inquiries from residents and visitors about how to access the Little Muskegon River for canoeing and kayaking.  There are State grants available to purchase land and develop parks. The committee has identified a 4 acre piece of river front property on 7 mile road.  Other sites may also be considered.  I emphasis that no decision to construct a park has been made.  Yo and her committee will discuss all pros and cons for such a project.  Her meetings are open to the public and will be posted on our website www.mortontownship.org. Yo can be contacted at her office 972-7138 or by email clerk@mortontownshhip.org.

LIBRARY NEWS:

Look for a May opening for our new library.  Work continues on schedule.  Watch the library website for updates.

SHOP LOCAL:

We encourage you to take advantage of the convenience that our local merchants bring to you.  You do not have to travel far to find deals and finish your shopping chores.  Our businesses pay back taxes that benefit the Township in many ways.  Stop in and give them some of your business and say thanks.