Saline Township increases Fire Contribution, Announces May 21 Clean-up Day

The Saline Township Board of Trustees had a full agenda and a large crowd at its April meeting on Wednesday, April 13. April has traditionally been the meeting when the Washtenaw County Road Commission (WCRC) made a presentation to the Board and answered questions from area citizens. Township Clerk Kelly Marion said that “since COVID happened the WCRC stopped attending local meetings” and she wasn’t sure if they would resume attending township meetings in person in the future.

SALINE FIRE DEPARTMENT CONTRACT

The township board finalized a contract with the Saline Area Fire Department (SAFD) which included a 10.96 percent increase over FY21 rates. The fire department requested an additional one-time payment of $66,000 from the four local jurisdictions (City of Saline and Lodi, Saline and York townships). Saline Township’s share of that total was $6,576.00. Township Supervisor Robert Marion noted “Saline Township had the smallest payment of any jurisdiction, but the total represented the largest per capita rate for residents”.

Trustee Robert Marion said the additional funding was necessary because of the growth in the greater Saline area while the fire department has remained the same in terms of firefighters and equipment.

SALINE TOWNSHIP SPRING CLEAN-UP

The Saline Township Annual Spring Clean-up is scheduled for Saturday, May 21, from 8 a.m. – 1:50 p.m. at the Saline Township Hall located at 5731 Braun Road. The trucks must leave the site promptly at 1:50 p.m. Residents must off load all materials from their vehicle to the trucks and roll-off.

Items accepted:

• Household rubbish and discards
• Old furniture and mattresses
• Iron, garden tools, gardening and garage items
• Garden tractors, lawn mowers, weed whips, etc. (gas & oil removed)
• Appliances (Freon must be removed and tagged by professional)
  • All refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners or any other appliance with Freon must be tagged by a qualified technician who has removed the Freon. If Freon not professionally removed, the appliance will not be accepted.

Items not accepted:

• 55-gallon drums
• Burn barrels
• Items that are moldy or contain vermin excrement
• Liquids of any kind
• Batteries
• Fencing or tree stumps
• Large car parts
• Construction of demolition waste (drywall, concrete, wood, bricks, roofing shingles, etc.)

Tires will be accepted. Residents may bring up to four passenger tires at a cost of $3.00/tire, $4/tire with rims. Semi tires are $15/tire and agricultural tires are $300/tire.

There will be several clean-ups throughout the county in 2022. Locations include:

• Chelsea on 04/23/22 and they will accept tires
• Saline High School on 07/30/22
• Lincoln
• Eastern Michigan University (Rynerson Stadium)
• Freedom Township in December (agricultural tire clean-up)

The township board agreed to apply for a clean-up grant from Washtenaw County. If the grant is received the board will use the funds to lower the cost to residents.

WASHTENAW COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION (WCRC)

Road Closure Advisory:

On Tuesday, April 8, 2022, the WCRC closed Arkona Road between US-12 and Abel Road ibn Bridgewater and Saline Townships due to a failed crossroad culvert.

The road will be closed to through traffic until further notice. WCRC will maintain access only for residents and property owners who live, work or own property within the closure limits but NO traffic will be able to travel over the culvert.

If you have any questions concerning this work, please contact Ken Harris, superintendent of maintenance at (734) 327-6696 or harrisk@wcroads,org.

ANDELINA FARMS

Daniel Cabege, PE, Fleis & Vandenbrink, consulting engineer for Saline Township, provided an update on Andelina Farms. Cabege reported that at a progress meeting with MI Homes they reported that they are waiting a final walk-through on the water and treatment systems from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). The site plans for Phases II and III are in for review at the Saline Township Planning Commission.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. The next township board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 11, 2022. The Planning Commission will meet on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. Both meetings begin at 7 p.m. at the Saline Township Hall.

More News from Saline

• Floor Warning Issued Until 7 a.m. A flood warning has been issued until 7 a.m. by the National Weather Service in Detroit/Pontiac.
• Washtenaw Health Offering Free Hearing and Vision Screenings All children starting kindergarten or preschool must have their hearing and vision tested before starting school.