By Kalvin D. Perron
Staff Reporter
BAY MILLS - Bay Mills Township is in the process of acquiring a 40-acre parcel of land near Iroquois Lighthouse and Monocle Lake in a three party land swap involving the Chippewa County Road Commission and the United States Forest Service.
As part of the three-way trade, the township would trade 40 acres of its property, which would include the sand pit on Plantation Road, for 40 acres of the Chippewa County Road Commission's property on the Avery Grade. The five acres that make up the old dump site would have to be retained by the township for monitoring required by law. After successfully swapping property with the county, the township will then attempt to swap their newly-acquired 40 acres on the Avery Grade for 40 acres of USFS property near Monocle Lake.
Upon completion of the deal, the township will begin construction of a new town hall on the property. The current township hall will serve as the fire department and maintenance building.
According to Bay Mills Township Supervisor Roger Graham, if the township acquires the property it will serve as more than just the site of a new township hall. The township put together a building committee to explore different options for the site, he said. A recreation area, complete with playground equipment, a pavilion and possibly a softball field, are all possibilities for the property if they secure enough funding, he added. Whatever the committee decides, Graham said it will be something to benefit the entire township.
"This is definitely something that will benefit the township in the long run," he said. "I'm sure some people may be opposed to the idea, but we can't make everyone happy all the time. Our job is to do what's best for the township."
Graham said the decision to include the sand pit in the swap wasn't a hard one. Other than a few local contracts the sand pit wasn't getting much use, he said. Since the township has been doing business on an honor basis, Graham said they were having contractors take advantage of them. Graham said, in a nutshell, that dishonest contractors were costing the township money because they were taking more sand than they were paying for.
"The sand pit has never been an asset to us in the past," he said. "In fact, it actually costs us money. While our local contractors have always been honest, some of the larger ones have not been. We cannot continue to support something that will keep costing us money in the long run."
Graham said the swap with the county should be completed by Oct. 12. While the swap with the USFS will be a little more complicated and a little more time consuming, Graham said he is confident the deal will be completed soon. If all goes according to plan, Graham said the construction of the new hall should be completed by the end of this board's term.
"I have a good feeling we're going to get this done," he said. "The sooner the better, of course, but there is a process we have to go through. We're pretty confident that this is something we can get done by the end of our term. Then again, you never know."
