Brevort Twp. Crew Prepares To Assist in Forest Fire
By Paul Gingras

Brevort Township Fire Chief Mark Peterson announced that he is keeping a firetruck ready outside Moran's fire station, to respond as quickly as possible to a call for assistance from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to fight the Sleeper Lakes Fire in Luce County. Normally, the township's firetrucks are parked tightly together in the fire station. Acall is likely, and keeping a vehicle outside enables firefighters to avoid a delay in response time, he reported at the Brevort Township Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday, August 7.

Mr. Peterson cautioned area residents to avoid burning anything outside, describing fire danger in the area as "explosive." Even if grass appears green, it can burn, he said.

The DNR is not issuing burning permits.

Fire danger has caused the fire department to temporarily withdraw its offer to provide the water tanker to help flush the sewer system, as it had proposed to do earlier this summer.

The board accepted an offer by Chief Peterson to use an older vehicle he owns to flush the sewer. Parts of the sewer require high volumes of water to keep it clear. His vehicle is a pickup truck equipped with a 1,000-gallon water tank. The sewer department's 300-gallon tank has proved ineffective.

Sewer expenses have led to the township board to reluctantly consider raising sewer rates, said Township Supervisor Ed Serwach. The board has not yet determined the size of the potential rate increase.

The state requires all of the sewer's underground valves to be serviced this year, a potentially expensive operation that will probably be done in October, Mr. Serwach said.

To save the township money, he has researched the cheapest way to service the valves. The job is dangerous and requires strict adherence to guidelines established by the U.S Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Worst-case scenario will require the township to pay approximately $30 per hour for workers and equipment to complete the job, which Mr. Serwach expects to take 16 or 17 days.

The job is complicated because a worker must work in a confined space that can rapidly fill with sewer gasses, he explained. One or two workers must be on hand to deal with an emergency, which adds to the expense.

OSHArequirements prevent the township from using non-trained personnel to do the job, including volunteer firemen, Mr. Serwach added. Mr. Peterson said their jobs prevent them from doing the work.

In a related matter, the sewer's grinder pumps are beginning to fail more rapidly, possibly owing the aging system. Usually, about 30 of the 300 pumps fail per year. Thirty-four have failed so far, with four months left in the year, Mr. Serwach said.

The board signed a $5,000 contract with Wade Trim of Gaylord to write a master plan for the township, with assistance from the planning commission. The document will help guide the area's zoning policies.

The board voted to wait to pay a bill from the Mackinac County Road Commission, regarding work on Dukes Road. The board is not sure if the job is complete or if the road will be chip sealed, Mr. Serwach said. A similar project on Charles Moran Road was chip sealed.

No action was taken on a personal recommendation by Warren Smith of the road committee, who reported that culvert replacement is needed on East Lake Road, but that taking on another area project may not be a good idea. There are two incomplete, ongoing projects in the area. His recommendation was disputed by members of the road committee, who said he did not speak for the entire group.

The board voted unanimously not to grant a permit to Jake and Mary Weiss, who sought to convert a portion of their farm on Wartella Road into a used car lot. The area is zoned for residential use, and to grant the permit, they would require a zoning variance.

Trustee Burt Rutledge said, "All I can see are big problems."

"It is a residential area right now," he told The St. Ignace News. "A used car lot would put a lot of junky cars in the area."

"I want to encourage businesses downtown, rather than in residential areas," said Township Clerk Sue Stelzer.