Trash near this abandoned house on US-2 drew complaints to Moran Township Supervisor Jim Durm. He plans to write a letter to the owner in Grand Rapids to have the debris picked up. Moran Township's four election workers received a pay raise of $2, to $10 an hour, retroactive to the November 4 general election day, the township board decided Wednesday, November 5.

The poll workers are Kathy Stephan, Mary Sue Kunze, Thora Shepard, and Christal Marshall. The election workers put in 14.5 hours on election day, during which 70.3% of the township's 908 registered voters participated.

In other matters, the board voted to make a firm $2,500 offer for a 0.84-acre parcel owned by Carl Goudreau at Cheeseman Road and the Doc Holle Silver Mountain Ski Hill at US-2 upon which township traffic to a warming shed intrudes. The parcel's owner had indicated that he wanted $5,500.

The board also approved writing a letter to the owner of an abandoned house near KOA Campground on US-2, in front of which a pile of trash had built up. The letter will request that the owner, who lives in Grand Rapids, clean up the mess or be subject to a civil infraction.

The board agreed also to let Michigan Outdoor Advertising maintain an oversize Kewadin Casino sign on US-2, providing it agrees to changes to bring the display into conformity with township law by December 31, 2009. The sign is actually two signs that were connected to create one that is both illegal and nonconforming. The township will let the sign stand as is for a year. After that, it would have to be brought into conformity by being rebuilt as two signs.

Township board members are Supervisor Jim Durm, Susan K. Dionne, Mark Spencer, LaVerne Heuer, and Kris Vallier.