Clark Township board members are (from left) Trustee Gary Wellnitz, Treasurer Katie Carpenter, Supervisor Gerald Hill, Clerk Mike Miller, and Trustee Mike Lofdahl. Mr. Wellnitz, Mr. Hill, and Mr. Miller are new members to the board elected November 4, replacing Dana Leach, Linda Hudson, and Cathy Nordquist, respectively. The newly elected Clark Township board held its first meeting Monday, December 1, at the township offices on Blindline Road, and one of new Supervisor Gerald Hill's first acts was to appoint replacements to the Clark Township Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. The board approved the appointments of Vaughn Rye to replace Mike Miller, who is the newly elected township clerk, Pam Thompson to replace Mike Patrick, whose three-year term ended, and new trustee Gary Wellnitz to replace Dana Leach as the board liaison to the planning commission.

Terms of service on the commission are three years. Mr. Wellnitz, however, will serve four years because his term on the township board is that long, and Mr. Rye was appointed to finish the remaining two years of Mr. Miller's term.

Nathan Harrison was appointed to replace Mr. Wellnitz on the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Rick Shapero and Diane Patrick gave a presentation to the Board about setting potential business district boundaries for a Downtown Development Authority (DDA). The two are members of a volunteer committee to explore the formation of a DDA in Hessel and Cedarville.

Tentative boundaries agreed upon by the board in Hessel are along M-134 between Pickford Avenue and Islandview Road and south to Hessel Point Road, as well as the two blocks to the west of Pickford Avenue between Cedar Street and Lake Street, properties in Cedarville along M-134 between Beech Street and M-129 south to Hoedock Street, and along M-134 east to Bay Street and along M-129 between State Avenue and Islington Road.

The M-134 corridor connecting Hessel and Cedarville will also be in the DDA district.

A public hearing concerning the forming of a DDA and business district boundaries is scheduled for Thursday, January 8, at 7 p.m. at the Clark Township Community Center on M-134.

The board also approved spending $600 to repair a Townshipowned pick-up truck. The truck was taken to Huff's Repair in Cedarville for repairs to a front wheel bearing, when it was discovered the drive-shaft is also broken.

Original repairs were anticipated to cost under $500, but increased when additional repairs were discovered. Normally, the supervisor has authority to spend up to $500 without the rest of the board's approval.