Luepnitz Is Re-elected County Road Commission Chair
Amacher Says He Will Not Run for 3rd Term
By Amy Polk

After 12 years and two terms as a Mackinac County road commissioner, Paul Amacher of Moran Township announced last week, that he will not run again when his term expires at the end of this year. Mr. Amacher will serve through the end of 2008, he said during committee assignments at the January 8 meeting, where Frank Luepnitz was reelected to his second term as chairman and Lester Livermore was elected vice chairman. Mr. Livermore will serve through 2010 and Mr. Luepnitz will serve through 2012.

Mr. Luepnitz, for the second year, will be the road commission liaison to the North Huron Scenic Pathway Committee, which is planning a non-motorized pathway from St. Ignace to Drummond Island.

Mr. Amacher was assigned to the finance committee and Mr. Livermore was assigned to the personnel, negotiations, and policy

committees. Road Commission Manager Karrie Abbitt was designated the road commission representative at county commission meetings, but Mr. Luepnitz will be the official liaison.

Road commission workers in the west and east district garages are busy modifying sanding equipment when they are not plowing.

Moran Township trustee Mark Spencer, who was seated in the audience, suggested the road commission install cameras on the backs of maintenance trucks so drivers can see when the sanders are plugged and not spreading.

Mr. Livermore and Mr. Luepnitz both said they have received complaints about too much sand on the roads, especially in residential neighborhoods. Curtis residents reportedly swept up three truckloads of sand last spring, said Hudson Township Supervisor Al Garavaglia. The comments prompted commissioners

to ask Mrs. Abbitt to tell employees to spread a little less sand on local roads.

Mr. Spencer also suggested that plow drivers push back snow at the corners of intersections to prevent narrowing of the intersections when snow gets built up. Mrs. Abbitt agreed to ask drivers to clean up the intersections, as time allows.

Frank Harness, Clark Township Road Committee liaison to the road commission, told commissioners that Clark Township is withholding part of a payment for road commission work on Chard Road in Hessel.

The township complains that the road seems narrower and has soft shoulders after the gravel road was repaired and raised last year. Clark Township has asked Mrs. Abbitt to inspect the road and make recommendations, and Mr. Harness will be the contact person.

"The road may be too narrow now, and people feel there may be a safety issue there," Mr. Harness said.

The Mackinac County Road Commission met with the public and township officials Tuesday, January 15, at 7 p.m., to discuss its five-year project list for Mackinac County roads.

Mrs. Abbitt and West District foreman Bill Wagner will meet with western Mackinac County townships Tuesday, January 29, at 10 a.m. to discuss the road projects for 2008. The meeting will be at the Mackinac County Road Commission office in St. Ignace. The West District includes Garfield, Hendricks, Hudson, Newton, and Portage townships.

Mrs. Abbitt and East District Foreman Dale Williams will meet with eastern Mackinac County townships Wednesday, January 30, at 10 a.m. at the Mackinac County Road Commission offices in St. Ignace to discuss 2008 road goals. The East District includes Brevort, Clark, Moran, Marquette, and St. Ignace townships.

The next regular road commission meeting will be Tuesday, January 22, at 1:30 p.m.