Members of the Macomb Township Board of Trustees — (left to right) Trustee Peter Lucido, Trustee Nancy Nevers, Treasurer Leon Drolet and Township Supervisor Frank Viviano — listen as Department of Public Works Director Kevin Johnson discusses purchasing new trucks on Jan. 11.
By: Dean Vaglia | Macomb Chronicle | Published January 23, 2023
MACOMB TOWNSHIP — By unanimous vote, the Macomb Township Board of Trustees has approved the township supervisor’s request to relocate the old township hall.
The go-ahead came on Jan. 11 as the board approved a budget for the move. The amount approved is not to exceed $175,000. That includes both township and donated funds.
Included in the approval is permission for Township Supervisor Frank Viviano to disburse the funds as needed, allowing him to accept and use donated funds and services for the move.
The approximately 115-year-old township hall currently sits on the former Wade Nursery site. A site plan was approved for the building’s relocation on June 8, 2022, to have the building placed at the south end of the new township complex between Broughton Road and Plattsburg Street, placing it south of the new township hall and across from the Clinton-Macomb Public Library North Branch.
“We have a game plan to accomplish the task,” Viviano said. “However, there are a tremendous amount of unknowns in moving a building. The plan is to lift the building off its foundation. First they’re going to (take apart) the roof, (take apart) the chimney, lift it off its foundation, move it three miles under 30 different wires owned by different utilities, get it to this location — hopefully in one piece — and set it down on a new foundation that is going to be re-graded and set up next door.”
However, the uncertainties of the move make it difficult to cleanly plan for and determine an exact cost in advance. A temporary road may need to be built, wires and lampposts may need to be removed or at least temporarily modified, and the old hall may completely fall apart once lifted.
Viviano said the township had around $90,000 donated to it by the time of the meeting. Once the project is over — whether successful or not — Viviano said he would return to the board with details about donors and expenses for the move.
DPW purchases
On Jan. 11, trustees also approved a request from the township’s Department of Public Works to pursue the purchase of two new trucks. Both trucks are 2023 Ford F-600 series cabs and chassis, with a $165,000 crane body for one and a $115,000 dump body for the other.
The trucks replace a 2000 Ford F-500 with a crane body, which is nearing the end of its service life.
“The crane was used for lifting a lot of heavy things — hydrants, pumps at our stations, a lot of things of that nature to avoid injury to the employees,” Kevin Johnson, DPW director, said. “It’s mainly used at lift stations.”
The dump truck will be used for myriad tasks including manhole rehabilitation, landscaping and salting paved surfaces.
Approval from the board means the DPW can order the trucks, though they are not expected to arrive until at least 30 weeks after ordering.
Lucido donation acceptance
An agreement was also made between the board and the family of Trustee Peter Lucido to cover the purchase of River Park. Lucido presented a donation of $125,000 at the Dec. 21, 2022, meeting, leading to the in-development park being named Paul & Annette Lucido River Park.
The agreement states that the donation will be provided over eight years and that the name will remain for 99 years.
Paul & Annette Lucido River Park will be Macomb Township’s sixth park and the first to allow access to the Clinton River. It is located along North Avenue and includes a section of the Clinton River’s North Branch.