By: Dean Vaglia | Macomb Chronicle | Published October 4, 2022
MACOMB TOWNSHIP — Macomb Township Treasurer Leon Drolet presented a report on township finances to the Board of Trustees at the Sept. 28 meeting.
“The reports that we issue are typically rather mundane in the sense that they don’t vary a lot,” Drolet said. “We are not in the speculative market. The downside of that is, when the market booms, we don’t rake in a pile of money from the stock market. And when the market crashes, we don’t lose money in the stock market. Our priority … is security of the funds, first and foremost; second is liquidity.”
As of June 30, the township held $73,255,622.46 across nine banking institutions (10 are listed, though one does not hold any funds); deposited $94,844,864.33 across its seven department funds; and had $24,808,570.91 in security holdings. Over $11.3 million of the holdings (about 46%) were in municipal bonds — about $10.9 million (about 44%) in agencies and about $1.3 million (5%) in cash.
Parks improvements update
Parks and Recreation Director Salvatore DiCaro Jr. delivered a presentation on how the department used the $1 million the board committed to it earlier this year to improve park facilities.
“Our team met numerous times with the full-time elected officials to get a game plan as to exactly what projects we wanted to take on,” DiCaro said.
Waldenburg Park received much attention for renovations and new facilities. Additions to the park include a swing set, benches and picnic tables. The bathrooms, pavilion lighting and basketball court received upgrades. The blue fencing around the park is being repainted, a drinking fountain is on the way and a bare patch called “the circle” has been filled in with grass, covered picnic tables and a flower planter. The total cost of Waldenburg Park improvements is $132,936.94.
Macomb Corners Park had several concrete paths fixed, and the skating rink is being converted into two pickleball and two basketball courts. So far, about $75,000 has been spent on Macomb Corners, and upcoming projects include installing new scoreboards, purchasing two playscapes — one all-new playscape and one to replace the existing playscape — and further concrete work around the park. The park will also be receiving at least 60 trees through an unrelated grant from DTE.
Township Supervisor Frank Viviano mentioned the Pitchford Park project is currently out for bid and that the contract to build the park will be awarded in November.
New hires
The board approved the hiring of new township employees, a new firefighter and a part-time elections coordinator.
Joseph Repshas will fill the firefighter position made vacant when Vincent Pozzuoli was promoted to fire inspector, and Edward Carey will help Clerk Kristi Pozzi with elections this October and November.
Bridge repair
The board hired L.J. Construction to repair a damaged bridge along 21 Mile Road near Waldenburg Park for $8,945.
The bridge was damaged during the Fourth of July weekend and will not cost the township due to subrogation from the party responsible for the damages.