Ironwood Township board ponders standing water near new pavilion at Airport Park

IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — The Ironwood Township Board of Trustees heard an update about the airport park project during a meeting Monday.

Supervisor Alan Baron told the board about a number of small projects that need to be completed.

Starting Wednesday, the park is being rented throughout the remainder of the week for the annual 105th Apostolic Lutheran Church Convention. However, a landscaping issue may dampen some of the festivities. Behind the pavilion, water is not draining properly, causing concern from board members about safety around the standing water.

According to John Garske, of Coleman Engineering, the water was draining fine from the field until the large amount of rain over the weekend.

Some board members discussed the possibility of using dirt to soak up the remaining water, or placing a safety fence around the location to keep children away.

Smaller touches at the park including laying sod in locations where the grass is not growing, as well as the installation of a new refrigerator in the pavilion.

Playground equipment is scheduled to be ordered soon and installed before the end of August.

“Playground equipment is the next thing on the list,” Baron said.

Intersection troubles

During public comment, township resident Bev Rhode asked about possible alterations to the intersection of U.S. 2 and Section 12/Country Club Road near Walmart.

Baron said the board had discussed possible options, including placing signs with lights to warn traffic of the upcoming stop light.

Another option was to see if the speed could be lowered through the area from 55 miles per hour to around 40-45 mph.

However, all changes would have to be done through the Michigan Department of Transportation.

“I go to the MDOT meetings, and we’ve discussed this before,” Baron said. “But we’re working with the state, so it can be difficult.”

Other business

The board approved a motion to continue having meetings at 5:30 p.m., and the township-wide rummage sale has been scheduled for September 7.