By Dennis Pelham
MADISON TWP. — A deal is in the works for the Lenawee County Airport to take over buildings on Cadmus Road being left behind by the Lenawee County Road Commission’s move to West Maple Avenue in Adrian.
The proposed exchange includes an offer by airport manager Joe Malak to take over mowing and maintenance of the cemetery at the former Maple Lane Manor poor farm. The drain commission buildings were once part of the county farm that was replaced in 1970 by the Lenawee Medical Care Facility.
The exchanges are to benefit three county departments.
The airport will be able to house equipment closer to the terminal on Cadmus Road and rent out a storage building on Carleton Road. The drain commission is to continue using a portion of the building and property to store some large pieces of equipment and materials. And the Parks Commission would be relieved of maintaining the cemetery.
After years of neglect, a stone monument was installed in 2000 to mark the cemetery and graves of at least 87 former residents of Maple Lane Manor. The cemetery has been mowed and maintained by the Parks Commission since then.
The airport commission voted to recommend transfer of the buildings and cemetery maintenance to the airport. The proposal is to go to the county commission’s physical resources committee next month.
The transfer would be the latest of several agreements between the airport and drain commission. A drain commission dump truck was recently transferred to the airport and outfitted to plow snow from the runway. Malak said the airport is now swapping a dump box from its old plow truck to the drain commission for a vehicle equipped with spray equipment and a snow blade.
“When we all work together it works so much better,” said Cletus Smith, R-Madison Twp., chairman of the airport commission.
Preparation of the West Maple Avenue property for use by the drain commission and a county recycling drop-off site is nearing completion, the physical resources committee was told Monday.
Work at the site started in September and is on target for a Nov. 14 completion.
http://www.lenconnect.com/article/20121106/NEWS/121109693/1001/NEWS