Two Cass County Road Commission officials decided to call it quits after working a total of 38 years for the commission located on North O’Keefe Street in Cassopolis.

Cliff Poehlman of Niles served 24 years on the road commission board, and Grace Chester served 14 years as board secretary. The pair was honored Thursday following the board’s December board meeting where many visitors, county officials and relatives attended to honor them, wish them well and eat refreshments.

Chester from Cassopolis said she will sleep in later in the mornings now and spend more time with her daughters and grandchildren while Poehlman said he will continue to farm at his residence in Niles.

Both retirees received certificates of appreciation.

Poehlman served as both vice president of the board and as president in the past few months. Replacement named to the board is Kevin Hershberger.

The board during its business session announced it is looking into revising its mailbox policy for next year. The current policy states that a mailbox and post knocked down by a snowplow is replaceable by a new mailbox and post plus a $20 reimbursement cost. Manager Steve Lucas said he has had residents call and say that they want to replace their own mailbox perhaps with a fancier type rather than the traditional metal box. He said people call in and say that snow plows only plow three feet within a mailbox. They don’t realize that if there is a front wing on the plow the driver can’t get any closer to the mailbox or he would. Lucas said, “The people have to incur some responsibility for getting to their mailboxes. Some are so close to the road that the truck has to go around them.”

Lucas noted that from the center of the road to the edge is 17 feet.

Commissioner Pete Fournier agreed that the mailbox policy needs to be changed particularly since times have changed. He said, “Now there are huge mailboxes.”

Lucas said the policy will be rewritten as “we need to be consistent.”

The board heard from Brenda Janssen, financial director. She said an audit is being prepared by Rehmann Robson of Grand Rapids. It will be presented at the February meeting.

The board also adopted a policy that recognizes same sex marriages.

It will hold a six-month review of Lucas on April 2