By By NORMA LERNER / Niles Daily Star
CASSOPOLIS - The Cass County Road Commission has announced it will will recall all temporarily laid-off employees effective May 10.
Administrative employees will also return to working 40 hours per week.
In a prepared statement, the road commission said it will continue working to save costs and to improve its cash position during the upcoming summer months to close an anticipated cash flow shortage in the months of November and December, 2006, said Joseph Bellina III, engineer-manager.
Thirteen workers were laid off in February because of a shortfall in state funds.
This coincides with Bellinas announcement during a road commission meeting Thursday morning that paving starts on May 15 and is scheduled to be finished by July.
He said there is more than $200,000 worth of paving just in the Porter Township area where the sewer is being constructed.
An agreement was approved by the commission with the Board of Public Works and Porter Township to do this work.
Bellina said it is expected there will be huge increases at the end of July in the cost of liquid bituminous material that goes into the asphalt mix. He said after July it will be doubled.
Cass County Commissioner Gordon Bickel asked if the road commission is contracting any paving projects with the Michigan Department of Transportation. Bellina said none other than County Road 17 to the Indiana line in Porter Township which will basically be maintenance work.
The board in other business adopted a resolution to convey by a quit claim deed to Wesley Mark and Mary Harder a portion of lots 43 and 44 on the amended plat of Shavehead in north Porter Township.
Reserved is a private easement over lot 43 for access to Cozy and Shady Parks by the owners of lots in the Plat of Shavehead.
A consent judgment was also signed by the board chairman, settling the case of David Hoffman versus the road commission in a suit filed last year for a settlement of $14,000.
Commission Chairman Robert Powers said the issue is that Hoffman takes the money and the road commission releases any claim to the property.
Also named in the lawsuit were Cass County parks trustees, Cass County and Porter Township.
In other easement matters, the road commission will send a letter to Larry Workman on the north side of Eagle Lake in Ontwa Township.
Workman has allegedly placed encroachments on the alley to the waters edge, Bellina said.
Ontwa Township-Edwardsburg police have been called there many times over the right-of-way of the easement used by the public, he said.
Bellina added that he has received calls that the people using the right-of-way feel that their rights are being infringed upon. He will also have surveying stakes placed on the property line so police will know next time they are called.
The commission also approved the final plat of Sunset Gardens in Mason Township.
The plat is owned by James Anisi of Chicago. There are 45 lots of one-half acre or larger about $29,900 each. Developer is Mike Long of Edwardsburg. The property is the former Ilean and Leonard Becraft property at State Line and Five Points roads.