Councilman, School Board President Face Off On Meeting Date

The township salt dome on Berry Street is in need of replacement.

Voices got a little loud at the March 20 Board of Education meeting when a Township Councilman and the board president engaged in a heated discussion about a meeting between among members of both bodies.

Councilman Phil Kramer (D-Ward 3) used the board meeting’s public portion to tell members that a meeting he has requested with its facilities committee has to happen soon, or the district will not have a place to park some of its vehicles.

The issue is that the township salt dome on Berry Street is going to be replaced. The probable location is a township-owned lot that is used by the school district for parking of utility vehicles.

Kramer said he’s been trying to get a meeting with board members for three months to discuss this, to no avail.

“You’re going to need a new place to park them,” he said. “We need to meet with you.”

“You will end up on the short end of the stick” otherwise, Kramer said.

Kramer said that he had been told board members would not be able to meet until after April.

“We can’t wait until April,” he said, because the township has to have its budget finalized.

“I urge the board members to make this an urgency,” he said.

The two talked over each other for a bit, with escalating volume, but eventually board president Julia Presley said that she’d seen a proposed April 3 meeting date, but “a couple of board members couldn’t make that date.”

Presley said that she had never heard a date after April be suggested.

“If you want to meet with me and some of the district administration, I would be happy to do that,” she said. “April third was the earliest date I could get on the calendar.”

“I will meet with you anytime that I do not have a council meeting, and I will get other council members there,” Kramer said.

“I’m not trying to avoid a meeting, but co-coordinating schedules is not easy,” Presley said.

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