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Breitung contributes to KIND drug team

QUINNESEC — Breitung Township will continue to financially support the KIND Drug Team by contributing $4,389 this year.

The amount is based on the township’s population, and is covered in the township’s budget under membership and dues, Township Superintendent John Gaudette said in his memo to the board.

Det./Lt. Derek Dixon, who coordinates the KIND team for the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department, told the board Monday his team will never be able to completely stop drugs from getting into the county, but they can make this area less desirable for drug dealers to target.

Officers over the years have caught numerous people bringing illegal drugs into Dickinson County from the Milwaukee and Chicago areas, Dixon said.

And popular drugs nowadays, such as methamphetamine, are very dangerous, he added.

The KIND team involves officers from the Kingsford Public Safety Department, Iron Mountain Police Department, Norway Police Department and Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department.

In other business, the board:

— Submitted an application to place Joseph W. Brin’s name on the Michigan Firefighters Memorial in Roscommon, Mich. Brin was a retired firefighter with 18 years of service to the Breitung Township Fire Department when he died in 2014, according to the application.

The board previously agreed to fund applications for up to five names each year at $100 per application. Retired firefighters who have at least 10 years of service are eligible when deceased, active firefighters who die are automatically eligible and firefighters killed in the line of duty are added at no cost, Gaudette said in his memo.

— Approved several budget amendments: Adding $692,184 in revenue from state reimbursements, increasing the public works operating supplies budget from $3,000 to $4,500 to account for higher stump and brush grinding costs, increasing the road paving budget from $207,000 to $250,000 to account for higher estimated blacktop costs and increasing the firefighter insurance budget from $31,000 to $49,000.

— Allowed the fire department to bring the township’s antique fire truck to Caspian for the U.P. Volunteer Firefighters’ Tournament this weekend.

— Approved a resolution honoring Department of Public Works Superintendent Guy Forstrom for receiving a Life Member Award from the American Water Works Association. To achieve the Life Member Award, one needs to be a member of the AWWA for 30 years and be at least 65 years old.

— Allowed Forstrom to attend the U.P. Distribution Seminar in Harris on Sept. 25 and 26. The township will cover the cost of registration, use of a township vehicle and meals.

— Denied a request from Township Assessor Joan Nelson to attend the Upper Peninsula Assessors Association 2018 Fall School in Harris on Aug. 28 and 29. The board didn’t see the point of sending her to the school, since her last day of employment with the township will be Aug. 31.

Nikki Younk can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 41, or nyounk@ironmountaindailynews.com.

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