By Carol Stiffler
The Portage Township Board voted 3-2 to adjust the 2025 budget and write a check for $125,295 at a special meeting held Thursday, June 19. The meeting began at 9:04 a.m., ended at 9:24 a.m., and was immediately followed by the signing the closing documents at the newly acquired building.
Township Clerk Pat MacLachlan and Treasurer Andrea McKeage voted no; Township Supervisor Steve Sicinski and trustees Pat Abram and Edgar Holbrook voted yes.
The groomer building, at W17367 Davis Street, Curtis, is adjacent to the Portage Township office building and community building.
The 20 minute-board meeting began with public comment, and many of the 21 audience members spoke in opposition of the building purchase. Frank Buckley, who attempted to join the township board during the last election, criticized the building’s appraisal, saying it didn’t provide adequate comparable building sales and presented an inflated value for the building. He told the board he thought the building was worth about $75,000.
The appraisal, done by Kristine McCraren of Northern Living Appraisals, estimated the building to be worth $135,000. The appraisal was completed in September 2024 for then-Township Supervisor Don Reed.
Current Township Supervisor Steve Sicinski said he weighed the situation against his usual standard: Is it good for the township? He decided it was. The large pole building has room to store fire and rescue equipment that is otherwise left out in the elements year round.
The 40 x 74 foot building has tall ceilings and three oversized garage doors. The building is heated, has six-inch concrete floors, and is fully insulated with spray foam. It recently received a new roof.
Trustee Edgar Holbrook agreed that the purchase is sound.
“We thought it was a good deal,” Holbrook said.
Sicinski and Holbrook acknowledged that it is customary to negotiate during a real estate transaction, but felt it wasn’t necessary because they believe the appraisal is accurate. The concrete on the floor of the building alone is worth $40,000, Sicinski said.
In addition to purchasing the building, the township board also agreed to lease five acres of township land located on Lilac Lane, east of Curtis, to the Curtis Area Trails Association for 50 years. The groomers will pay $1 a year for the lease. The leased land is right on an existing trail, and the groomer association plans to build a new building there to store grooming equipment. They may also add a parking lot for trail riders who may want to begin riding the trail from there.
In the event the association ceases to exist before the lease expires, the property and all improvements on it will revert to the township.
Upset with the decision, several audience members loudly exited the meeting immediately after the split vote to write the check.
Trustee Pat Abram, who supported the building purchase, said a dozen or so Curtis residents are upset about it, but more than 500 Portage Township voters support him and trust him.
