The status of a long-unfinished home building project in the Scenic Mountainview Estates subdivision in Cleveland Township was the subject of considerable discussion and action at Tuesday evening's Cleveland Township Board meeting.

Supervisor Tim Stein reported that the board voted unanimously to take legal action against the owner of the property, Robert Steven Saffell, for continued violations of the township’s zoning ordinance and junk ordinance.

“Everyone feels very strongly about this and I’ve already contacted our attorney,” Stein said. He said he expected the Sheriff’s Department would serve violation notices on Saffell sometime in the coming weeks, with prosecution to follow.

Meanwhile, Stein said, he and other officials have remained frustrated with the apparent inability of the Leelanau County Building Inspections department and the Leelanau County Prosecuting Attorney’s office to follow through with what Stein said were continuing violations on the Saffell property.

Stein said he had visited the Scenic Mountainview Estates subdivision recently with Solon-Centerville Fire Chief Al Rosinski who noted several apparent health and safety code violations on the Saffell property. Stein said Rosinski has brought those problems to the attention of the Bureau of Construction Codes in Lansing. Stein said he also planned to get in touch with the state agency himself about the issue.

Leelanau County and its Building Inspections Department are currently the subject of an investigation being conducted by the state Bureau of Construction Codes concerning issues surrounding inspections of the new county Governmental Center in Suttons Bay Township as well as the BayView condominium project in the Village of Suttons Bay.

Those issues were brought to the attention of the state agency by former Building Inspections Department head Robert VanDyke in June shortly after he was fired by county administrator David Gill. VanDyke has since been replaced by building official Robert Meyer.

The only other item of business acted upon by the Cleveland Township Board this week was a plan to replace windows at the township hall.

Stein said four contractors had submitted bids to replace antique windows at the hall with energy-efficient vinyl windows. The board voted to accept the lowest bid of some $3,000 for the project from builder James Anderson of Maple City. Stein said he expected the windows would be replaced before winter.

The township board also learned that its Planning Commission is continuing work on several items, including new zoning ordinance language outlining the township’s residential district, a “wind energy systems” provision of the zoning ordinance, and a review of the township’s master plan.

According to minutes of the Oct. 3 Planning Commission meeting, six members of the public were in attendance to hear the discussions and offer comment, but no action was taken.