The Suttons Bay Township Board still needs a new trustee to replace Dick Catton, who resigned two months ago.

Last month, the board appointed Tom Nixon to replace Catton. But Nixon also serves on the Suttons Bay Public Schools Board of Education and was forced to resign his township board seat after his first meeting when a double-check of state law showed that the two offices are considered legally “incompatible.”

The township has a contract to collect taxes for the school district and the school district has a contract to provide youth recreation programs for the township. A public official who serves on both a township board and the local school board has an automatic “conflict of interest,” according to the law.

At its regular monthly meeting last week, the Suttons Bay Township Board noted that township planning commission chairman Jerry Bergman had also applied to fill Catton’s seat, but that Bergman indicated he may not be available to attend meetings for about two months each winter.

Recently, township resident Bill Drozdalski indicated his willingness to fill the position vacated by Nixon. Drozdalski, a year-round resident, already serves on the township parks and recreation committee and on the Leelanau County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority board.

Township supervisor Rich Bahle said he was pleased that two candidates had indicated their willingness to replace Nixon, but added that the township would welcome more applications. He asked that any township resident willing to serve as a township trustee could call him or send him a letter at the township office. The board will likely make the appointment at its next regular monthly meeting Nov. 7.

In other business at its Oct. 10 meeting, the Suttons Bay Township Board:

• Heard from three couples who own vacation properties near the Vineyard Inn on Pebble Beach Drive. Neighbors of the commercial establishment said that weddings and wedding receptions held outdoors at the inn through the summer had been unduly noisy and disruptive in the neighborhood. Bahle agreed to meet privately with a neighborhood representative to discuss their concerns in detail and suggest possible courses of action.

• Learned that a $2,500 grant from Rotary Charities had been received by the township Parks and Recreation committee for the services of consultant who will outline a plan for raising funds for the township’s proposed Herman Park project. Committee members and other “stakeholders” in the project met Tuesday evening to discuss a fundraising campaign. The committee expects to receive a grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to cover much of the cost of acquiring 120 acres from the Herman family, and will apply for more land acquisition money from Rotary Charities.

• Appointed Catherine Fiebing to replace Eleanore Chamberland as the township’s representative on the Suttons Bay-Bingham District Library Board of Directors on the recommendation of library board president John Krug. The board also agreed to send a letter of thanks to Chamberland for her many years of service to the community.

• Adopted a resolution in support of a “small wine maker license” being sought by the Silver Leaf Vineyards & Winery Inc., a new business located on Silver Leaf Farm Road near Peshawbestown.