The Elmwood Township Board approved the hiring of Chris Groebbel of Lake Leelanau as the township zoning administrator/planning coordinator.

The board approved the hiring 6-1, with trustee Terry Lautner opposed, on a recommendation from the board’s personnel committee. Groebbel’s starting salary will be $35,000 with his duties to include administration of the township Zoning Ordinance, assisting the Planning Commission in its work on updating the Zoning Ordinance, site plan review of different projects, and other office duties. The personnel committee, made up of trustee Paul Walter, supervisor Derith Smith, clerk Connie Preston and treasurer Debbie Street, will review Groebbel’s job performance after a 90-day probation period and consider a salary increase at that time.

Smith said the township was fortunate in that there were many highly qualified applicants for the position, and added the interviews went well.

The committee narrowed its choice to Groebbel and Mark Ritter, with each having experience in zoning and planning matters. According to minutes from the committee’s March 5 meeting both candidates could start right away, but Groebbel has some ongoing projects he needs to finish so he would only be available three days a week to start.

Trustee Terry Lautner said he opposed hiring Groebbel because he wanted the full board to conduct interviews, not just the personnel committee. He said he has no problems with either final candidate, but wanted a chance to talk with both before making a decision.

In a related matter, the board also approved an end date of March 31 for the current Planning Administrator position held by William Swanson. Originally, the personnel committee had recommended terminating the position on Friday, March 21, and had included the date in a letter that will be given to Swanson when he returns from vacation on Wednesday, March 19. Trustee Jeff Howell said that was not enough time given that Swanson has been out of the township office for the last two weeks.

"That’s pretty cold, we are talking about a human being here," he said.

In other business, the board:

• Appointed George Preston 4-2, with Smith and Walter opposed and Preston abstaining, as a full member of the township Zoning Board of Appeals for a two-year term. The board approved the clerk recusing herself since George Preston is her husband. The board also unanimously appointed Vicki S. Middleton to be an alternate on the ZBA. The board reappointed marina committee members Devereaux Trepp and John Barnes to three-year terms.

• Unanimously approved a bid of $2,520 from Climatron Air Conditioning and Heating of Traverse City to install and connect a new furnace in the township hall. Smith said the board was making this approval for work she had done last week as the old furnace needed to be replaced. She received four bids for the work and Climatron’s bid was the lowest.