Bancroft sets 6-8 p.m. trick-or-treat, closes Warren Street Oct. 31

Warren Street in Bancroft will be closed to traffic on Halloween night. The village council voted Oct. 14 to set trick-or-treat hours from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, and to close Warren Street for the two hours, according to the minutes signed by Clerk Tina Holmes. Trustee B. Monroe made the motion, F. Simpson supported it, and the minutes record it passing on a voice vote with "all yea's."

The largest dollar item of the night was a bond payment. The council voted to pay Huron Community Bank $65,201.25, on a motion by Simpson supported by Monroe. The roll call was recorded as Boggetta, yes; Simpson, yes; Monroe, yes; Fall, yes; and Barnum, yes. The minutes do not say which debt the payment covers or what remains on it.

Seven council members are listed as present — B. Barnum, T. Holmes, H. Sammons, H. Boggetta, F. Simpson, B. Monroe and L. Fall — with C. Hutchins and E. Labadie absent. But every roll call in the minutes, including the bond payment, the bills and the treasurer's report, records only five names. The minutes offer no explanation for the gap.

Village President Brian Barnum appointed Steven Goward and Richard Kozlowski to the Downtown Development Authority, and the council accepted both appointments on a motion by Boggetta supported by Monroe. Members also voted to renew Anthony Boggetta's term on the DDA board. The council separately approved Woody's Buck Pole for Nov. 21.

Two long-running items moved a step. On the MSHDA zoning grant, the minutes say the village's master plan is "almost completed" and the council gave Barnum permission to begin paperwork on the grant. The Current reported in August that the council released the draft master plan at its Aug. 11 meeting, along with new hunting and weeds ordinances. A debt reduction resolution was not ready; the minutes say Barnum still needs to confer with the State of Michigan.

During public comment, Denise Temple, representing the Bancroft Lioness group, asked about using the municipal complex at 503 W. Maple Street for the group's meetings from September through June, about storing its banner and about hanging the Lioness sign. The minutes record no council action on the request. Under council comments, members discussed possibly renting the upstairs of the municipal complex, with Barnum saying he needs to ask about insurance first. Barnum is also weighing whether to rent or sell the village's valve trailer.

What happens next: trick-or-treating runs 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31 with Warren Street closed, and Woody's Buck Pole is set for Nov. 21. The debt reduction resolution returns once Barnum has heard from the state. The council's next regular meeting date is not listed in the minutes; meetings are held at the Bancroft Municipal Complex, 503 W. Maple St.