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Under the terms of the agreement, the county will pay the township $35 per day for every day they use the center, during the specified hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition, the township is free to rent the facility at any other time, but they (township) would assume any liability for their renting, county coordinator/planner Peter Garwood said.

Township officials also must supply a dumpster at the facility, Garwood said, and the county would be responsible for snowplowing the area during the five days they use it, but not the other days.

"The difference between the old lease and the current lease was before we had control of it seven days a week, or 365 days a year," Garwood said. "Under the new lease we (the county) Is leasing it by the day and are using it from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. They (the townshIp) are free to lease it to other groups at those times. We think this new lease will be good for both groups, the township and the county."

Township officials, during a special board meeting Jan. 25, unanimously agreed to the lease agreement, following considerable discussion on the caveat that the township purchase about $5,000 worth of kitchen equipment in the facility.

""If we enter into the lease, the county wants us to purchase the equipment," Supervisor Gerald "Tut" Patrick said. "It seems to me that the purchase of equipment should have nothing to do with the lease."

According to figures provided last year by the Commission on Aging, the equipment, when new, was valued at $27,752. Now, after depreciation and usage, the equipment is expected to cost about $10,700 and the township was offered the sale price of $5,000 for everything.

"We donÕt know what the value of the equipment is and if it will work," Patrick said. In the past, when the center was used as a place for free meals for the community, members alleged the equipment was unusable and at times locked to prevent them from accessing it.

Trustee Margaret Chapman asked, since the equipment had been in place in the center for a long time why didnÕt they (the COA and others) use it for a period.

"The food comes in warm (from Bellaire)," clerk Maurice McGleish said. "All they do with the ovens and stuff is keep the food warm."

Officials discussed the fact whether the present equipment was worth the $5,000 fee being asked for it, and wondered if they could find someone to do an appraisal on the matter. The cost of the appraisal could be split between the township and the county, it was mentioned, and if the cost was unable to be split, the board could pay the entire fee.

"We could offer a motion whereby we accept the agreement, contingent on the fact that we get an appraisal," Patrick said. "We could tell the county that we would not accept that until it was obtained."

Township attorney Barry Cole said county officials had given them until Friday, Jan. 26 to accept the agreement. If the township didnÕt accept it, he said, county officials wanted sufficient time to remove the necessary equipment from the structure.

Volunteers from the free meal program alleged that the stoves didnÕt work properly, the seals were not in good condition and every time they entered the structure there was a strong smell of gasoline.

Mancelona Village Council member Kathy Altrock asked board members if the equipment was unsafe, why were they considering buying it.

""t seems to me it would be more feasible to buy new equipment," she said.

"If we do that then we wonÕt have a lease with the COA and we will have to pick up the entire cost," Patrick said.

Mancelona Village President Pro-Tem Robert Wilcox also suggested that if an appraisal came forth, the township could go back to the county and offer a counter-proposal on the price.

"You can go back and offer and see if they counter-propose," Wilcox said.

"The problem is they (the county) have the bat and the ball," Patrick said. Following the deliberations, and after the approval of the necessary motions, the township hall meeting room erupted into applause following the lease agreement.

Patrick also appointed himself and Chapman to an ad-hoc committee to iron out a proposed lease agreement for when the township rents out the facility in the future.

In other business, board members accepted the bid of Kiss Carpet of Mancelona to carpet the township hall meeting room. The firm submitted a bid of $4,229.81, which was the lowest of two submitted.