Wendy Holzencamp

MASONVILLE — Wendy Holzencamp, formerly the clerk and most recently a member of the planning commission in Masonville Township, now holds the role of township supervisor as the result of the November election. Having replaced Douglas Curry — who did not run for another term and has reportedly moved to Wisconsin — Holzencamp says that her goals for Masonville are to gain community involvement, review township ordinances, and improve communication.

The heart of Masonville is the town of Rapid River. The township’s boundaries include Garth at the head of Little Bay de Noc near the mouth of the Whitefish River but do not stretch any further south into the Stonington Peninsula; to the north, the border stops three miles before Trenary. Most of the township’s land mass is wilderness in Hiawatha National Forest. Its population was recorded as 1,645 in the 2020 census.

Masonville voters may recall a pretty empty ballot when it came to local races in the general election. Only two people sought positions on the school board when four were available; there were zero candidates for the two available trustee seats; and the clerk and treasurer, both incumbents, ran unopposed. The only race that was even contested was that of supervisor, and Holzencamp said that she would have supported Travis Cary for the position if she’d known he was running.

Holzencamp said that she had been talked into putting her name on the ballot by others amongst concern about gaps on the board. She’s got experience, having served the township for about the last 15 years. She was the clerk for around a decade, then sat on the planning commission for the last five years.

At noon on Nov. 20, Holzencamp took the oath to be officially sworn in as Masonville Township supervisor, Clerk Lynn Herzog confirmed.

Since then, Holzencamp has been working on getting a sense of what tasks lie ahead of her, meeting with various relevant parties, and trying to attract residents to join the ranks of township officials.

“The first order of business is to try to get a couple of trustees — at least that part done, and hopefully before our next regular meeting, just because, you know, there’s only three of us. If one of us isn’t there, we don’t have a quorum. We can’t really do business,” Holzencamp told the Press at the end of November.

By Dec. 5, she reported that she had two letters of intent for the trustee positions in hand.

The Masonville Township Board, when full, should be comprised of five members: supervisor, clerk, treasurer and two trustees. They meet at 10584 N. Main St. in Rapid River on third Tuesdays at 7 p.m.; the next regular public meeting will be Dec. 17.

Work to the township hall building, which has also acted as home of American Legion Post 301 and in the past a school, is on the list of business to be continued. Requests for bids for window replacements and updates to the building exterior were put out previously; Holzencamp said she’ll be waiting to see what’s involved with those projects when bids come in.

Other aims include reviewing and probably amending the parks and facilities policy — which during the last year caused some conflict and confusion for people trying to reserve space — and also looking at township ordinances, many of which haven’t been updated in several decades. Unlike some other small townships, Masonville has its own zoning administrator and zoning ordinance.

“The planning commission is doing some changes and updates to the zoning ordinance,” Holzencamp stated, explaining that some newer elements were in need of addressing, such as where things like commercial solar, marijuana facilities, and short-term rentals would be allowed.

Between her appointment and the end of the year, Holzencamp said, she aims to have at least touched base with Masonville Emergency Medical Services, the Volunteer Fire Department, the Rapid River Business Association, the American Legion, and the Delta County Road Commission.

Another fresh item voted in by Masonville citizens was a road millage, which passed with 53% of the votes. Holzencamp said that she’d already fielded calls from a number of residents voicing concerns about which roads they’d like to see repaired, and she recently met with Delta County Road Commission Director Jody Norman to discuss plans and priorities.

“I’m seeing some things around town that are good that are happening,” Holzencamp said, and praised all of the parties involved with Lights on the Park, which is entering its fourth year and benefits local charities.

As another example of a good step forward, she pointed to Shope’s Restoration Shop, a recent purchase and conversion of a previously empty building, and said it would be nice to see other unused or blighted properties cleaned up and put to better use.

“Hopefully we can keep on heading in a positive direction,” Holzencamp said.