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Community Corner

Meeting Highlights: Residents Defend Dam One Last Time

Tuesday evening residents rose to voice opposition.

After hearing the facts and statements made by experts who spoke on behalf of the  on Tuesday night at the Oakland Township Board of Trustees meeting, concerned residents took a stand to defend the dam one last time.

All comments were made prior to the of the agreement for and residents exiting the meeting were displeased with the decision. Though the council stated that the initiative was meant to improve the riparian and aquatic habitat, residents were not happy with the removal of the dam being the solution. 

Lawyers, engineers, Historic District Commission (HDC) members and neighbors residing along the mill race were among the majority to voice their opposition giving way to rounds of applause by audience members. Only one resident spoke in favor of the dam removal project. Those against the dam being removed argued that it would undoubtedly alter an important historical attribute of the township, that there must be another way to fix and preserve the mill race, property values would go down and that the removal seems to be centered around fishing, not safety.

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Here are some of the highlights of comments made at the meeting:

  • Many members of the community said it would be irresponsible of the board to approve the project before considering or looking into other options.
  • Oakland Township resident Jan Olson, whose home borders the mill race, said she and her fellow opposing neighbors asked if they could clean out the mill race on their own and they were told no.
  • After hearing some of the council’s information and coming to the conclusion that at some point the state of Michigan would try to take down the dam, Township Supervisor Joan Fogler declared, “This dam is coming down whether we want it to or not.” Residents later pushed the council to note if there was a good chance that would happen and the group conceded it was very unlikely unless relative laws were changed.
  • “No one has said what is going to happen to all the wetlands that run on both sides of Paint Creek … I think that’s something that needs to be talked about,” township resident Terry Gonser said.
  • A couple of residents noted they purchased their property because of the sounds and sites of the dam.
  • Josie Whitson, Oakland Township resident and member of the Historic District Commission, argued that fish ladders could be used to offset the problem. She also requested that the board let the HDC review the packet of information distributed by the council so it could analyze the information. Additionally, she asked that Oakland Township consider designating Paint Creek Cider Mill and dam as part of the Goodison Historic District.
  • Bloomfield Hills attorney John Staran noted the threat of liability on the township if the dam failed on its own, which the council noted, was a tactic meant to catch the attention of the government officials. “Liability becomes a convenient buzzword,” he said.
  • The fact that the $700,000 in grant money might sound free to some members of the township, but other residents agreed there is no such thing as free money and the federal government doesn’t have excess to spend either. Pleas for spending $50,000 to repair the dam were made, with anticipating costs to repair damage to the mill race estimated at $250,000. 

The two members who voted no to the dam’s removal – clerk Judy Workings and trustee Michael Bailey – gave their reasons for opposition as well.

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“Most people here will be effected by this and I just keep wondering about the other residents who would be in favor of this because of the elimination of the liability issue,” Bailey said. “I know we have a lot of fisherman in this community, but I still wonder if this initiative goes against the historical benefits that we have here ... and if the residents not here would be in favor of this project if they knew all the facts.”

Workings agreed. “I think that yes, it’s important for the township to explore other avenues,” Workings said. “If the main focus is for the fish to be able to move upstream then I certainly don’t see why the dam has to come down.”

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