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| Government » Township Supervisor » E-Letter, June 17, 2004 | ||||||
Supervisor's Weekly E-LetterJune 17, 2004Bridge Closures: The County Bridge will be open this Tuesday, as no maintenance is scheduled this week. Hurray! GI In the News Don't miss this great Free Press article about our community: Its Air Extravaganza WeekendWatch the skies above our fair Island all weekend and plan to join the fun at the airport. More details about the Extravaganza are at www.greatlakesairshows.com. Summer 2004 Water Main Improvements The Board recently approved a contract for the following three projects,
all of which will be completed this summer: More Sanitary WorkThe Board approved the replacement of sanitary sewers for Sunnybrook, Woodside and portions of GI Parkway in this area. It has been determined that these sewers are in need of replacement at an estimated cost of $650,000. A work schedule is not yet available. Red Cross GI Blood Drive GI Rec Center on Centennial Farm May Building Report New homes = 1 May Police Department Report Incoming phone calls = 2003 May Animal Control Report Complaint calls = 141 Parkway Construction & Road ClosureThe closure of westbound Parkway between Parke Lane and Meridian last week is the result of problems encountered installing the sanitary sewer under the road. Essentially the equipment being used to tunnel the new sewer hit a large boulder while under the road, jamming the equipment and resulting in the unexpected work within the roadway. Your patience will be appreciated. The Email Bag Doug, I Just wanted to publicly thank you for all you're hard work
as Supervisor here on Grosse Ile. So many wonderful things happened to
our Island under your watch, including the improvements on Macomb Street,
the Open Space purchased especially the horse farm, the extension of the
bike path, our inclusion in the Heritage River project and many other
positive happenings here on Grosse Ile. I want you to know how much I've
appreciated all you've done in your work on our Board of Trustees. You'll
be missed and certainly a tough act to follow. Doug. Can you enlighten me on any conversations with the county on
REPLACING the county bridge? I have heard that years ago the county said
it would need to replace the bridge by 1996. That was 8 years ago. Not
only the deck needs replacing but it is obvious that the supporting piers
have shifted making band aid repairs a somewhat dubious solution. I can
envision a sudden need for major repairs/replacement about the same time
as the toll bridge undergoes its repairs. That could result in chaos.
Comments please. Response from the Supervisor: The county maintains a regular inspection and maintenance program on this bridge, and I have been satisfied with their regular efforts. The county is now in the process of evaluating options for a major overhaul of the structure, which is expected sometime in the next 3-5 years. The maintenance taking place on Tuesdays this summer is an effort to extend the life of the structure and insure its continued usage until the forthcoming major overhaul or replacement. Hi Doug, As noted in your update, both the County and Bridge Company
have given advance notice of summer maintenance closings and warnings
of delays. In view of the status of the pending Bridge Company litigation,
I would like to know what advanced alternative plans the County has developed
for us tax paying citizens to travel via County roads to and from our
homes? Surely they must have a plan.... And some responsibility. Doug, years ago the county used to work on the bridge during the
night when traffic flow is minimal. Is that no longer possible? Doug, Thank you for putting the information regarding the Ash Borer
in your newsletter. Using one of your provided links I was able to identify
about 20 Ash trees on my property. This April I treated them with Imidacloprid
and I hope they all stay healthy. My question is based upon something
that I read either through your newsletter or somewhere else. Is it possible
that we might be able to develop a strategy for the township to help combat
this? My initial thought was through a community-wide purchase of insecticides.
This year I spent several hundred dollars on chemicals because I could
only find them available in one store, in 32 oz containers, at a price
that was $4 more than other stores that were already sold-out. With 20
trees I needed gallons of the chemical to treat my trees. Some coordination
through the township might help reduce overall costs and make the chemicals
more available to the community. Also, I was sorry to see that you will
not be running for Supervisor for the next term. I know that Kurt will
do a good job. Getting To & From Home: A LetterDear Mr. Jones, I think the Grosse Ile community should listen to what many of its residents have been complaining about in the parking lots, at school functions, during the festivals, etc.... We are frustrated at the increasing difficulties we face getting on and off the island. It is bad enough once off the island and on the way to work or wherever, or trying to get home since we have the annoying railway hold-ups that sometimes cause a twenty minute wait. Sometimes we get hit with two (and once in a bad streak, three) trains in one one-way outing and can count on at least one train on our return! Not to mention the barrage of factory let-out traffic, construction and just plain increase in traffic downriver anyway. But then, as a resident of the Island, can you imagine the additional frustration of having to wait one hour, yes, one complete hour, to get off the island because of bridge repairs last Tuesday, June 8 at 12:30 p.m.? (Not exactly peak traffic time, I'd say) One could say it could not be avoided since the free bridge was down for scheduled repairs, that's a fact. But, it could be made much more manageable if our police force could find the time to get involved. Since the traffic light at Meridian and Bridge Road was not adjusted for the additional traffic, anyone traveling north on Meridian was at the mercy of the timed light to make left turns, and in this situation, with hundreds of people traveling that route, without guidance from our police force, only a few cars were able to turn left at each green light time span. This seems ridiculous to me; why wasn't our police force out there managing the traffic which would have resulted in a much more tolerable situation. I thought I read somewhere that Grosse Ile has a high ratio of police force per population compared to many downriver communities but I don't see it. All I see are 'hiding' squad cars here and there. Where are they when we have a major traffic situation.? It should never take one hour to get off this island and people are sick of it, especially in addition to the other intolerable traffic tie-ups once we are off the island. Another big complaint coming from the citizens is the constant loss of electrical power. Last summer we lost electric power at least eight times, often after a slight storm, even ones without thunder, lightning or high winds. We now become fearful at the slightest hint of inclement weather in the summer for fear of another outage. Our outages, at least in my neighborhood, last a good eight or twelve hours oftentimes. Many times we have returned home after work to find alarms flashing and figure there must have been another outage during the day but no one can figure out 'what's up?' In summary, I would like to see better management of the traffic on Meridian and Bridge Road during bridge repair, perhaps involving our traffic force. We need to add some management on Grosse Ile Parkway, too, when the bridge goes up for no reason, causing unnecessary traffic delays resulting in irate drivers. We need to address the constant power outage problems that other communities do not experience (even older communities such as Wyandotte do not have these outages). Although I am not in a position to relocate at this time, these factors have affected my tolerance of Grosse Ile to the point that I feel this community is lying in a tangled bottleneck of transportation problems that only proposes to worsen in time. With retirement in the future, I do not think the island is a good choice when it comes to staying put, so to speak. Thanks for listening, This Week in Island HistoryJune 23, 1898 - The Steamer Wyandotte began its summer trips between Sugar Island and Detroit and Amherstberg. It made three trips daily and two on Sunday. Compiled by Clare Koester, GI Historical Society Quote of the Week "Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory
however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no
survival." Have a question or comment for the Supervisor? Email: doug@downriverfirst.com Comcast internet users: My downriverfirst address has been blocked as a "Spam" address because all the E-letters are sent from that address, so please use my Grosse Ile address (douglasj@grosseile.com) as it may not get to me otherwise. Resources available at Grosse Ile On-Line include: |
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