Dave Crowe has officially retired from the Dorr Township Fire Department after serving for 30 years. Chief Gary Fordham and Deputy Chief Dan Berkenpas presented him with his helmet as. Token of appreciation. “A helmet seems so small for 30 years of missed family dinners, kid’s sporting events, holidays, and countless nights of lost sleep,” Fordham said. “Dave has spent 30 years making sure that the community he loves has the fire department it deserves. We have won together, we have lost together, bled together, cried together, celebrated together, but most importantly became family together.”
Perhaps Dorr Township officials have grown weary of local industrial development growth.
That may be one of the reasons the Township Board Thursday night unanimously rejected a request from Rick Hepner to create an industrial development district on are area bordered by 142nd Avenue and 12th Street. Approval would have enabled the developer to ask for an industrial facilities tax exemption, or tax abatement.
But there could be more reasons, as supplied by Trustee Chandler Stanton, who said, “I think it’s very unfair to Dorr residents who live on Social Security (who don’t get a tax break)… There’s an abundance of industry in Dorr Township.”
Sarah Champion from the audience in the public hearing agreed, saying, “I get off the highway and all I see is lots of industry.”
Dorr Township Planning Commission Chairman Dan Beute chimed in, “We’ve had so much activity with site plans…I don’t see a need for IFTs (industrial facilities tax exemptions).”
Stanton moved, Tuinstra seconded and the entire board voted down the proposed resolution.
In other business at Thursday’s meeting, the board:
- Received the fire report from Chief Gary Fordham, who said the department continues to be busy, particularly with medical calls. Last year the department fielded a record 512 calls, but that should be surpassed by the end of November.
- Was told by Trustee Pat Champion that the local ambulance service has a new vehicle, but he is astonished that first responders are paid only $16.85 per call. Regular emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are paid $23.60 per hour, which Champion also suggested they are underpaid.
- Approved two rezoning requests from Walnutdale Farms at 4487 14th St., from local business and from agricultural to a mixed use district.
