A topic that seven years ago launched an ill-fated but lingering cloud of a recall came innocently enough to the Dorr Township Board meeting Thursday evening, but it went nowhere.
The board had a discussion about extending water and sewer to residences along 18th Street north of 142nd Avenue because of a road widening project in 2018, but that’s all it was — a discussion.
Extension of water and sewer along 142nd Avenue west from U.S.-131 to downtown Dorr prompted a recall election election for all seven members of the Township Board in 2011, and though the recall failed, Township Trustees Larry Dolegowski and Paul Davis were unseated in the 2012 election, Clerk Valerie Brummell resigned before that vote and Supervisor Tammy VanHaitsma resigned only a few months afterward.
Leighton Township Supervisor Steve Deer, a member of the Dorr-Leighton Sewer Authority, asked Dorr Supervisor Jeff Miling about how much it would cost to extend sewer and water north on 18th Street when the Allegan County Road Commission has the street widened and repaved from downtown Dorr to the Kent County line.
Miling estimated it would cost $146,000 to have infrastructure added only from 142nd Avenue north to the first culvert, which he said indicates to him the cost would be prohibitive to residents. He said it would cost about $7.5 million alone in the Ranchero housing subdivision with 350 houses.
“Some day it’ll have to be done,” Miling commented. “But I don’t want to be the one to tell them. I’m not in a rush.”
However, Treasurer Jim Martin replied, “Postponing this will just drive up the costs enormously. It’s eventually going to have to be done.”
Trustee John Tuinstra said, “The first thing we’d have to do is ask the people (who live there) how their (septic) systems are working.”
Miling said there isn’t enough time to gather that kind of information before the project will get under way in 2018.
So it appears there will be no public water and sewer extension next year along 18th Street.
Why do they get a choice, we certainly didn’t. The price to hook up is totally unrealistic. If we extend it down 18th street, they should share in the cost of the trunk line that we are expected to help pay for.