Treasurer further explains ‘Reimagine Trash’ project

To the editor:

I get the sense that whatever I say is going to be scrutinized just a tad too much, but here goes.
It appears that there is built-in misunderstanding about motives. Which I read that as Some Secret Plot. I am trying to let our public know as we find things out.
The reason the whole thing is new to us here in Allegan County is that this is a Kent County project. Kent County purchased the land in Dorr as an extension of the landfill a long time ago. We in the Dorr office have been to some meetings but have not been part of the workgroup that has drafted the proposal. The working group is the Kent County Department of Public Works Board and their staff. Approved the $500 million project by the Kent County DPW in October 2018. There is also a group called the Stakeholder Review Committee – ten members who they bounce ideas off – which includes private businesses, economists, waste haulers, environmentalists, and one official from Allegan County — who is the Dorr Supervisor — Jeff Miling. More of a courtesy position since the land is in Dorr Twp.
The idea of ‘What use to make of the Dorr parcels’ has shifted over the years, from full blown landfill to just incinerator ash disposal, to the new proposal, these have all come in the last five years.

On your specific questions:
1) Does every township hall have a copy? I doubt it. And I am not sure if any other township knows as much as the readers of these articles. I went to the speaker and asked for an extra copy after he handed them out to the Planning Commission. He gave me one for myself and one for the office. It was my idea for a public copy to be kept at the office. Not a requirement for anything. Just thought there may be some interest.
2) Library copy. Don’t think they have one. This booklet was prepared by a private firm which holds a copyright for Gersham, Brickner & Bratton a waste management consultant. The usual “No part of this report may be reproduced in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from GGB, Inc.

Find more about them at http://www.gbb.comand a specific link to this project is
http://gbbinc.com/in-the-news/kent-county-mi-sustainable-business-park-updates
Whole bunch of links on the project. Also learned from the website that Grand Valley State University has helped with the project. And the proposal was submitted to Kent County in August. Date on the book is Sept. 26, 2018.
3) While I cannot guarantee that the copy will not disappear, most likely it will be here as we are keeping it behind the desk just to make sure it doesn’t wander off. There are some areas of the Twp Hall that you could use for reading.
4) As for copying again © Gersham, Brickner, & Bratton. You might contact Kent County DPW 1500 Scribner Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Phone (616)-632-7920 to see if they can send you (or the library) a copy. My guess is you could probably get a copy at the Scribner location, but I’d make a call first.
As for the question of why this showed up at the Planning meeting, again I think it was just courtesy by Kent DPW as they had no request to make of our Planning Commission. This area is on the Master Plan as Industrial for many years. They have owned this land since the 1990s.
There was supposed to be a ribbon cutting on this project back in November but was canceled due to a snow storm. And most discussion of these plans will be in Kent County. It was approved to move forward in October of last year. There are various things still to be decided but you would need to watch the websites.

Jim Martin, Dorr Township Treasurer