VBT Environmental Commission cancels July, August meetings

The Van Buren Township Environmental Commission has canceled its regular meetings for July 19 and Aug. 16 unless some important issue comes up.
At its June 21 meeting, commissioner Tony Gibson suggested the cancellations and other commissioners readily agreed because of summer activities.
Commissioner Gibson said he has been on the commission for many years and they usually don’t have a meeting in July.
In other business at the June 21 meeting, the commission:
• Heard Gibson ask about the Belleville Yacht Club dock, saying that a lot of people worked a lot of time on the lakeside ordinance. He said now that the extended dock has been approved a precedent has been set for others who want longer docks. It was explained that the BYC needs permissions before recommencing building the docks from both the Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), which has responsibility for the lake, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) because of the dam at French Landing;
• Heard commissioner Jill Yob say a neighbor is concerned over a proposed detour on Robson Road when the Belleville Road widening takes place in the future. She said the dirt road wouldn’t be able to take the traffic. Ron Akers, director of municipal services, said, “I don’t think they will detour on Robson”;
• Commission chairman Norm Debuck said in the past he has taken his big machinery and smoothed his road himself near his farm, so it would be smooth for his customers. A Wayne County road worker complained but then went away and Debuck continued his work because the county didn’t do the grading it is paid to do by taxpayers;
• Heard commissioner Ron Merritt say he lives in Country Pond subdivision and a neighbor lost 13-16 trees next to the pond and wonders if they are putting chemicals in the pond, which also killed the cattails. He said his favorite pine tree died and, “I’m not happy.” He asked if there was a conifer disease in Michigan. Director Akers said other homeowners called the township and they went out. Akers said they don’t know what the Homeowners Association is doing and the township has no jurisdiction. He suggested Merritt reach out to his HOA to see if they’ve been spraying. Merritt said it’s hard to contact them with his schedule. He said all he wants is for them to stay out of his yard;
• Heard DeBuck say people have been throwing out trash on Hoeft Road, including a couch and mattress. Yob said her husband caught someone emptying camper sewage into the road ditch and he called and they got caught. When asked about dead animals, Akers said to report it to public services and the township will call the county to pick them up. With trees hanging low above the roads, Akers said to call the county and get a confirmation number. Then, wait two weeks and call them back with the number to check on the progress, he said;
• Heard Akers report that as of July 1, township residents will be paying for pickup of trash and recyclables, a service that used to be free. For a regular single family home it is $165.84 per year, split between the winter and summer tax bills. It will start with the December tax bill. The township board approved the contract with Waste Management on June 20; and
• Heard Akers report that EGLE prefers natural shoreline structures to prevent erosion and no longer endorses the bucket-type seawall; the “Do Not Eat the Fish” signs for Belleville Lake are ordered and when they are received they will be put up; the proposed ordinance banning drinking water wells in the RACER Trust area is expected to be on the July 18 township board meeting agenda; the water flow from the Peninsular Paper dam, that is to be torn down in Ypsilanti, has to go through Ford Lake first before coming to Belleville Lake and no detrimental silt is expected; other dams on the Huron River are also being upgraded; and soil borings were made earlier that day on the Denton Road bridge and engineering work continues.