My OperaWednesday, October 23, 2013 9:57:23 PM
Why is the Tuscarora Township Board of Trustees about to plunge all the Tuscarora Township Residents into a massive debt for a sewer system that is not needed? An unreliable and expensive system to maintain. No constituents input on the sewer system was allowed. At the meeting with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on May 29th it was determined the Special Assessment District did not require a Sewer System.
This project is the personal Agenda of the Tuscarora Township Board of Trustees,
with no input allowed by the Township Residents.
This sewer project created behind closed door by a Citizens Sewer Committee not appointed by the Board of Trustees.
The Board refused to allow their constituents their right to vote on the funding for this sewer project. The entire Township should be allowed to vote on the funding of the Sewer proposal.
Questions on the sewer project at Township Board Meetings were answered in a curt
way or not at all.
Request for some information had to be obtain by submitting a 'Freedom of Information'
form.
No record was found on the Tuscarora Township Minuets for funding this project. No records were found on contracting with the Engineering firm, Gourdie Fraser Associates.
Gourdie Fraser Associates first engineering design was presented as correct sewer
requirements that the Board requested for the Township needs. When sent out for bidding the project the bids came back almost two million dollars over the 4+ million estimated in 2005. So the Board is having them redesign the system to fit the 4+ million dollar budget.
This is the same sewer system that was rejected in 1998 and 2006. Goesurdie Fraseer Associates said reject those bids and they would design a cheaper system to fit the budget. What sort of engineering firm operates that way? A grinder pump system that was rejected by the Township in 1989/90.
14 years later the Trustees want to use the same system.
What is the liability of Gourdie Fraser Associates if the system breakdown frequently
or is inoperable because because of changing weather or changing population when the snow birds head south? The Tuscarora Board of Trustees is still liable under the Closed Meeting Act.
Citizen comments: Supervisor Ridley that the public hearing scheduled for January 16th
on the proposed sewer district has been canceled (Minutes of 1-12). Never rescheduled.
The Board received qoutes from original bidders that were approximately 2 Million dollars more than they had budgeted for originally.
The engineering firm that designed the original sewer system designed a system that would work perfectly for the Township.
Cost to high for that design. The engineering firm said to not accept those bids and they would design a cheaper system to fit the budget. What sort of engineering firm operates that way? A grinder pump system that was rejected by the Township in 1989/90.
14 years later the Trustees want to use the same system.
Ad Hoc committee passed out petitions for sewer, not a Committee appointed by theTrustees. (June 2006 Board Minutes)
Is any of this legal bet because of the back door way it was set up?
This project is the personal Agenda of the Tuscarora Township Board of Trustees,
with no input allowed by the Township Residents.
This sewer project created behind closed door by a Citizens Sewer Committee not appointed by the Board of Trustees.
The Board refused to allow their constituents their right to vote on the funding for this sewer project. The entire Township should be allowed to vote on the funding of the Sewer proposal.
Questions on the sewer project at Township Board Meetings were answered in a curt
way or not at all.
Request for some information had to be obtain by submitting a 'Freedom of Information'
form.
No record was found on the Tuscarora Township Minuets for funding this project. No records were found on contracting with the Engineering firm, Gourdie Fraser Associates.
Gourdie Fraser Associates first engineering design was presented as correct sewer
requirements that the Board requested for the Township needs. When sent out for bidding the project the bids came back almost two million dollars over the 4+ million estimated in 2005. So the Board is having them redesign the system to fit the 4+ million dollar budget.
This is the same sewer system that was rejected in 1998 and 2006. Goesurdie Fraseer Associates said reject those bids and they would design a cheaper system to fit the budget. What sort of engineering firm operates that way? A grinder pump system that was rejected by the Township in 1989/90.
14 years later the Trustees want to use the same system.
What is the liability of Gourdie Fraser Associates if the system breakdown frequently
or is inoperable because because of changing weather or changing population when the snow birds head south? The Tuscarora Board of Trustees is still liable under the Closed Meeting Act.
Citizen comments: Supervisor Ridley that the public hearing scheduled for January 16th
on the proposed sewer district has been canceled (Minutes of 1-12). Never rescheduled.
The Board received qoutes from original bidders that were approximately 2 Million dollars more than they had budgeted for originally.
The engineering firm that designed the original sewer system designed a system that would work perfectly for the Township.
Cost to high for that design. The engineering firm said to not accept those bids and they would design a cheaper system to fit the budget. What sort of engineering firm operates that way? A grinder pump system that was rejected by the Township in 1989/90.
14 years later the Trustees want to use the same system.
Ad Hoc committee passed out petitions for sewer, not a Committee appointed by theTrustees. (June 2006 Board Minutes)
Is any of this legal bet because of the back door way it was set up?
