Friday, March 12, 2004

Brighton

New water tank for Pine Creek Ridge

A ground-level water storage tank will be constructed this year to serve the upscale Pine Creek Ridge subdivision in Genoa and Hamburg townships. The city provides water for the development under contract, under an intergovernmental agreement with the two townships. The tank will also help provide sufficient water pressure for the city's growing service area, officials said.

The city has OK'd an agreement with Pine Creek developer Burton-Katzman. The developer will pay $700,000 of the estimated $800,000 project cost with the city paying the remaining $100,000 out of its utility reserves fund.

The tank, designed to look like a home, will be off Brighton Lake Road, said Pine Creek Ridge Project Manager Larry Goss of Burton-Katzman. Pine Creek Ridge has about 150 homes and 50 condos, and when completed will total 400 units.

Swap sending Lynn's to a new location

Lynn's will move off of Brighton's Main Street as a result of a property swap between the city's Downtown Development Authority and the restaurant owner.

The city purchased the old Lynn's Off-Main Street Cafe building on Mill Pond Lane to make way for improvements to the municipal complex and gave owner Cherie Bedolla a small piece of property fronting First Street.

The City Council has approved the site plan for the new restaurant-office building. Now, Bedolla and her two partners are ready to build a new bistro after renting a building for her restaurant at the corner of West Main and First streets. The second floor of the two-story, 4,100-square-foot brick and glass building will be office space. In order to have room for the new building, the municipal parking lot at First and Cedar streets will be reconfigured with a net loss of three parking spaces, said City Manager Dana Foster. The Brighton Farmers Market will move to the district court building parking lot during the construction period, he said.

Architect Piet Lindhout said construction would begin when weather permits.

Green Oak Township

Developer's plan hits snag at board

A Brighton developer's plan to build a 144-home subdivision ran into a snag last week when the Green Oak Township board voted to send it back to the Planning Commission with modifications that would result in lower density.

Marcus Yono of the Livingston Building Co. says 50 percent of the development known as Stone Ridge, on a 113-acre site on Marshall Road south of Nine Mile Road, would be open space with cluster housing. The Yono plan calls for half-acre lots in a planned unit development, a dramatic density increase.

"(If approved) we are eating away at our master plan," said Trustee Rollin Green. The property is master-planned for two-acre lots, but is currently zoned for five-acre parcels.

Supervisor Mark St. Charles had other objections, including one concerning a sewage treatment plant. "If the system fails, the responsibility goes back to the township," he said. St. Charles was also concerned about creating drainage problems for the adjacent Sand Hill development.

The Planning Commission had recommended preliminary approval; trustees sent it back with instructions to reduce the density to 131 homes.

Howell

City manager post draws many hopefuls

More than 32 people have applied for the open city manager position, Interim City Manager Terry Hofmeyer reported at Monday night's council meeting. The search closed on Tuesday, and Hofmeyer expected a few more applications to drift in through the mail.

"You should have about 40 well qualified applicants," Hofmeyer said. He advised the council to narrow the field to five or six people.

"If we stay on schedule, somewhere in mid-April you should be in a position to make an offer to a very well-qualified person," Hofmeyer said.

Hofmeyer was hired to take over while City Manager Peter Von Drak recovered from a stroke. Von Drak, whose contract was terminated last month, will receive six months of short-term disability plus six months of full severance pay. The city's insurance company will pay long-term disability, which is 60 percent of his pay, possibly until Von Drak is 65 years old.

Turkey-soda auction to benefit skate park

Construction on Howell's skate park could begin by spring, City Council Member Steven Manor said.

The park will be built north of Howell High School Freshman Campus, between the campus and the freshman baseball field, Manor said. The $280,000 project will include jumps, ramps, rails and benches on a 120-foot-square base, he said.

So far, organizers for the project have raised about $30,000, Manor said. Fonson Inc. has offered to provide and haul the park's crushed concrete base. Engineering Technologies of Ann Arbor has donated design services for the project.

The skate park committee will auction off a collector's item, a bottle of Jones Soda Co.'s turkey and gravy-flavored soda, Manor said. The soda will be on display the Howell Parks and Recreation Bennett Center until it is awarded to the highest bidder at The 41st Annual Livingston County Home Show on April 18. To donate to the project, call Hutcheson at (517) 546-0693.

Fowlerville

Hune reschedules office hours

State Rep. Joe Hune's March 15 office hours for Fowlerville have been canceled and rescheduled for March 22 from 3:30 - 5 p.m. He will meet constituents at 213 S. Grand River Ave., Fowlerville. Office hours for Hartland and Cohoctah for March 15 will still take place.

Livingston County

Domas seeking commissioner post

Former Livingston County Board of Commissioners chairman Dave Domas said he plans to run for the District 3 County Commission seat which includes Tyrone and Hartland townships, challenging incumbent Republican Commissioner Linda Palazzolo who is running for a second term.

"I miss public service, and have a number of things in which I think my experience would be helpful," said Domas, 67. Palazzolo, 51, replaced Domas on the board when he ran for the 47th District in the state House of Representatives, losing by a few votes to Fowlerville Republican Joe Hune. Domas said he considered running against Hune again this year, but decided against it.

Palazzolo said voters will not be given a greater choice with Domas running and sees it as a matter of gender. "We're supposed to be the same on issues, we're both fiscally conservative, where's the difference? The only thing I can see is the gender issue," she said. Palazzolo is one of two women board members, but District 1 Commissioner Katie Chrysler, R-Brighton Township has already said she will not seek re-election. Palazzolo worries that Chrysler's exit, combined with Domas' entry, could result in a board comprised of all men.

"It's really unusual for a Republican candidate to run against (an incumbent) Republican candidate, especially when the issues are the same," Palazzolo added.

The primary is Aug. 3 and the general election Nov. 2.

From News staff reports