Letters to the Editor 5-22-08

Thoughts on
gas gouging
My husband and I moved to Davison in July 2005 from Swartz Creek. We absolutely love “our town”. Even though, technically, it is not a small town, Davison has successfully held on to that small-town feel with its emphasis on family values and the little mom and pop establishments that not only line the streets of our downtown, but are also found all throughout the city. Even our residents offer a warm and inviting tone when you meet them on the street. I’ve gone down the list, and I can find only one area in which Davison has disappointed me — our Davison area gas stations.

Having myself grown up in a small (and rural) community, I know all too well the emphasis that is put on “trading locally”. And my husband and I try to seize every opportunity to do that — to promote business in Davison by keeping our money local so that our city continues to grow, especially in light of the dim economic situation that the entire state is currently in.

Yesterday, gas prices around the state of Michigan hit an all-time high of $3.99. For those of us who have to drive a long distance to work every day (I work in Lansing), each time the gas prices hike, we hold our breath and hope that it will eventually go back down. What saddens me is that each time the prices take a hike, Davison area gas stations (I’m referring to the four located on M-15) join in and increase their prices to the highest they can (like yesterday, they all went right to $3.99).

There are several gas stations that did not join in the hike yesterday. I applaud these businesses. And my husband and I will seek them out whenever we can. Shortly after the gas hiked, my husband was still able to purchase gas for $3.79 (that’s 20 cents difference for those that are counting) at a station on the corner of Davison and Center Roads. Kudos to this business owner.

And this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this. With past gas price hikes, I notice other stations’ prices will hike and then slowly come back down some over the course of several days to a week. I also notice that while these other stations’ prices are dropping, Davison’s prices remain higher. I feel fairly fortunate that I drive through the Flint/Swartz Creek area on my way to work. I use these opportunities to stop and fill up my tank for much cheaper than in my home town. In fact, I have purchased gas for as much as 40 cents cheaper than what Davison stations were selling it for.
This is disturbing to me. In these times of economic crisis when families are having to make tough decisions about which bills to pay and what groceries to cut out so that they can still afford to drive to and from work each day, it saddens me to know that the gas stations in “my town” have no problem squeezing every last penny out of the town residents. I would encourage readers to consider trading with establishments that won’t take their business for granted. As long as we continue to trade with businesses who take advantage of us, they will continue to take advantage of us.

We have a wonderful community and I am proud to say that I live in Davison. But I also have to do what is best for my family, which is make wise decisions about how our money is spent. And our money is best spent with companies and establishments who recognize the needs of its customers and refuse to take them for granted. — Rhonda

Road improvements
I recently attended the board meeting at Richfield Township Hall. I listened to the agenda and when the topic of roads came up about the intersection of Oak and Potter Roads being paved and Potter Road from M-15 to Oak having chip & seal put down; also Clark Road from M-15 to Oak having chip & seal put down and all of this work being approved by the board, I thought that I would ask if there was any way that Oak and Henderson Roads could be improved.

The township supervisor told me that Oak Road was going to have a new surface of limestone put down the week of April 25th, weather permitting, and the following week, Oak Road north of Richfield to Carpenter will get the same treatment. So I asked about Henderson Road. He told me that he would put it up in front of the board for vote. He did not do that on the night of 4/8/08.

I talked to him on Wednesday, 4/9/08, and he told me that the township’s new fiscal year starts in July and assured me that Henderson Road would have the same treatment as Oak Road by the end of July or the first of August.

Anybody that has to drive down Oak or Henderson knows just what the problem is. These roads haven’t had a lot of attention for years. Actually, they should be paved, but Richfield Township states that they do not have the money and the property owners would have to pay for it. Well, I can’t afford to pay for that and most of the people that I know can’t either. So, hopefully we will get new limestone on Henderson Road like Oak Road this summer.

In closing, we need more township residents to attend the township meetings. They meet the second tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. I would urge you to attend and see how your tax dollars are being spent. — Bob De Lay

Time to make sound
decision on City Hall
Everybody who has looked closely at the various structural problems at City Hall agree; The building has problems which need to be fixed very soon before they become more costly. These problems are real, and shouldn’t come as a surprise since those who were around back in 1968 when the current building was constructed believed that it would last about 40 years.

The city has been investigating this matter for years, and it is apparent that all of the requested repairs would cost more than a new building. The committee Mayor Fortner has formed to investigate the matter seems to be just another stalling tactic. More temporary Band-aid repairs won’t give our Police Department a holding cell or locker room (our officers currently have to change in a closet), and won’t give our library, which is the second busiest in the county, the room they need.

Ignoring these expenses will only cause them to grow. Meanwhile, the very low-interest loan offered by the FDA secured by former City Manager Pete Auger is about to expire.

We need to ask ourselves, which is cheaper? Fixing a problem right with a low-interest loan, or shelling out money from the general fund every time something breaks? Is the same city that pulled together to raise a million dollars for a new football stadium going to continue to deny our police department and library the facilities they deserve? We need to keep pressure on the city to make these decisions soon, because the structural problems at city hall are not going to simply go away if we allow them to drag their feet. — Kevin McKague, Davison

Not the time
for board raises
While attending the township board meeting on May 13, I felt the need to share with the residents of Richfield Township what is going on with the present board. The supervisor, clerk and two trustees all agree that the supervisor and the clerk should each get a 5 percent raise effective in July, after the June 19 annual meeting.

Neither the supervisor nor the clerk is running for re-election and whoever is elected to fill these positions should not walk into a new position with a raise.

In today’s economy when jobs are hard to find period, anyone should be happy to get these jobs with the benefits that go along with them. I called many of my neighbors to go to that May 13 meeting because the treasurer called me and told me about the raises they were asking for and that she opposed them.

We showed up at that meeting and the treasurer voted against the raises, I heard her, and so did others in the audience. I requested, under freedom of information, a copy of the minutes to see the reflection of the vote. It showed unanimous in support of the raises. I know, along with other residents in the audience, this was not true. I was called by Lisa Holmes to come and listen to the tape, which I did and you could not hear the treasurer say she opposed the raise, but she did.
It is very important that the people of Richfield Township remember the date June 19 because that’s the day your voices can be heard. In a time when gas is four dollars a gallon and milk is the same, our elected officials shouldn’t be coming asking us for a raise, especially when they are on their way out the door. — Kathy Gallagher, Richfield Township