26 June – The Voice

New ideas are needed

I was surprised to see work being done on 23 Mile Road between Gratiot and Chesterfield Road. This section of road appeared to be in good shape, unlike the section of road directly west of it, from Chesterfield Road to Fairchild Road, including the railroad tracks. This section of road, which is in terrible shape due to poor reconstruction just a few years ago, was apparently overlooked by decision makers.

I can’t imagine the arrival of Chick-fil-A played a role in this remodel. Chesterfield always overdoes it. (Remember how hasty they were in embracing Ikea, and we’re still waiting for that to happen.)

I also hope that the Chesterfield Police Department will do a better job of controlling traffic around Chick-fil-A once it opens than they currently do at Starbucks, where at times a line of cars backs up all the way to 23 Mile Road, causing problems for other drivers who aren’t interested in an overpriced cup of everyday coffee.

I sincerely hope that the next election will bring new people with new ideas and not the same old, inexperienced, bad-mouthing politicians we have today.

KEN ADAMEK, Chesterfield Township

Residents’ gift to Selfridge

The June 11, 2024 Chesterfield Township Council meeting concluded with Supervisor Kersten, along with the affirmative votes of Treasurer Elliott, Trustee Vosburg and Trustee DeMuynck, transferring a conservation easement for the 64-acre lagoon property off I-94 to the conservation group Six Rivers for $15,000. Six Rivers received a $250,000 grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation, which is working to reforest the property.

The real reason for transferring the property to the Nature Conservancy was to ensure that the site would remain designated as Accident Hazard Zone II in the future, as this is part of the environmental impact study the Air Force uses to determine where to base new aircraft, and Selfridge is in competition with other Air Guard bases. Hackel, Sen. Peters and the governor, who has $100 million to spend, have been lobbying for Selfridge for over four years to no avail.

The lagoon property is likely worth millions if developed as an industrial site similar to the one on the east side of I-94 in Mount Clemens. This is based on the $100,000 tax value of my 2000 sq. ft. property. Kersten, Elliott (who sits on Selfridge’s civic council), Vosburg and DeMuynck should have negotiated a fair sale of the property to Selfridge since the governor had $100 million. They chose not to do so and gave away what could have helped pay off some of the estimated $30 million in debt and budget deficit.

JOE KATICH, Chesterfield Township

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