Dated: August 18, 1999
Published by: Milan News-Leader
Authors: Susan Bayne
Kimberlee Trail Hawkins
Susan Bayne
To the Editor:It was late February,early March, with an 8-month old baby and knowing another would soon be on the way that I phoned my mother and directed her to keep her eyes open for any of the farm houses on Wells or Sherman Road. I'd buy any one of them.
We live in Utah. We have lived here for about 6 years, but starting a family has stirred many emotions and the need to raise our children in the same environment as we were raised. The need to be close to family and give our children the same experiences we had now drives our decisions.
Of course all our plans have been put on hold. Not only are the farms not available, if the railroad comes, they won't even exist. I'll never be able to share with my children the experiences and environment in which I was raised. Can you even begin to imagine how disheartening this is?
Utah is quite beautiful. We live five minutes from the base of the mountains. We are 4,300 feet above sea level. The mountains rise to 10,000 feet above sea level. There is no relative humidity and the sun nearly always shines. There can be snow on the mountain tops and flowers blooming in the valley in July. But it's just not the same as home.
At home on Bunce road in my parent's backyard is the quietest place on earth. You can hear the sound of the wind blowin through the corn and wheat fields. You can hear a Woodpecker hammering away on a hollowed out oak tree. When you're playing in the woods or cross-country skiing in the fields you can hear your mom whistle when it's time for dinner. It's never that quiet in Utah.
In Utah all my neighbors have horses but only 1/4-acre is needed for grazing. I am surrounded by horses and houses. You'd imagine we live in the wild west, except a dirt road can not be found. A car passes approximately every 2 to 3 seconds.At home on Bunce Road where roads are dirt, and the neighborhood has always desired to maintain it as such. You can push your baby in a stroller, learn to ride a bike, or even jog around the block and never have to worry about cars running you off the road. When the conditions are just right in the winter you can ice skate on the road.
I encourage you to take a drive down Wells and Bunce Road. Drive it during the evening when the sun is setting and the night is still. Stop your car. Sit and listen to the quiet.Take in the peace and then ask yourself, will you enjoy it as much when the trains come.
Utah is beautiful and majestic. But it's just not home.
Susan Bayne
To the Editor:
Last night, I attended the Milan Township Board meeting and listened to the arguments and motions regarding the Ann Arbor Railroad’s desire to change our township’s land use for their proposed development. This was my first meeting. I have followed this issue via the local paper and conversations with my neighbors. From the beginning, I was not overly concerned as I did not think that our community’s leadership would ever welcome such a monstrosity. Now, I see great cause to rally my fellow township residents to protect ourselves from this grossly inappropriate project.
Just five years ago, I myself went to the Milan Township Board. I was looking to build a custom-home on 10 acres of my family’s 29-acre parcel. That board (many of the same faces I saw last night) was concerned that my home would have been "inconsistent with the agricultural character prescribed by the township’s master plan". Only after hearing the broken-hearted crackle in my voice and seeing tears run down my cheeks, did the board compel to their guilt and begrudgingly grant me my wish. Now, people driving by my home stop to tell me how much they enjoy our happy yellow-farmhouse and how beautiful my flowers are! Did this hurt the character of our township?
So how has the board come so far from the point of view expressed during my previous request to the crossroads that I witnessed last night? I am completely mystified by the discussions of the possibility of not delaying the vote for more than 60 days. We are fortunate to have multiple generations of families living in our area. Sixty days, six months or six years do not seem too long to wait for critical information when the future of an entire community is at stake here.
The only outcome I have heard described as potentially positive is the "fiscal impact". This infuriates me because I have known of many of my peers from Milan High School that have wanted to come back to raise their families here. They wanted to become our neighbors again and could not find anything to buy or build-upon because of our restrictive zoning practices. Now we appear to be so desperate to that we are considering an albatross. If revenues are our motivation for changing our master plan, then why are we not discussing solutions that are resident driven?
This project will put a humongous brown spot amidst our green canvas. A brown spot, that I envision growing as people move to avoid its unpleasantries. If we allow this project to proceed, it doesn’t take a consultant to forecast the outcomes that I foresee:
 | Homeowners near the site will sell their homes for less than current market values to a new and less-discerning group of neighbors. Who else will live next to this thing? Alternatively, they could continue to sell to another intrusive industry as accommodated by our tail-wagging master plan. |
| We lose some of our best assets: open green space, clean air, uncongested roads, wildlife, privacy, solitude, and an overall quality of life we enjoy by choosing to live here. |
| Our pitch-dark nights and star-filled skies will be replaced by light pollution. The railroad project will become Milan’s newest beacon, reminding every resident, neighbor and visitor of what it means to live in south Milan…light pollution. |
| The City of Milan will suffer as residents move to avoid the noise pollution caused by the increased train traffic traveling through the city. |
| Milan Area Schools will suffer as Milan Township residents slide in socio-economic status. What quality of families will move their kids next to this thing? People will hesitate to build or renovate quality homes within a large radius of project for fear of the growing brown spot. |
| Milan Township will be adding an intensely intrusive industrial development while neighboring townships are adding golf courses, high-end housing developments, technology based industrial development and tourism. |
I appeal to all members of the Milan Township Board to be responsible neighbors and savvy leaders. There will be other more suitable projects and other developers with money. Please respect the wishes of your constituents and let this project go. There is no amount of money to be collected that can possibly compensate for the negative impact to our health, homes, community and quality of life.
Thank you for your serious consideration.
Sincerely,
Kimberlee Trail Hawkins