July 15, 1999
|
|
t
Gerald Bolog I was born at my parents home on Wabash Road in Milan Township, a country home. I now live on Bunce Road in London Township, a country home. My property borders Milan Township on Wells Road where the 400-plus acre asphalt jungle is proposed. I can see my former home from my barn, but that will change if 95-foot light towers and smoke from semi and train engines fill the view. My children were raised in this home where I've lived since 1965.· When my son married he built a new home in town but didn't like the noise and congestion. He sold his home and moved back to the country. My daughter left home for Michigan State University and was very homesick for the peace and quiet of the country. I thought I could help her feel more comfortable so I took her a pumpkin. She met me in the parking lot at campus, and as we carried her pumpkin inside students leaned out of their dorm windows wanting to know where she got it. She yelled back, "My dad grew it, he's a farmer." I enjoy the rural, laid back country life. I've hunted for more than 30 years on the land where this development is proposed. My family had ridden mini-bikes there. They learned to cross-country ski there. I don't want the congestion of trains and trucks. There are some questions I feel haven't been clearly answered. What is the difference in the tax base with this mega development. Milan Township knows the current tax revenue. Will this bring a great deal more to Milan Township? What is the depth of the storm water basins? The AAR Properties hired consultants and engineers to do soil evaluations and water run-off studies but are not able to answer that question. Milan Township officials know what the current tax income is, and already know the traffic problems. Why would they want to increase existing problems? We in this area like the country, the farms and the wildlife. Don't change it. Gerald Bolog
Jim Erickson I am writing to clarify a continuing misunderstanding which was most recently reiterated in Jim Hokenson's letter to you concerning the Ann Arbor Railroad's power of eminent domain. Under the Michigan Railroad Code of 1993, Ann Arbor Railroad does have the power to acquire land by eminent domain as does every Michigan railroad company. With respect to approximately 960 acres of agricultural property in Milan Township that is the proposed site of the new intermodal facility, the railroad could have taken the property through eminent domain proceedings, Using that course of action, the railroad could probably have acquired the property for a small fraction of the price that was negotiated with the owners. Furthermore, court interpretation of the Railroad Act indicates that the railroad could take the position that local land use laws do not apply to this project and the railroad could develop the project without any local control. However, from the very beginning we made a conscious decision to continue our 100-year history of being a good neighbor to the people of Milan Township and the surrounding I area. Accordingly, we negotiated in good faith with each property owner to buy their land at more than a fair price without any threat of condemnation. We have diligently worked with officials from Milan Township, Monroe County and the state of Michigan to make sure that the impact of the intermodal facility will be tolerable, if not totally acceptable, to all concerned. We have painstakingly listened to the concerns expressed by neighboring residents, including those from London Township, even though we might not technically have to. We continue to believe that the proposed intermodal facility will not only be good for us, the railroad and its customers, but also for Milan Township, the surrounding communities the county, the state, and the national transportation system. We continue our pledge to be a good neighbor and a good citizen. Jim Erickson, President of AAR Properties
Aretta Schils This week I added something new to my "life's experiences" list as I had the privilege of participating in the Milan parade. Many concerned citizens of the Milan area walked in the parade and passed out literature about the proposed AARR auto/distribution center in Milan Township. I also spent several hours helping out at the booth in the Merchant's tent at the fair in which we are collecting signatures on a petition to ask Milan Township to take the time to look over their "entire Master Plan" instead of just the proposed site area. Some of the comments from Milan area residents were surprising. Among the comments, many had not heard of the project and many thought it was already passed as a "done deal". Yes, it is a "done deal" if we all sit on our backsides and let it happen. But we do have avenues to possibly halt this project and several of us are exploring those on a daily basis. Contrary to popular opinion, this group is NOT against progress. We do, however, feel that this project is regress and not progress at all, as we feel it will generate the wrong kind of development for the Milan area. Do the residents of Milan really want to become the "downriver" of the Ann Arbor-Toledo corridor? While Dundee gets all the good stuff like Cabela's, do we want to get stuck with whatever is willing to plop itself next to a railroad development? Assuming they don't ask for tax breaks in which the local area would get nothing, at present this project is only going to generate approximately $30,000 for Milan Township. But other developments such as motels and/or golf courses would bring in more taxes, take up less space and fit into the surrounding rural area. Milan township does not have to settle for the small fish in the pond that pay measly taxes, if any at all. With a little patience, there are bigger fish to catch in the development pond with bigger tax bases. At the time of the last public hearing, there was no signed contract between the Ann Arbor Railroad and General Motors. But the AARR representative said when it is signed, it will be for 15 years. Is there really a lot of common sense in destroying 1,000 acres of agricultural land for a development that only has a 15 year life expectancy? We are told that this is not the ONLY location that General Motors is considering for this project and if it should fail here, they will go somewhere else. This is the second attempt by GM because, before they teamed up with the AARR for Milan to be the target, GM and the Grand Trunk RR were attempting to place a distribution facility in Durand, MI but that fell through for various reasons. Many of the residents of Durand that I talked with were also against this coming to their neighborhood. Please, Milan area residents, do not let this project be the "beginning of the end" for this area and shop around for a more positive development that brings in more money and less headaches. Aretta Schils |
|