Saginaw dredging update: Township officials concerned over Lt. Gov. Cherry’s role in spoils project
April 30, 08 by TheFleetIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
by Jeff Kart | The Bay City Times
A solution may have been reached on a dredging spoils site for the Upper Saginaw River.
Lt. Gov. John Cherry met Monday afternoon with officials from the state Department of Environmental Quality and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Jim Koski, Saginaw County public works commissioner, who has spearheaded the spoils site project, said he was “very happy” with the outcome.
“The lieutenant governor did a fabulous job of putting this together,” Koski said, adding that a news release about the project is coming soon.
…Meanwhile, officials from Frankenlust and Zilwaukee townships, where the slurry pit has been built, have sent letters to Cherry, questioning why he’s stepped into the fray.
Hilda Dijak, Frankenlust Township supervisor, said in an e-mail to Cherry that she believes he’s meeting with the Corps “to put political pressure on an environmental issue,” adding “What happens to the checks and balances when the politicians take charge of everything if it doesn’t go their way?”
Zilwaukee Clerk Patricia Bradt asked in a letter to Cherry that no decisions be made until a meeting is held with residents in both townships.
Asked to respond to the letters, Bucholz said, “The DEQ works for the governor, and by proxy, the lieutenant governor.
“So we believe that having the lieutenant governor involved is probably the best solution at this point in time.”
Read the full text of Zilwaukee Clerk Patricia Bradt’s letter to Lt. Gov. John Cherry here. (PDF)
