Meer Macatawa: September 2004 Archives

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How to Get Fired

September 29, 2004

Ever since Al Meshkin, Manager of Laketown Township, was abruptly fired two weeks ago, people have been asking me what happened and why. I myself was asking why. He was fired while attending a conference the Township had paid for him to attend. The Township Board had a closed door meeting and voted to fire him, invoking a clause that let them do so without giving any reason whatsoever. Since then, rumors have been flying about the reason; many suspected it was a personal problem that the Township Trustees did not like. However, I have now heard, from a few reliable sources, the real reason for his dismissal (and future reinstatement…) These reasons need to be shared and discussed by Township residents. This type of behavior is what recalls were created for.

Two of the 5 Township Trustees own large amounts of land in the Township. Al Meshkin, however, has been a stickler for keeping development at bay - because of personal views and because the Township cannot get more water from Holland BPW right now. The two land-owning Trustees wanted to develop their land, but Al was not keeping their path to development clear. Therefore, they decided, in their infinite selfish wisdom, decided it was time to get rid of him and hire a more development-friendly manager. So, they secretly fired Al with the help of another Trustee, voting 3-2 to fire him.

However, the third voter has since changed his mind, and the Board of Trustees is most likely going to reinstate Al tomorrow evening. That is the happy ending, but the underlying root of the story, the Trustee’s willingness to play politics to develop their land, is a sad story. Laketown Township is beautiful, full of open space and farmland. It does not need more ugly, monotonous condo projects or large single family homes. These Trustees need to be re-evaluated and recalled. They are not supposed to work for themselves, but all Township residents. I am disgusted and appalled, and something needs to be done.

Posted by paul at 08:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sprawl and Your Health

September 28, 2004

A report released yesterday confirmed what many urban planners have been claiming for the past few years - sprawl is unhealthy for people who live in it. Here’s a link to a CNN article about it, check it out.

The report states that, on average, people who lived further and further from a city core were much more likely to become sick, have arthritis, and so forth. It also indicates that city dwellers can add four years to their lives, theoretically, over sprawl dwellers. This just reinforces my desire to live as close to downtown Holland as possible… providing I find a job in town.

Posted by paul at 01:52 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Scanning

My family doesn’t understand me. My friends find it hard to comprehend. But I love listening to police and fire scanners. Back home I have my own, with the Ottawa County Fire South frequency, the Holland Police Department, and the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department programmed in. People know I love to know what’s going on around me, and this is just another way.

Last year I stumbled upon a website called West Michigan Scanning. The site owner, who lives in GR, has his scanner integrated with his computer, and allows any user who so wishes to listen to West Michigan frequencies over the internet. Therefore, I still know everything about anything in West Michigan. Hahaha.

Posted by paul at 09:15 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Squirrels

A story on Woodtv.com today: Dead squirrels showing up on Lake Michigan shore. How odd does that sound?

In other news, the City of Holland, the Holland Township Board of Trustees, and the Ottawa County Road Commission are meeting tonight to discuss the River Ave bridge project. The Sentinel seems bent on pushing the public to support two bridges, as their editorial last week Saturday attested. However, the best option here is biting the bullet and doing the project this year.

Posted by paul at 09:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Musings

September 23, 2004

There isn’t much to report out of Holland and West Michigan right now. Port Sheldon is rezoning more land to expand an already large subdivision… but it’s in their Master Plan, so there isn’t much I can say about it. Washington Ave will be closing for 60 days around the airport, which would suck for people trying to go south on Blue Star, but it’s worth the trouble in the end. The new runway will allow jets to leave fully laden with fuel, which means that local corporations can base more business out of here. Ah the possibilities.

Jason, Aaron, David, Rob, other guys who read this… October 2, 9 am, breakfast at the Windmill?

Posted by paul at 09:12 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Another farm lost…

September 15, 2004

In news from another Holland Sentinel article today, Zeeland Township has approved plans for yet another housing development. This one will sit on 35 acres and inlude over 75 homes. The question I pose yet again is, “where do these developers expect the people to come from?” I know the Holland area is growing, or so the census says, but I still do not know where they’re coming from or why. Job growth is not rising at a high rate, if anything, many of the middle class, professional jobs are leaving… How long can we sustain this trend of building new housing on good farmland, for the sake of a few?

Posted by paul at 09:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

One Bridge

Let’s talk about the pending River Avenue Bridge reconstruction. It is dire need of repair and expansion, and has been for almost thirty years, according to my grandparents. It is scheduled to be torn out and replaced in the summer of 2005. An article in today’s Holland Sentinel reports that many local residents would prefer two bridges instead of one. These people are being ridiculous. Critics of one bridge say that the local economy will suffer deeply, due to time lost in traffic congestion caused by bypassing the bridge. People in Holland have no idea what traffic congestion really means, compared to bigger cities such as Detroit and Chicago. The time lost by traveling east to Waverly or US 31 will be around 10 minutes, which is easily fixed by leaving home earlier.

The two bridge option will cost at least $2 million more, bringing the cost of the bridge to $8 million, which is one good reason to stick with the one bridge plan. The two bridge plan would also take two years, tying up traffic around the bridge in one way or another for an extra year.

A final, extra cost of the two bridge option, which no one seems to be hitting on, is the loss of Van Bragt Park. The room required for a second bridge, parallel to the existing, would require that this park be demolished in order to add approaches to the new bridge. While most people do not see this park as beneficial to the community in the first place, I do believe there is value in this park. First, it is the northern gateway to Holland, and provides a beautiful view before rounding the curve and the ugly, industrial views of Pine Avenue. Second, it provides quiet fishing ground for locals looking for fun and relaxation. And third, it actually has room for public docks, which, if dredged, could provide an opportunity for Holland to start opening up a more boater-friendly, summer tourist economy.

The public officials deciding between one and two bridges, the City of Holland, the Ottawa County Road Commission, and Holland Township, should not bend to the ill-informed and selfish residents who claim that the one bridge option will destroy the local economy and community. One year of construction is better than two. A savings of two million dollars is always a positive thing (less government spending is good). Keeping Van Bragt Park part of the northern gateway ensures a place to fish and a sightline of beauty. In all actuality, since this is a bid process, residents have no say in the matter, and while they were upset at this recent open house, it was not a public comment session, and the local officials therefore do not have to listen to any of it. And they shouldn’t.

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