The Bids are due in Monday on the widening of certain sections of Donegal Bay Rd. It was just brought to my attention that County Road Officials have placed orange stakes along the road where the widening is supposed to take place. From the S curve to town have NOT been staked.
The S curve is the most dangerous spot. Is there a plan in place to do this at a later date? Why is it not being done now? Should it be done now while money is available? Have these questions been answered, and we as citizens just aren't aware?
Everyone who travels Donegal Bay Road should contact the following TODAY for answers.
Pat Harmon
Charlevoix County Road Commission
231-582-7330
Bill Haggard: Township Supervisor
(231)448-2830
billhaggard.beaverisland@gmail.com
Kitty McNamara: Trustee
(231) 448-2353
kittym@tds.net
Jean Wierenga: Township Clerk
(231) 448-2915
(231) 448-2630
jlawn@tds.net
James L. Wojan: Treasurer
(231) 448-2455
Rick Speck: Zoning Administrator
(231) 448-2000 (office)
(231) 448-2830
rickspeck@tds.net
If it's a simple misunderstanding, I apologize in advance.
Are You Aware?...Donegal Bay Road
Moderator: Gillespie
-
I'm Just The Messenger
- Posts: 356
- Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2009 5:49 pm
You've got a good list of culprits for getting it solved. 
That looks like that is all they are doing. Projected cost is $62,000 according to the Road Commission. St. James Township pays for the improvement. Maybe that is all the money they have.
The Charlevoix County Road Commission invites qualified contractors to bid the followingroad work:
Clearing, stump removal, earth excavation, aggregate base and restoration at four
separate locations on Donegal Bay Road (a county local road), from near Indian Point
Rd., west to Gull Island Rd., St. James Township. October 31, 2015 completion date.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Work includes clearing and removing stumps from existing road edge outward 8-FT to 12-FT wide at four Engineer staked locations (up to 30-FT wide near Indian Point Road), excavate and reslope the banks in each of these areas, transport and place township owned 23A Aggregate (stockpiled at French Bay Pit) 6-Inches at these four locations only.
All work includes restoration and shall be completed by October 31, 2015; no work shall start prior
to September 8, 2015.
The Charlevoix County Road Commission invites qualified contractors to bid the followingroad work:
Clearing, stump removal, earth excavation, aggregate base and restoration at four
separate locations on Donegal Bay Road (a county local road), from near Indian Point
Rd., west to Gull Island Rd., St. James Township. October 31, 2015 completion date.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Work includes clearing and removing stumps from existing road edge outward 8-FT to 12-FT wide at four Engineer staked locations (up to 30-FT wide near Indian Point Road), excavate and reslope the banks in each of these areas, transport and place township owned 23A Aggregate (stockpiled at French Bay Pit) 6-Inches at these four locations only.
All work includes restoration and shall be completed by October 31, 2015; no work shall start prior
to September 8, 2015.
Thank you Sandpiper for your info.
Isn't the worst part of the road the tower to town?! My family drives this 4-5 times a day and are constantly bounced off the road. I would like to see a bid package to include this area of the road to be fixed/maintained.
I would like to think that almost everyone in the Port of St. James/Donegal Bay area would agree with this.
Isn't the worst part of the road the tower to town?! My family drives this 4-5 times a day and are constantly bounced off the road. I would like to see a bid package to include this area of the road to be fixed/maintained.
I would like to think that almost everyone in the Port of St. James/Donegal Bay area would agree with this.
I sent this letter out on July 20, no reply, there typically never is!
July 20, 2015
Bill Haggard, Supervisor
St. James Township
Beaver Island, MI 49782
Mr. Haggard:
Enclosed please find our payment for the sewer bill for invoice #15843 on check #14592. This bill is being paid under protest. This payment makes no assurance further payments will be made and if so, under protest.
To say that we are disappointed the sewer assessment study has not been completed prior to adjusting rates but also that we have heard nothing publicly from the special auditor on all of the troubles St. James Township has suffered is also very disconcerting. Our community cannot just be held hostage by you people who have a moral and ethical obligation to do the right thing. To attempt to sweep all of this under the rug as if it were just a small error could not be more of an indictment of those responsible and of you (later board members) who do nothing to correct things.
Last night in reviewing a very small portion of the requests, both FOIA and otherwise, I found myself reflecting on all of the nothing that has been done or provided to make things right (other than hiding of facts). What is to become of us here? It does not matter if these things started in error later becoming negligence through malfeasance of office (def: Generally, a civil defendant will be liable for misfeasance if the defendant owed a duty of care toward the plaintiff, the defendant breached that duty of care by improperly performing a legal act, and the improper performance resulted in harm to the plaintiff.). This has hurt this community enormously and yet the only â??careâ? seems to be hiding the facts. Your obligations as chair seem nebulous when balanced against the members who ignore the rule of law and continue to hide the facts although obvious.
The people in this community do not want this. People are actually afraid to speak out because of backlash, is this the way a small town should operate? I could produce countless emails and reference to many phone calls I have received of gratitude from people that I have asked questions. I would remind you this started out very politely with my first FOIA to Jean Wierenga only to become a quagmire of denial and mis and malfeasance of office (although obvious facts exist). My brother who recently passed away said, â??Stay after the bastards, you are doing the right thing.â? Well, hang your hat on that folks, does that make you proud?
I recently received another bid package for Donegal Bay Road. I would remind you that your board voted unanimously to proceed with the project. Motion made by Rick Speck and seconded by Jim Wojan, full board approval, I was there, many were there. The only difference was that the footage might have been shortened. What happened? We all know what happened. Again, does this make you all feel good about yourselves and the stewardship of the community? I haven't had the ambition to even open the package. What further manipulation will occur here? Are there ANY township officials bidding on the work? If so that should be of record from a prior public meeting.
Bill Haggard (2)
Given all of the troubles we have had in recent years our township meetings should be recorded which record should be kept safely stored until any questions regarding same are answered. The slipshod way it is done is an embarrassment to those seeking reasonably responsibility of our public officials. Ours is not to make the record clear but to get it tucked away as quickly as possible before a question crops up. A copy of the minutes from the Whiskey Island debacle shows the clerk as having recorded â??more than 50 peopleâ? as having attended, with something so important wouldn't a record of the names or a sign in sheet have been appropriate?
I understand the electronic reservation system for the yacht dock did not make it? Why? Would it be too much to ask that better accountability and better service for the public be a huge priority? The yacht dock is sitting practically empty today. What in the world is going on? Are these questions out of order?
I do not wish to make another sewer payment until the audit is complete and signed, until a rate study is complete by appropriate authority. What has happened through negligence and mis and malfeasance should never have happened to the people of this little community. To say it has divided people would be an understatement. To say it has vilified this writer for asking nothing but reasonable questions is an understatement. In the end those responsible will not win. There is shame and it is a terrible shame that we have to suffer these consequences.
Please make this letter part of the minutes of your next regular board meeting and may God help us all.
With regret,
Sincerely,
Richard L. Gillespie
July 20, 2015
Bill Haggard, Supervisor
St. James Township
Beaver Island, MI 49782
Mr. Haggard:
Enclosed please find our payment for the sewer bill for invoice #15843 on check #14592. This bill is being paid under protest. This payment makes no assurance further payments will be made and if so, under protest.
To say that we are disappointed the sewer assessment study has not been completed prior to adjusting rates but also that we have heard nothing publicly from the special auditor on all of the troubles St. James Township has suffered is also very disconcerting. Our community cannot just be held hostage by you people who have a moral and ethical obligation to do the right thing. To attempt to sweep all of this under the rug as if it were just a small error could not be more of an indictment of those responsible and of you (later board members) who do nothing to correct things.
Last night in reviewing a very small portion of the requests, both FOIA and otherwise, I found myself reflecting on all of the nothing that has been done or provided to make things right (other than hiding of facts). What is to become of us here? It does not matter if these things started in error later becoming negligence through malfeasance of office (def: Generally, a civil defendant will be liable for misfeasance if the defendant owed a duty of care toward the plaintiff, the defendant breached that duty of care by improperly performing a legal act, and the improper performance resulted in harm to the plaintiff.). This has hurt this community enormously and yet the only â??careâ? seems to be hiding the facts. Your obligations as chair seem nebulous when balanced against the members who ignore the rule of law and continue to hide the facts although obvious.
The people in this community do not want this. People are actually afraid to speak out because of backlash, is this the way a small town should operate? I could produce countless emails and reference to many phone calls I have received of gratitude from people that I have asked questions. I would remind you this started out very politely with my first FOIA to Jean Wierenga only to become a quagmire of denial and mis and malfeasance of office (although obvious facts exist). My brother who recently passed away said, â??Stay after the bastards, you are doing the right thing.â? Well, hang your hat on that folks, does that make you proud?
I recently received another bid package for Donegal Bay Road. I would remind you that your board voted unanimously to proceed with the project. Motion made by Rick Speck and seconded by Jim Wojan, full board approval, I was there, many were there. The only difference was that the footage might have been shortened. What happened? We all know what happened. Again, does this make you all feel good about yourselves and the stewardship of the community? I haven't had the ambition to even open the package. What further manipulation will occur here? Are there ANY township officials bidding on the work? If so that should be of record from a prior public meeting.
Bill Haggard (2)
Given all of the troubles we have had in recent years our township meetings should be recorded which record should be kept safely stored until any questions regarding same are answered. The slipshod way it is done is an embarrassment to those seeking reasonably responsibility of our public officials. Ours is not to make the record clear but to get it tucked away as quickly as possible before a question crops up. A copy of the minutes from the Whiskey Island debacle shows the clerk as having recorded â??more than 50 peopleâ? as having attended, with something so important wouldn't a record of the names or a sign in sheet have been appropriate?
I understand the electronic reservation system for the yacht dock did not make it? Why? Would it be too much to ask that better accountability and better service for the public be a huge priority? The yacht dock is sitting practically empty today. What in the world is going on? Are these questions out of order?
I do not wish to make another sewer payment until the audit is complete and signed, until a rate study is complete by appropriate authority. What has happened through negligence and mis and malfeasance should never have happened to the people of this little community. To say it has divided people would be an understatement. To say it has vilified this writer for asking nothing but reasonable questions is an understatement. In the end those responsible will not win. There is shame and it is a terrible shame that we have to suffer these consequences.
Please make this letter part of the minutes of your next regular board meeting and may God help us all.
With regret,
Sincerely,
Richard L. Gillespie
sewer
Richie it seems to me the attitude is why pay for it now, its already put in, no government regulator will tear it out so i guess its win win, FREE??? shrugging shoulders? I AGREE something needs to be done, but what, the proper sources were contacted, now i guess as skull and cross bones says the shell game lives on.
duffy