Bridgeport Township Board Meeting February 2nd, 2016

On the agenda:
Public Comment begins at 3:06
New Business -
- Law Enforcement Ordinances begins at 7:39
- St. Matthews - Taking Steps Against Hunger Event begins at 14:26
- DDA Meeting Date Change begins at 21:05
- Clerk Dispatcher - Police - Job Description begins at 21:52
- Fire Chief Nelson - Fire Department Updates begins at 24:18
Board Member Comments begin at 29:45
© 2016 Carla Citizen All Rights Reserved

During the public comment period Mr. Larry Ford from the Birch Run/Bridgeport Chamber spoke about the upcoming "Best Of" Awards dinner to be held on February 17th.  He spoke about some of the gifts that will be in the silent auction including two vacations in Myrtle Beach. They are still taking donations for the silent auction.  It is a very nice event, the food is excellent, good company.
You can get information about the event and tickets on their event page:
Best Of Awards And Dinner Event Page 

There was a discussion about Law Enforcement Ordinances.  I am not quite clear at this time exactly what all this action will entail. They will only involve misdemeanors, not felonies.  Now ordinances can be a good thing, often they are useful to take the place of common sense that seems to be lacking in modern society....  But what the Libertarian side of me hears in this discussion is the phrase "circumvent the prosecutor's office" and "the citation will work as the warrant".  I am a big believer in the system of Checks and Balances.  Don't even get me started about the lack of proper checks and balances in our federal and state level governments.  To me it seems like taking a complaint to the prosecutors office first is a part of that checks and balances process.  If they can take these complaints now directly to the courts, then it would seem that the only checks and balances will be at the court level.  I had the experience once of sitting on a jury and after that I have very little faith in our court system and non what so ever in our jury system.  My advice since that experience to anyone is to never have a trial by jury!
I understand what the township and the police department hope to achieve with this and am not really criticizing them for it.  I can definitely see the need for more timely results/actions on cases!  That Libertarian in me though just automatically bristles at the thought of any thing that could possibly take away a safe guard from abuse of power at any level of government.  So the administration will work on this and then there will be a public notification about the matter and then there will be a public meeting held.  Hopefully there will be some Bridgeport residents actually show up and give some feedback on the matter.

Jean Schluckebier from St. Matthew's Lutheran Church also spoke about the "Taking Steps Against Hunger" event that they held last year, which was a success.  They will be holding the event again this year on Sunday September 25th, 2016.  I am sure they can use community support like volunteers and donations.  St. Matthew's Lutheran Church has a Facebook page and a website where they posted information about last years event and you can check there for updates when they post them for this years event.
St. Matthew's Lutheran Church - Facebook Page

St. Matthew's Lutheran Church - Website

The DDA Board meeting has been rescheduled for February 24th at 12 Noon at the Governmental Center.
They updated the job description for the police dispatcher position.  The current dispatcher will be retiring this spring after 30 years.
Fire Chief Nelson also gave a update on the fire department and the new fire engine.  I haven't seen the new truck in person yet but hope to have some time soon to check it out.  They have some photos of the new truck on their Facebook page.
Bridgeport Fire Department - Facebook

And once again I will add that it is worth the time to listen to the board member comments at the end of the meeting!

A Fun Safety Day Event At Martin G. Atkins School September 16th, 2015

First I would like to Thank Atkins School Elementary Principal Mrs. Susan Duran and Bridgeport School Resource Officer Brent Green for inviting me to this event.  They did a good job with this event and I think I enjoyed it almost as much as the children did.
There were representatives from the Bridgeport Fire Department, the Bridgeport Police Department, the US Coast Guard, St. Mary's Hospital Flight Care, Mobile Medical Response Ambulance and Consumers Energy.  The children got to see the different crews and listen to them talk about their jobs and equipment and safety, climb on board the vehicles, ask questions, lots of questions!  They also had safety training for the groups of children on bus safety, the proper way to get on the bus, seating, behavior, and getting off the buses.
I think the representatives from the organizations did a great job talking with the children and handling all their questions. I would also like to commend the staff of Atkins for the job they did, and also the Bridgeport High School students they had helping with the event.  I got to meet and speak with some of the teachers and staff and I was very impressed with everyone I met and everything I saw there this morning.   I only captured some small portions of the morning on video.  I think one of the big hits was the sirens, but the flight care landing and the fire truck ladder going up and down were pretty popular too!  Watching the children enjoy the event was a joy for me. The first event with one of the groups of children that I videotaped was the US Coast Guard rescue air boat. I was so engrossed with their presentation and watching the children interact that somehow I forgot to hit record on my camera.  I did go back later and catch another group with them.
Again, Great Job on this event.  I don't know how many other schools do things like this but it would be nice if all schools did this.  They will be holding this event again next year in September, I believe in the third week of the school year, and I hope to be there to capture it again.

Bridgeport Township Board Meeting August 4th, 2015

On the agenda:
Public Comment begins at 3:30
Unfinished Business -
- Parks & Recreation Update begins at about 5:00
- Fire Station Renovation Status begins at 13:18
New Business -
- Set Public Hearing Date to create IFT District - begins at 21:51
- R-15-14 Relocation of Watermains - MDOT begins at 23:30
Board Member Comments begin at 27:11

Sometimes going to all the meetings for Bridgeport Township and the School Board can be boring, sometimes stressful and sometimes very enjoyable.  Last nights meeting was one of the enjoyable nights.  It was a short meeting with a few laughs and a positive atmosphere.
Parks & Recreation Director Bill Wheeler gave a update on some of the events that have taken place this year and more that will be happening. Coming up on August 14th through the 16th there will be the Great Lakes Rendezvous held at Davis Park.  I love that event.  I used to go years ago when it was held out in the Freeland area.  Really looking forward to it coming here.
Fire Chief Pat Nelson gave a update on the repairs on the fire station and more updates about the Fire Department and staff.
Board member comments and the comments from Rose Licht Township Manager are always informative.  Lots of things going on and coming up here in Bridgeport.  Just a few mentioned are the Stream Bank Erosion Project that will be taking place this month here in the Cass River along Fort Rd area.  The Bridgeport Police Department was able to obtain a Humvee from the military program.  This will be used for severe weather times.  Thanks to Bob Miller from Miller Auto Body Shop for donating his time and labor to paint the Humvee.  Bob Miller and Chief Duffet did all the work on it, and Quality Auto gave them the paint for the project "at cost".  This is a good deal for Bridgeport.
Township Supervisor Augie Tausend talked about which townships require the residents to pay for the sidewalk repairs and which ones don't.  Like he says it would be great if the township  had the finances to pay for the repair and upkeep work.  This is one of those issues that I see both sides of.  The Libertarian side of me just screams NO that's not right; The Community Member side of me says let's all pitch in and do our part and keep our community looking good and a great place to live.

Bridgeport Township Board Meeting March 3rd, 2015

On tonight's agenda:
Public Comment begins at 2:52 in the video
Unfinished Business -
- Fire Department Station Upgrades begins at 4:15
New Business -
- Little Free Library - Carmen Sawshuk begins at 7:02
- Hoffman Canoe Launch - seeking public input begins at 15:50
- R15-2 DNR Trust Fund Grant canoe/kayak launch Hoffman property begins at 17:48
- Bridgeport Cass River trail head - seeking public input begins at 18:38
- R15-3 DNR Trust Fund Grant Bridgeport Cass River trail head property begins at 19:40
- Oath of office for two New Police Officers begins at 20:48
- Building Department Truck purchase begins at 29:10
- Police Department Tahoe purchase begins at 30:31
- Fire Department Hazardous materials response technology begins at 34:20
- Police Department & Governmental Center Grant for AED Machines begins at 37:24
- Commitment of Fund Balance Funds begins at 39:13
Board Comments begins at 41:29

Welcome to Bridgeport's two new police officers!  And again Thank You to the voters that approved the assessment so they could be hired.
I think the Little Free Library will be a nice thing to have here in downtown Bridgeport.  They are seeking public input for the Hoffman property canoe launch, that property is located on the Dixie where it crosses the Cass River. They are also seeking public input for the property where the former Bridgeport Oil and Gas station was located next to the historic State St. Bridge.  It would be nice if community members would get involved in these projects now and help provide input.

Bridgeport Township Board Meeting February 3rd, 2015

On tonight's agenda was -
- Public Comments which begins at 3:15 in the video.
New Business:
1.  R-15-01 Policy for Review of Assessment Records begins at 6:29
2.  Township Board Meeting change for May election begins at 7:47
3.  Boards and Commission Appointments begins at 8:45
4.  Precinct 3 - Polling Place change begins at 10:03
5.  Fire Chief Nelson regarding fire truck begins at 11:50
Accounts Payable Checks discussion begins at 35:17
Board Comments begins at 37:22

Bridgeport Township Building and Grounds Meeting December 9th, 2014

The meeting this evening was to discuss plans for the special assessment that was passed for the fire department.  They discussed current and long term plans and ideas.  The next Building and Grounds meeting will be held on January 13th, 2015.

At the special meeting that was held on November 17th to discuss the police and fire department special assessments, there were people who got up and spoke about their concerns and opposition to the assessments.  At tonight's meeting there were no Bridgeport residents there except myself, my elderly mother and several of the firefighters.
I would think that if any of our residents were seriously concerned about the assessments and the future of our police and fire departments, that they would have shown up at this meeting.  People can get up and talk about "hidden meetings", "I'm not blowing smoke" etc... etc... all they want, but if they really care about and want to work towards a better future for Bridgeport Township then maybe they should show up at meetings, keep informed about all events, and try working towards a better future.  Get involved in ways other than just putting up stupid signs and bitching about everything.
I am still working on trying to clean up trash in Lyle Park and could always use some help there.  Only in my Utopian Dreamworld would any of the complainers ever show up to help me clean up the trash.
I will keep posting video's of all the meetings that I can attend and hope that Bridgeport residents will watch them and get involved and I will keep picking up the trash in the river and parks.  I may not make much of a impact in our community but at least it is better than just being negative all the time.

Special Meeting of the Bridgeport Township Board November 17th, 2014

This meeting was held to discuss and approve the special assessments for the police and fire departments.
Discussion starts with the township supervisor reading a letter that went out by constant contact email on Friday Nov 14th to explain some of the concerns that residents have been voicing.  This starts at 6:54 in the video.
Under Special Orders:
- Public Hearing for Special Assessment for Police Department starts at 11:57
- Public Hearing for Special Assessment for Fire Department starts at 1:01:10
Public Comment period starts at 1:21:21
Under New Business:
- Resolution R14-24 Amendment to 911 Saginaw County Interlocal Agreement starts at 1:32:10
- Special Assessment Police Department R14-18 & R14-19 starts at 1:35:20
- Special Assessment Fire Department R14-16 & R14-17 starts at 1:47:09
- Board Comments start at 1:50:35

My thoughts - Where to start……. 

Thank You Pastor Sinclair for a very nice story and invocation.

Good Turnout, but sadly those kind of turnouts don’t happen at every monthly meeting.

It was brought up several times that the board isn’t listening to the residents.  Actually they are listening and 60% of the voters that came out to vote on November 4^th said that they do want these special assessments.  For the Fire Department the votes were 2,190 yes votes and 1,457 no votes.  For the Police Department the votes were 2,142 yes votes and 1,517 no votes.  

The loudest voices are not the only voices in our township.

I hate to go here but let’s discuss the troubled past.  A previous township board did try to put a special assessment through with no input or vote from the residents in 2009/2010.  They had the legal right to do so, but it did not go over well with the residents and they let the board know so.  That whole debacle rivals events that come out of Oakley!  Hopefully those days are past us now.

Fast Forward through all those troubles to the attempts by the township to get millages through for the police and fire departments.  One was done in 2010 but it failed.  What I remember hearing in the community was concerns because it was not specific enough about how much would be going to which departments and I believe there was still much distrust of the township government at that time and there was the issue of the DDA being able to collect a portion of the taxes.   Another millage was attempted in 2012 but it also failed.  If I remember correctly this one was more specific about the amounts and where the money would be going.  The only concern I remember hearing about was the dollar amount that some residents would be getting taxed, especially those with large acreages of land and high value properties.  

The township government listened to the concerns voiced by residents as to why they voted the previous millages down.  When they worked on this current assessment they tried to take those previous concerns into account.  Some people feel this new assessment is fairer to all the residents than the previous millages that were proposed.  Now someone sitting on say, for example 50+ acres of farmland, with a taxable value of over $50,000 will pay the same amount as everyone else.  Large land owners would not use the police and fire services any more than I would so why should they pay more?   This seems fair to me and to others I have talked to.

I understand the concerns voiced by residents at this meeting about the hardship of more taxes. 

There were other valid concerns voiced also like the one by Mr. Lysogorski concerning the 10 percent increase that the board can add to the assessment.  Even though this current board has no plans to do that, a future board may do it. That is where the public participation of the residents becomes important.  Every year the board will review the assessments and it is up to the residents to stay informed on the issue and show up at the meetings.

The ability to add the 10 percent increase is the way the law was written, it is not something that the Bridgeport Township Government snuck into the assessment wording. 

I don’t believe that if the township does add the 10 percent to the assessment amount in any given year that it will accumulate each year.  EX: The police assessment is $37.80 per year.  If they add the 10 percent on one year, that will make it around $41.58 for that year.  I believe that the next year the assessment will be back to the $37.80 that the rate was set at.  I will check with the township offices on that since I prefer to share accurate information.

Sadly there are residents that feel they were either misled or not fully informed about the assessments.  I don’t know what to say.  I have attended the meetings and understood it for months.  I believe there were articles posted in the Birch Run/Bridgeport Herald weekly newspaper but since I have recently put them all out in the recycling I can’t swear they were there or what date they may have been there. 

It was first mentioned at the June 3rd, 2014 Bridgeport Township Board meeting, unfortunately I was not present at that meeting.  It was discussed again at the July 1^st township board meeting.  It was also discussed again at the August 6^th township board meeting.

The agenda’s for the meetings are posted online before the meetings take place and the minutes are posted online after the meetings.  The agendas of upcoming meetings are posted on the bulletin board outside the main doors of the township government offices.  On the township website http://www.bridgeportmi.org/  they have the option to sign up for their “constant contact” email.  They send out important and informative notices for everything that goes on in our township.

In my videos I have a presentation by Fire Chief Nelson at the April 14^th Building and Grounds Meeting concerning the problems and needs of the fire department.  View it here - April 14th Meeting

There was excellent presentation and discussion at the July 29^th Building and Grounds Meeting - July 29th Meeting

And another informative presentation by Fire Chief Nelson and Police Chief Duffett held at the Bridgeport Gun Club in October - October Presentation

I don’t personally believe that the township ever tried to intentionally mislead the residents about the assessment.  Could they have tried other ways to reach out to the residents and let them know the details of the assessment?  Maybe they could have done a mass mailing earlier.  I don’t know what the costs of that would be, and if residents would complain about that cost.  For the residents that do not have access to a computer, maybe something like a monthly newsletter would be helpful.  There again you could be running into a cost issue.  The Birch Run/Bridgeport Herald does seem to carry more Bridgeport news than they did in the past.  The weekly paper is sold in all the local stores and only costs 75 cents per issue.

I personally feel that it is up to the residents to be aware of what is going on, from the local to the federal level; to seek out the information that will affect your quality of life, your taxes, and your future. 

There were some other things brought up about the legality of this assessment.  From the small amount of research I had done earlier about assessments, I had the impression that the township has all the legal aspects done properly.  I don’t have the time, energy, or patience in this blog post to go over this issue.  Perhaps I will in a future post.

It was obvious by some of the comments made during this meeting that residents have not forgotten the troubles of the past boards, of the bridge affair.  While talking with residents of our township it becomes clear that the township board is still disliked, hated might be a more accurate word.  If people cannot let go of the past and work together to move this township forward, there is no hope for the future of our township.

Things that were said and done before, during, and after the meeting reminded me of two events I have experienced in the past.  The first one was an exercise that we did in our 5^th grade classroom.  The teacher put all the students in a circle and told the first student a brief story.  That student was to tell the next student the same story, then the second student was to tell the third student and so on.  By the time the last student in the circle repeated the story back to the teacher, it barely resembled the original story.  I guess the moral of the story is don’t believe everything you hear, get the facts straight from the original source.

Another incident happened in college.  There was a class that had part 1 in the fall semester and part 2 in the winter semester.  Teacher A always taught part 1 in the fall and then took the winter semester off.  Part 2 was taught by another teacher, teacher B.  Teacher A had a grudge against teacher B and had for many years.  Teacher A told his young naive impressionable students in the fall class that he wouldn’t be there for the winter class, that instead it would be teacher B.  He neglected to tell them that this is the way it was done every year, instead he led them to believe that this was being forced upon him by the college.  Once the winter semester started with teacher B at the helm, the well-intentioned but gullible students started so much trouble over this that it almost lead to the dismissal of teacher B.  Luckily there was one student who knew the whole story including the long vendetta by teacher A.  That student stood up to the administration with the truth of what was going on.  Teacher B was not dismissed but sadly was disillusioned by the whole sordid affair and did end up taking early retirement afterwards.  This story shows the power that one person with a vendetta, with an agenda, can do with a little twisting of the truth and people that are willing to blindly follow without knowing the whole truth.

Bridgeport Township Board Meeting November 5th, 2014

They covered many items at tonight's meeting:
A. Special Orders
1. Public Hearing General Fund Budget Fiscal Year 2015 starts at 3:25 in the video.
2. Set Special Town Board Meeting for November 17, 2014 starts at 4:10
The Public Comments start at 5:10
Under New Business they covered the following items. This starts at 14:25
You can see the budget here 2015 Bridgeport Budget Report
1. General Fund Budget FY2015
2. Cemetery Budget FY2015
3. Refuse Budget FY2015
4. Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Budget FY2015
5. Buildings & Codes Budget FY2015
6. Drug Enforcement Budget FY2015
7. Williamson Acres Budget FY2015
8. Construction Fund Budget FY2015
9. Equipment Pool Budget FY2015 (this was scratched from the list for tonight)
10. Resolution R14-20 Foreclosed Properties Saginaw County
11. Resolution R14-21 General Fund Appropriation Act FY2015
12. Resolution R14-22 Designating County Drainage District/Petition-Southfield Village
13. Sidewalks 5 year assessment at 1.25% interest rate
14. 2015 Township Attorney list
15. 2015 Township Board Meeting Schedule
16. 2015 Township Designated Holidays
17. 2015 Financial Institutions
18. 2015 Planning Commission Schedule
19. Set Public Hearing Date for Public Safety Assessment for Police and Fire starts at 29:10 in the video.
20. Sale of 1999 Malibu starts at 29:55
21. Special land use 5195 Dixie Hwy. #09-11-5-05-4003-000 starts at 31:24
22. Special land use Roedel Rd. #09-11-5-13-3003-004 starts at 33:12
23. Resignation of Trustee Vanessa Guerra starts at 34:30
Comments by the board members starts at 37:00

Battle Of The Signs In Bridgeport

Battle of the signs and common sense in Bridgeport..........

I see these two signs while out and about here in Bridgeport.  To me they represent the two paths that Bridgeport residents can take on November 4th.  

The Yes Path will lead to a safer and better community for our residents.  I have posted videos and blog posts concerning the police and fire departments special assessments.  You can find all the facts and figures there.
This was a presentation given by Police Chief Dave Duffett and Fire Chief Patrick Nelson in October at the Bridgeport Gun Club
http://bridgeportmusings.blogspot.com/2014/10/bridgeport-township-police-and-fire.html

This was a presentation by Fire Chief Patrick Nelson
http://bridgeportmusings.blogspot.com/2014/07/bridgeport-building-and-grounds-meeting.html

Another presentation by Fire Chief Patrick Nelson
http://bridgeportmusings.blogspot.com/2014/04/bridgeport-township-building-and.html

The Bridgeport Police Department has a Facebook page you can follow
https://www.facebook.com/bridgeportchartertownship

The Bridgeport Fire Department has a Facebook page you can follow
https://www.facebook.com/bridgeportfire.dept

They both post updates on their departments and what is going on in the community.  You can also sign up for the Constant Contact emails from the township government.  They include the logs of all the police and fire department calls every week, what meetings are coming up and the minutes of the meetings.  If you have any doubt that we need more money for the two departments, just read the weekly list of calls.  I know that in my neighborhood crime continues to increase.  You can see all the past call logs on the township website under the departments.     http://bridgeportmi.org/  The link to sign up for the emails is at the bottom of the website.
The Bridgeport Township Government also has a Facebook page you can follow.  They post updates for the community, the police and fire department call logs, etc.....
https://www.facebook.com/bridgeporttownship

The information is out there for the residents, in the meetings, online, in the weekly Birch Run/Bridgeport Herald newspaper, or you can contact any of the township officials or the police and fire departments.  It is up to the residents to make the effort to seek this information out, to get involved in our community.

The No Path is a path into the past really.  It is not the path to a better future for our community, a safer path for the members of our police and fire departments that we expect to be there to protect and serve our community; it is a path into the bitterness of the past, of the battles that took place in our community and divided our community.  There is no hope for a prosperous future on this No Path.
I was reading a article online about social media and there was a comment in there that struck a chord with me when thinking about the future of Bridgeport:
"Instead, it’s that we’re a culture of complainers. We use complaints as icebreakers or to bond with others: What’s with this weather? What’s with our boss? We use complaints to establish rapport. Studies have suggested that complaining adds years to your life by helping us release tension. But we also complain because it’s in our nature, and we’re more apt to complain than to do something about it."
It was especially the last line that reminded me of the problems in Bridgeport, that we are more apt to complain than to do something about it.  I had become one of the complainers and haters, was doing nothing to make this a better community.  It is time for some of our residents to let go of the past and move forward if we want to have any hope for the future of our little community.  Do something positive, make a difference!!
I am not saying that we should  just blindly accept everything that goes on.  If you see something you don't like, think is wrong, stand up, fight for change.  BUT there is a difference between fighting for a better future and just bitching, complaining, being negative towards everything in our community.  Some peoples energy would be better spent doing something positive instead of the same old worn out tiresome hate.

Bridgeport Township Police and Fire Departments Special Assessment Presentation

Bridgeport Township Police Chief Dave Duffett and Fire Chief Patrick Nelson gave a presentation at the Bridgeport Gun Club of the details for the Police and Fire Special Assessments that will be on the November ballot.
There are several things I would like to point out right up front.
First is the language on the ballot that seems confusing to most people that I have shown it to.  It states "Shall the entire unincorporated portion of Bridgeport Charter Township...".  Some people think that means that only part of Bridgeport will be assessed or that it is some kind of subterfuge language.  It is not subterfuge it is just legalese language.  The assessment will be on ALL tax parcels in Bridgeport that have one or more structures on the parcel, not on any vacant parcels.
Second is that the Bridgeport Downtown Development Authority does not capture any monies from special assessments like these.  So no matter what anyone may say, the DDA will not be getting any of this money, it is just for the fire and police departments.
Lastly, these proposals on the ballot will just be to approve the special assessment district.  The ballot language does list the proposed flat rate cost for the police and fire departments, but after the assessments are approved, then there will another public hearing on November 17th, 2014 to set the rate.  The public can come to this special hearing and have their say on what the costs for the assessment should be.  The cost WILL NOT go any higher than what is listed on the ballot.  This is my understanding of the technicalities and hopefully I have that correct!

Chief Duffett and Chief Nelson provide such good information on their departments and on the special assessment in this meeting.  Please take the time to watch it!!

Here is some information from the handouts they provided at the meeting.

For the Police Department:
The proposed rate is $37.80 per tax parcel with one or more structures for a 5 year  period. 
The money raised will be used to bring back 2 full time Police Officer positions, and to fund their uniforms and gear.
Their current staffing level includes 1 Police Chief, 1 Sgt/Uniformed Investigator and 6 Patrol Officers.  At their current staffing levels there are times when there is no officer on duty due to things like vacations or illness.  With two more officers they will  be able to maintain 24/7 coverage.
In 2011, they responded to 7,240 calls.
In 2012, they responded to 6,807 calls (the decrease was due to their low staffing levels at that time).
In 2013, they responded to 8,159 calls.
For 2014 they are on pace to respond to approximately 8,800 calls.
With the two new officers they would be able to be proactive in trying to prevent crime in Bridgeport, instead of just reactive.
If you have any questions you can contact them at 989-777-2800 or by email - dduffett@bridgeportmi.org
The township website is www.bridgeportmi.org
The Police Department Facebook page is Bridgeport Township Police Department


For the Fire Department:
They have a lot of information about their department and their needs so it will just be easier to post a copy of the pages of information they provided.  Just click on each photo to see a larger version of it.

If you have any questions you can contact them
Fire Chief Patrick Nelson
989-777-2400 ext 233
email - fire@bridgeportmi.org
The township website is www.bridgeportmi.org
The Fire Department Facebook page is Bridgeport Township Fire Department
 

MY THOUGHTS ON THE ASSESSMENT

I am hoping that our residents will get out and vote for these two assessments!!  Anyone that lives in this township knows that we need more police protection.  I know right in my neighborhood the crime has increased.  Chief Duffett quoted some FBI stats about the police levels for similar population size townships and they have 18 police officers, we only have 8.  We need these two other officers and it would be nice to be sure we always have 24/7 protection.
The Fire Department is in need of support from our community.  They have a long list of the things they need  to just maintain the fire station, their apparatus (vehicles) and their equipment.
The men and women from both of these departments literally put their lives on the line to protect all of us in our community and we need to support them.

PLEASE VOTE YES ON NOVEMBER 4TH FOR THESE TWO ASSESSMENTS

Bridgeport Building and Grounds Meeting July 29th 2014 - Fire Department Safety Assessment

Bridgeport Fire Chief Pat Nelson gave a presentation about the Fire Department Special Assessment that will be placed before the Bridgeport voters.
They discussed two different options.
The first option is a $45.00 assessment that would cover only maintenance and repairs of the existing Fire Department Building and the maintenance of the fire apparatus and equipment.
The second option is for a $55.00 assessment that would cover a new building for the Fire Department and also the maintenance of the fire apparatus and equipment.
There is no new staffing included in the assessment and the assessment would be for a 10 year period.  Also important to note about the assessment is that none of this money is captured by the Bridgeport DDA Board.  Some residents seem to be concerned about that and that needs to be clear to the residents.  The residents also need to know that if things change: such as some of the repairs don't need to be made, the financial situations change, the fire department is able to get some grant money for some of these repairs or new equipment, then the assessment would be adjusted accordingly.  Translation - The township would adjust the assessment down to perhaps $40.00 instead of the $45.00.  It would be reevaluated on a yearly basis I believe and adjusted as needed.  I don't believe they can adjust it over the $45.00 assessment.  I know many people in our community won't believe that the township will adjust the assessment down but we will just have to have faith and trust them.

The Building and Grounds Board members voted to go with the $45.00 assessment and they will present that to the Township Board.  We really need a new fire department building but sadly there is little chance to get that $55.00 assessment passed by the voters.  They will look at possibly going with another option in the future for something like a bond to finance a new building.

This meeting was a little over a hour long and very informative.  Chief Nelson gave a very detailed report on the condition of the fire department building and the equipment, the upcoming needed repairs etc.  The current building was built in 1972 and is in need of some major repairs.  Are residents aware that the second story floor is separating from the wall?  Most residents have no idea how much fire apparatus and equipment is used by the department and the costs involved in maintaining it or replacing it.
There was some excellent  discussions in this meeting by Chief Nelson and the board members about the needs and problems faced by our fire department and our community.  Are residents aware that one of the old vehicles broke down on the way to a call for a cardiac arrest?  One of the members mentions a Bridgeport resident Joey Popp who is alive today because of our emergency services here.  I suspect most residents have no idea how often our fire and police departments are called into service.  You can see the statistics on the calls they respond to on the Bridgeport Township website and the calls are posted in the weekly Birch Run Bridgeport Herald newspaper.  When you look at the statistics they are just numbers to most people, until it is your house that is on fire, until it is you or one of your family that is having a heart attack, until it is your home that was just broken into.  Sadly it not until then that many people realize the importance of the services our fire and police departments provide.  I have heard talk from some in this community that we do not need a fire or police department -- Maybe in some utopian fantasy world that might be true, but it is not true in our present world here in Bridgeport.

There was some very honest and important discussion in this meeting.  The Bridgeport residents need to hear the information and understand it.  Then they need to make a decision, will they vote to support our Fire Department, and also our Police Department, and help to ensure the safety and quality of life for our community and it's residents?  I hope they do.

** Chief Nelson has stated on several occasions that if anyone would like to stop by the Fire Department and look around and talk with them they would be more than happy to show you around and answer your questions.

Bridgeport Township Building and Grounds Committee Meeting April 14th, 2014

The business discussed at tonight's meeting was the condition of our fire department building and the equipment that they use to perform their work.  The equipment they use to save lives and protect the lives of their personnel are all getting old, they take a lot of wear and tear, and it is expensive to replace.  That includes everything from their breathing apparatus to the fire engines.  The Fire Department building was built in 1972 and is in need of some major repairs,  in the video they do discuss the repairs needed and the various options.  We could just keep making repairs, but someday it will get to the point that the repairs are not enough, so why keep sinking money into the old building now when someday it will need to be replaced anyways.  I think the best option would be a new building; yes a new building would be very expensive but it would be worth the investment for our excellent Fire Department and for our community.  Maybe we can't get a new building right now, but we need to at least make sure they have the proper equipment right now.
I think we have a great Fire Chief in Patrick Nelson and I have always been proud of our Bridgeport Fire Department. They do so many different things:   Fire Suppression, Medical First Response, Hazardous Materials Response, Ice/Water Rescue, Technical Rescue, Public Education, Code Enforcement, Plan Review and Inspections.  I don't have the yearly total of how many calls they respond to,  but you can look at the list of weekly calls on the Bridgeport Township website http://www.bridgeportmi.org/

We expect them to be there to protect our lives and our property, and so the Bridgeport Township Government and the Bridgeport Township residents need to find a way to provide them with the funds they need to do that properly and safely.
Chief Nelson explains in excellent detail what the conditions are for the Fire Department and what their needs are.  Please take the time to watch the video and listen to his presentation.

The meeting minutes are now up on Bridgeports website.  They go into great detail of the things discussed. Building and Grounds Meeting Minutes