Bridgeport Township Board Meeting November 6th, 2024

 On the Agenda:
Adoption of Agenda begins at 0:54
Approval of Minutes - October 1st, 2024 Regular Meeting begins at 1:17
Special Orders - 
1.  Public Hearing for 2025 General Fund Budget begins at 1:52
Public Comments begin at 2:32
Unfinished Business - 
1.  Resolution R24-20 General Fund Budget & Appropriation Act for FY2025 begins at 13:13
New Business - 
1.  2025 Fiscal Year Budgets begins at 19:18
2.  Resolution R24-21 Fort Road Trail Loop Development begins at 38:33
3.  Resolution R24-22 Police Protection Public Safety Resolution begins at 42:37
4.   Resolution R24-23 Healthcare Employer/Employee begins at 44:37
5.   Resolution R24-24 Mid Michigan Waste Authority Appointment Trustee & Alternate begins at 46:52
6.   Streetlight Assessment begins at 47:42
7.   Firearm Disposal begins at 48:25
8.   Brush Contract begins at 49:29
9.   MSHDA 3rd Party Administrator begins at 51:06
10.  123, Net Metro Act Permit Application begins at 1:06:51
Accounts Payable Checks 73078 through 73165  &641,182.10 begins at 1:07:48
Police Department Report begins at 1:08:24
Fire Department Report begins at 1:09:48
Manager's Report begins at  1:12:03
Board Member Comments begin at 1:14:57

I have been thinking long and hard about what I was going to say about this meeting and I still don't know so I guess we will find out as I type.  LOL :-)

First -  Once again Bridgeport residents don't surprise me.  Major increase of views of this video over the normal sad amount of views.  I would like to think it is because residents are interested in the meeting content.  But with years of experience here, I do believe it is just because there was some yelling and drama.  Drama always brings in views, kind of like vultures circling around a dead carcass.

Second - Lets talk about Roger, and Roger and the brush contract. Roger is a local fixture.  I have seen and heard some true nonsense come from him over the years, sadly some of the best hasn't been captured on video.  I could make money on those videos.  So on to the brush contract.  I believe it is every two years they put out the notice for bids for the contract to pickup the brush in our township.  This is a free service to the residents.  Roger had that contract multiple times in the past.  It was several years ago that Roger had won the contract again, but just 2 weeks I believe before the pickup service was supposed to start Roger did make a scene I heard in a board meeting and tore up the contract right there.  That left the township with no time to put out the request for bids from companies so the township had to hire whatever company could come in at the last minute and take over the service.  Of course the township had to pay a higher price for the service .  Then I believe that Roger was complaining about the township "costing the residents because of the higher price".  It wasn't the township that cost the residents, it was Roger because of the games he played.  He didn't screw the township board members, he screwed the residents.  Some people might suspect he did it all intentionally.  So for the 2025 pickup year the township put out the notice for bids for the service.  I got the notice in my email from the township, saw it on the website.  When I saw the notice I wondered "is Roger going to apply", 🙄.  Roger claims he was unaware of the bid notice and wanted to put in his bid at the last minute at the meeting.  They said the bids had already been opened and the decision made so he was too late.  The township verified that he did receive the email with the notice.  If Roger had won the contract 3 times in the past I would think he would be aware of the time frame that this process is done in.  As a business owner I would think keeping on top of these things would be your priority.  Just more drama.  In my view once you screw over a customer, that customer should never allow you back to possibly screw them over again. 

Third - The Great Lakes Discovery Center and the Fort Road Trail Loop.  They are separate items but they do tie together.  I have a lot to say but will probably leave most for later.  Lets start with the Discovery Center.  The township spent years working on a land swap with the federal government to swap the two sections of land between Fayette/Fort Rd and I-75.  The township owned the section that borders Fayette/Fort Rd.  The section behind the truck stop and Cracker Barrel was owned by a private citizen begore it was sold to the federal government.  The township swapped these two sections and now owned the section behind Cracker Barrel.  The purpose was supposed to be to build the Great Lakes Discovery Center there and it would be a part of the refuge.  I will never forget the DDA Board meeting when the paperwork was final and the presentation was made.  Sadly the township also announced at that meeting that the Great Lakes Discovery Center was off the table and that land would be set for sale for commercial property development.  It was a shocking day and I have never gotten over it.  Any moron knows that land is no good for commercial development, and to even try would damage the already damaged wetlands that are in these areas.  So now years later, that land is still sitting there and nothing is being done with it. Thankfully it hasn't been harmed any more than it already is.  So it is possible some investors want to come in and develop the Great Lakes Discovery Center.  That would be fantastic.  Will have to hear the details though because the devil is always in the details.  I trust No One especially when it comes to these sections of land. The former private owner of the township section went in and put in culverts and drainage ditches that damaged the land and wetlands.  That damage needs to be repaired on that section of land.  

Now onto the Fort Road Trail Loop.  But first we have to go back decades, back to when Bridgeport somehow got permission from the Army Corp of Engineers to dig that stupid canal along Fayette/Fort Road from the river to the once beautiful pond in Davis Park.  I believe it was around the same time period that the road needed repairs from flooding and when they did that they took out one of the two culverts that drained water from the other side of the road into the pond in Davis Park.  Anyone ever wonder why there are all those dead trees on the other side of the road?  Because after removing one culvert and the stupid canal, the flow of the river and the natural flow of water through the wetland area was changed, totally screwed up.  Those trees are dead from the flooding on the other side of the road and the pond is destroyed due the culvert and road work and the canal.  That pond never used to dry up and the fishing there and in the river was fantastic.  Not anymore.   Why does anyone think the big sandbar is forming in the river in front of the canal by the bridge?  Basically the river is trying to repair itself.  That manmade disaster of a canal is dry 11 months out of the year, the rest of the time it is flooded or just sitting there with a few inches of nasty stagnant water in it.  No one in Bridgeport wants to  repair the damage they caused by digging that stupid canal and other issues, no one cares about it.  Hey the Parks guy has his pretend island so that is all that is important.  It was never a island, it will never be a island.  It was a small finger of land that was between the once beautiful river and the once beautiful pond.  Davis Park Island, a total fantasy and a sad and destructive fantasy.  It breaks my heart every time I go there and look at the damage, it breaks my heart that no one cares and no one will ever repair the damage. It is such an ugly nasty mess now.  I am all for the Fort Road Trail Loop.  I have been walking that path myself for years and years, without a paved trail.  I just wish that they would first restore the land and river to its natural state and its natural beauty before they build the loop trail.  Maybe I can lead tours on their new path and point out all the damage and tell them tales of how beautiful it used to be years and years ago.

Final Thoughts -  

  I would like to say Thank You to Augie and Jimmy for their years of service to our township and for some years of memories, some good and some not so good, even though they really all turned out to be good, and an educating and fun experience for me.

  And to you residents that were posting online that Augie should not be allowed to even attend meetings in the future, I think one person even thought they should start a petition to stop him from being able to attend meetings in the future, Sorry but he will be attending meetings as is his right to do so, where as most of you can't ever be bothered to attend or really contribute anything to our community.

  The MSHDA grants.  I don't know much about it except it is grant money that will be available to repair Bridgeport resident's homes.  The process is just beginning.  When it is up and running then residents will be able to apply and if they meet the qualifications they will get the help.  Will share more information when it is available.  Keep and eye out on their township emails and website also for any updates.

  Maybe it would be better for one person to be doing the Parks and Recreation department job and a another person doing the DDA Coordinators job.  I guess it saves money having one person do both jobs but common sense says having two people for the two jobs might be more effective.  And probably less stressful for the people.

  

  

 

Bridgeport Township DDA Board Meeting February 24th, 2016

On the agenda:
Public Comments begin at 2:15
New Business -
- Beautification 2016 begins at 5:52
- Inspection of Bridge Maintenance begins at 8:08
- Saginaw Future begins at 10:37
Old Business -
- Great Lakes Discovery Center Update begins at 12:35
- North Gateway Update begins at 15:47
- Cass River Trail Head Update begins at 18:35
- a. Funding Update begins at 25:17
DDA Coordinator's Report begins at 27:05
© 2016 Carla Citizen All Rights Reserved

Mr. Larry Ford from the Birch Run/Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce spoke during the public comment period.  He gave a update on the success of the Chamber's "Best Of Awards" dinner and award ceremony.  It was a fantastic evening and Joel Fieck did a great job as the emcee for the awards ceremony.
The DDA Coordinator and others had lots of positive updates about things going on in Bridgeport right now.  2016 is looking to be a very beautiful and exciting year here in Bridgeport.
Mr. John Hoffman was recognized at the meeting.  He and his wife Betty were the winners of the Bridgeport "Citizen Of The Year" award.  There was a small luncheon after the meeting.  I want to mention the Chocolate Fudge cake they had from Kroger's here in Bridgeport.  For my fellow chocolate lovers - be sure to try it!
The DDA meeting was rescheduled from it's usual time earlier this month because DDA Coordinator Steve Dobis was in Florida for several weeks.  He just came back here to Michigan earlier this week I believe.  I think Mother Nature just wanted to remind Mr. Dobis of what Michigan can be like in the winter.  So if anyone is upset with this severe winter storm we are having right now, you can blame it on Mr. Dobis.  

Volunteers Needed For Special River Cleanup in Frankenmuth on Saturday September 19th, 2015

From the Cass River Greenway Blog -- "With the construction on the Frankenmuth dam/rock ramp and the low water level in the river above the dam, the Cass River Greenway Committee is taking advantage of this opportunity to also clean up the river.  The group is planning a special river clean-up on Saturday, September 19 and is looking for volunteers to help."
They list the phone number and email address to contact them on their blog post here --
http://www.cassriver.org/cass-river-blog/special-river-clean-up-during-dam-construction

33rd Annual Great Lakes Rendezvous August 14-15-16, 2015

They have moved their event to Davis Park Island here in beautiful downtown Bridgeport this year.   Hoping to see lots of our Bridgeport residents come out and support them.  If you have never been to one of their events you are missing out.  It is a very interesting and fun event.  You can click on the photo to see a larger version.  They will be having many events and the canoe race will be Saturday the 15th at 2pm.

7th Annual Cass River Cleanup Project July 25th, 2015

This was a fantastic event!

I would first like to say THANK YOU to all the volunteers that joined in this cleanup and helped to make the beautiful Cass River here in Bridgeport a little cleaner, actually a lot cleaner!  This is a annual event held by the Cass River Greenway Organization - http://www.cassriver.org/

Bill  Wheeler the Bridgeport Parks & Recreation Director helped to organize this years event here in Bridgeport.  Great Job!!  

These people that do this event every year in a different section of the Cass River are a great bunch of people.  They are from many different communities here along the Cass River.  This was my first time at one of these events but it will not be the last time.  If you have never joined in before, I highly recommend you join in one of their future events.  Any time you have a excuse to play in the river and make a difference at the same time - That is always a good thing :-)

I want to give a personal shout out here to those that I know of that were involved in helping to make this event so successful.  These are the sponsors listed on the back of the really nice t-shirt I got:  Leinenkugel's Canoes For A Cause, Cass River Yacht Club, Bridgeport Township Parks & Recreation,

Bridgeport Township Downtown Development Authority,  Grasel Graphics, Bavarian Inn Restuarant, Cass River Greenway, McDonald's Of Bridgeport, Great Lakes Commission des Grands Lacs, Billy's Contracting, R.A. Monk Insurance.  Also Thank You to Bridgeport residents Glen Chaney, Dr. Darrow and Jim Secord for allowing their property to be used for access to the river.  Also Gobeyn's Service Station for picking up and disposing of the 14 tires that were removed from the Cass River. Almost forgot Star of the West Milling Co. that provides trucks every year to help with the cleanups.

Some Bridgeport residents that joined in the clean up were Township Supervisor Augie Tausend and Township Manager Rose Licht, Police Chief Dave Duffett and Officer Mat Kaz-Mika, and Bill Wheeler.  Bridgeport's public servants got wet, muddy and did a great job in helping with this cleanup!  Rose, Augie and Chief Duffett did get a car door out of the river!  Miss Bridge Fest 2015, Chelsea Nedrow also joined us in the cleanup.  She drove a long way to come and get wet, muddy and pitch in to help cleanup.  I think she is a great representative for our Bridgeport community.   There was also a great group of teens from the Wolverine Human Services, Pioneer Work & Learn Vassar program.  They did a great job of helping out, got out a lot of trash, looked like they had fun doing it too!

I got a few photo's from the event.  You can see them here - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1620422311572214.1073741828.1620376131576832&type=3

and the Bridgeport Parks and Recreation has a few photo's of the event posted -  https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=754385688020539&id=379963902129388

7th Annual Cass River Clean-up July 25th, 2015

There is still time to volunteer and sign up for the Cass River Cleanup

July 25th - 7th Annual Cass River Clean Up.
From the Cass River Greenways Blog site:
"The Cass River Greenway Committee is hosting the 7th Annual Cass River Clean-up. We will be spending the morning of Saturday, July 25th cleaning up a five to six mile section of the river between the Dixie Highway and downtown Bridgeport.

Volunteers are needed to walk along the river and collect all types of trash. Wear old clothes and boots, hip boots, waders, or old shoes. We suggest you bring mosquito repellent. If you are interested in helping, please pre-register by calling Bill Wheeler, Parks & Recreation Director Bridgeport Township at 989.777.0940 ext. 222, or send an email to wheeler@bridgeportmi.org . Volunteers who register by July 10th and give us their t-shirt size will receive a free t-shirt!
All volunteers are to meet at Davis Park in Bridgeport by 8:00am (Davis Park is located behind the Fire Dept. and Township Office Building). Breakfast and event instruction will be provided at that time. A completed volunteer waiver form is required from every participant before taking part in the event, which will be available at the orientation."
The Cass River Greenway website can be viewed here - http://www.cassriver.org/
 

Sunday Morning in Lyle Park

I haven't been able to make my daily walks through Davis or Lyle parks here in Bridgeport for about 2 months, much to my dog's disapproval.  We finally made it this morning and it was a nice morning.  There were no mosquitoes and no trash!!  
Not sure who to give the credit to for the lack of mosquitoes, but great job there.  The amount of dog poop throughout Lyle Park was becoming a problem even though they do provide small bags for the dog walkers to carry and pick up the waste.  It seemed few people were using those bags..  The bags are in small park area entrance in front of the Historic Bridge.    Today though I saw no dog poop and no trash.  I believe the credit for this belongs to Bridgeport resident Sue Schluckebier and her friend that walk through the park.  They have been picking up the trash and the dog waste left behind by the park users.  Great Job!!  I used to pick up the trash on my walks but never picked up the dog waste, I have my limits!!
There is another bench in Lyle Park to sit on and a table, another trash can.  The park is looking good!  Some may think the weeds along the edges are getting too high but that is a issue that is debatable.  It looks nice when all the weeds are trimmed down and you can view the river but those weeds are not really just weeds.  There are many different types of wildflowers and milkweed plants.  Even some of the plants that are considered weeds have flowers that are beneficial to the pollinators.  The pollinators are in trouble worldwide and so are the Monarch Butterflies that depend on the milkweed plants.  So when the weeds go, so do the beneficial plants.  So what do you do?  I enjoy the many flowering plants along the river, part of the pleasure of the walk.
So Bridgeport residents, get out and enjoy our lovely little parks, just please clean up after yourself!

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 Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Meeting February 25th, 2015

On the agenda:
Committee Reports- a. Park & Landscape Committee, b. Recreation Programming Committee, c. Finance Committee, begins at 2:43
Old Business -
a. Canoe/Kayak Launches begins at 11:25
b. Basketball Season Summary begins at 26:57
New Business -
a. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Meeting Dates begins at  30:15
b. Easter Egg Hunt begins at 32:00
c. River Clean Up July 25, 2015 begins at 37:00
d. Baseball/Softball Season begins at 42:50
e. Great Lakes Bay Miracle League begins at 43:18
f. Young Champions Cheer Leading Program begins at  50:57
g. Free Fishing Weekend begins at 54:08
Parks & Recreation Director Report -
a. 2014 Year in Review begins at 58:08
b. State MRPA Conference Report, c.CYSA Certification, d. Grant Writing Class Update begins at 1:00:38
e. Seasonal Employees begins at 1:11:45
Board Member Comment begins at 1:13:42

Parks & Recreation Director Bill Wheeler will be holding more regular scheduled meetings.  This meeting is very informal and more fun than some of the township meetings.  The members seem like a great bunch of people.  Hopefully community members will start attending the meetings and get involved in the committees and events.  I will get the exact dates for the meetings and keep the public updated.
The Parks Department offers some great activities for residents like the sports programs, easter egg hunts, the Cass River clean up, etc....
After the meeting I looked at the proposed site plan for the canoe/kayak launch in Davis Park and it is good.
There are some exciting things happening in Bridgeport.  Bill Wheeler and the board members have put a lot of work into these programs.  Good Job!!
The Parks & Recreation Department are on Facebook, go give them a like and keep updated on all the latest events --  Bridgeport Parks & Recreation Department

Bridgeport Township DDA Board Meeting February 25th, 2015

On the agenda:
New Business -
- Mike Szuhkent from the Birch Run Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce begins at 3:00 in the video.
- Business Development.Marketing begins at 13:50
Old Business -
- Canoe Launch and walking trail discussion begins at 17:45
- Great Lakes Discovery Center begins at 28:12
- Beautification begins at 30:57
- Review of 4422 Williamson begins at 33:50
- I-75 Billboard begins at 1:13:38
- Carpenter Plaza begins at 1:15:45
DDA Member Comments begins at 1:19:16
Next Meeting will be on March 11, 2015 at Noon in the Governmental Center

First up was Mike Szuhkent from Birch Run.  I am a person that is resistant to change but they have won me over as far as the merging of the Bridgeport and Birch Run Chamber of Commerce groups.  I am very impressed with Mr. Szuhkent, with his positive attitude and energy, with his vision for the future.  I believe that the Birch Run members and Steve Dobis can make this merger work and bring some good things in the future for our two communities.  Mr. Szuhkent will be making a longer presentation at the March 11th DDA Board meeting.  I plan on being there and look forward to hearing what he says.
The future of the Great Lakes Discovery Center is finally closer to being a reality and that will be exciting.
The canoe/kayak launches are going to be a reality soon.  I don't think I am the only resident that  will be excited about that!!
The former Bridgeport Oil & Gas / B & S Heating property is now called Bridgeport Cass River Trailhead.  I think that is a great name for it and hope they keep that name.  Here is the proposed plan for the restoration and improvements for the site from December 2014.  Click on the photo to see a larger version and see the detail.

Several of the board members are concerned about the cost of this plan.  That is a very legitimate concern but I just don't quite agree with their suggestions for lowering the cost.  The largest line item on the cost projection is for the restoration of the old gas station.  The plan is to restore the facade of the building to make it look like the old Hamann station and then working on the inside to install public bathrooms.
Here are two photos of the station, first one is from 1956 and the second is from 1970.

The gas station may not be as old as the bridge but it is as much a part of Bridgeport as the bridge is.  Restoring the facade to look like the old station would be a nice touch to the proposed park area.  The station and station owners were a much loved part of Bridgeport and restoring it would be supported by many members of the community.  By not restoring it, it may cost the loss of some support from the community for the park area.
One board member mentioned the old gas station on Washington  Ave. in Saginaw near St. Mary's Hospital.  It is a very cool old building.  It was sitting boarded up and I believe it had graffiti painted on it.  To try and hide some of the blight in Saginaw, they have had some talented artists paint murals on the blighted buildings.  It looks nice, but it is still a boarded up blighted building.  Here are two photos of that gas station on Washington posted on the Pure Saginaw and Lost in Michigan Facebook pages.

In my opinion -- I would rather see the facade of the building painted to look like the old Bridgeport Oil & Gas Station than having a mural painted on it to look like a painted blighted building.  How much money would really be saved by doing the suggestion of the board members or in their other suggestion of just tearing the old station down?  Tanya Moore is the professional here and I trust her work and vision on this project. 

Bridgeport Township DDA Board Meeting September 10th, 2014

Discussed at today's meeting:
Under New Business -
1. Beautification Meeting Update which begins about 2:30 in the video.
Under Old Business -
1. Canoe Launch begins at 23:38 in the video.
2. Public Meeting Update - 4422 Williamson property begins at 38:12 in the video.
3. I-75 Billboard Update begins at 53:10 in the video.
4. 2015 Budget begins at 56:18 in the video.
5. DDA Sidewalks begins at 58:20 in the video.

DDA Coordinator's Report begins at 1:15:48 in the video.

Special Meeting Of The Bridgeport Township DDA Board, September 3rd, 2014

This was a special meeting open to the public to discuss future development plans for a parcel of property in downtown Bridgeport next to the Historic State Street Bridge that is owned by the DDA Board.  The property was at one time the Bridgeport Oil and Gas Station, most recently it was the
B & S Heating and Cooling building.
Carl Hamann and Steve Dobis, the DDA Coordinator,  gave a presentation to some of the DDA board members and other Bridgeport Township Employees.

Cass River Virtual Tour

Stolen Signs, Straight Facts and Other Musings This Week In Bridgeport

My first rant is about the low life that is stealing the Bridgeport Library Millage Signs.  I really don't know what to say about this, well I do actually have some thoughts but they would probably get my blog banned from the internet.  I will just say that you have to be the lowest of lowest to steal these signs.

My second rant is about people that need to get their facts straight and tell the truth about the Bridgeport Public Library Millage Renewal.  I saw this sign yesterday alongside a road here in Bridgeport and was in disbelief that anyone would even put this up, or leave it parked alongside a public road.

This is not a New Millage!  This is a RENEWAL of the old millage of 1.5 mills that we have voted to give to the library for years.  You can see more details on a earlier blog post - http://bridgeportmusings.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-importance-of-bridgeport-public.html
Is someone upset that it may cost about $50.00 per year to support our library?  $50.00 is just a few nights out in our local bars, I don't think that is too much for someone to give up and it would be a healthier option for people!

There is no millage for the DDA!  Let me explain this again... The DDA captures a small percentage of taxes here in Bridgeport. 
I don't remember the figures exactly of what they collect but I believe it will be about $30,000 from the library millage; $44,000 from the Delta College Millage; $100,000 from the Bridgeport Township taxes and  about $180,000 from taxes collected by Saginaw County.  Sorry if I don't have these figures exactly right, but they should be close.
You can see that the smallest amount they will be capturing will be from the Bridgeport Library Millage Renewal.
I have heard that a person or people want to "dry up" the funds going to the DDA.. OK, if that is your reasoning, then why are you only harping about the Bridgeport Library Millage when that is the smallest amount the DDA will receive?  Will you also be opposing the Delta College Millage when it comes back up for renewal in 2015/2016?
Why not lead all the residents,  at least the residents that live in the DDA District since they are the only ones that the DDA actually captures from, Why not lead them in a total tax revolt?  That would be the way to dry up the DDA funding, not by picking on the poor library.
So if you defeat the Library Millage you will only deny the DDA $30,000 BUT you will cost the Bridgeport Public Library close to $300,000 which is about 80% of their operating budget.  Who will be hurt the most by the defeat of this millage? 
If you are so dead set against the DDA, then man up and take on the DDA;  but please do not make the Bridgeport Public Library the "collateral  damage" in your battle against the DDA.


Now for my last rant of the day.  The people who leave their trash in our public parks!@#$%^&
As I took my morning walk through Lyle Park I also carried a small bag with me and picked up some of the trash that was lying alongside the trail.  It included things that have washed up in flooding, things that have been there for years, the plastic bags that fly across our land in the winds, and of course the trash that the users of our parks leave behind.
One of those pieces inspired me to take this photo:

Which piece of this trash inspired this photo?  Was it the beer can? No.    It was the Nature Valley Gluten Free Nut Health Bar Wrapper!
Obviously the person that ate that bar is health conscious.  I would think then they would also be conscious about our environment, but obviously they are not :-(

Bridgeport's Historical State Street Bridge Makes News Headlines

I felt a lot of pride when I saw that our beautiful bridge made it into this news story!
Our bridge is on page 15 of the story.  It talks a little about the condition our bridge was in and a little about the history of the type of bridge it is and about the restoration.
The story is "Roads to Nowhere: 20 Abandoned and Disused Bridges Around the World" By Stephanie Valera Published: Jul 20, 2014, 5:50 PM EDT weather.com
Photo from 2008 used in the article.

I wish they had also used a current photo of the bridge as it is today to show the contrast.  Here is a photo I recently took.

My Sunday Morning Adventure In The Cass River

It was a beautiful foggy morning along the Cass River here in Bridgeport so I took my dog for our early morning stroll.  I was lucky and found the last tire that was lying along the trail in Lyle Park and got that out. Finding that tire really made my morning and got me inspired to try and get those wood pallets out of the river.  Went home and got some knee high rubber boots and thought I was ready to tackle the river.
My plan didn't work out quite the way I thought it would.  The river was deeper in that one spot than I thought it was so I ended up with boots filled with water.  The river bottom was very mucky and I was struggling with sinking in the muck.  The pallet was about the size of 2 to 3 pallets but you couldn't tell that until I actually got it out of the water.  So as I was struggling to drag that large water logged pallet to the river bank, while also trying to not sink and get stuck in the mucky bottom, I ended up with my bottom sitting on the river bottom.........  I am sure I was a sight to see, especially once I got myself and the pallet out of the river and up the bank.  I was soaked to my waist and covered in smelly muck.
I can laugh at it now and it was worth it get that pallet out.  There is still one more pallet out there but I will wait till I come up with a better plan to get that one out.

July 4th Update On The Cass River, Lyle And Davis Parks In Bridgeport Township Michigan

This was the best thing I saw at the Cass River today, a Soft Shell Turtle basking out on one of the many logs that lie all along the bottom of the river.

There used to be so many turtles in the river and the pond in Davis Park but it has been years since I have seen any.  In the pond and park area you could always see my favorite turtle, the Painted Turtle.  But since the pond is silted in and dried up the turtles aren't there anymore.  There used to be Snapping Turtles also but I haven't seen one of them in years.  I miss the Painted Turtles but not the Snapping Turtles.
So I took my dog for the long walk and thought I would check on the water levels inside of the seven tires that lie alongside the walking trail in Lyle Park.  I could only get to one of them because of the high thick weeds.  There was plenty of water in the one tire I could get to and it wasn't too nasty since we have had so much rain lately. I took three scoops of water out of the tire and didn't see any mosquito larvae swimming around in it.  Normally the mosquito's would be so thick down at the river that you can't even stand to be there but they weren't bad today.  I went during the sunny afternoon period so that helped but I give most of the credit for the lack of the "mosquito swarms" to the Saginaw County Mosquito Abatement Commission.  I placed the one tire up alongside the walking trail and if I can get someone to help me I will get the rest of them up out of the low area and out of the park.
I let my dog go swimming today and she was happy!!  The water level is a little higher than normal for this time due to the rains but there are still places where there are only several inches of water.  Soon the sandbars will be exposed and you can walk from one sandbar to the next all around in the area of the river by the Fort Street Bridge.  It just boggles my mind trying to figure out how Bridgeport Township thinks anyone will be running canoes up this river.  With the low water levels, sandbars, trees, and the many logs that line the bottom of the river, and the garbage; this is the last place I would want to go for a canoe ride.  Something has to be done to fill the canal back in that Bridgeport Township dug and to repair the damage to the pond and river!
The pools of stagnant water in the canal are back up, but the pond in Davis Park is still mostly dried up.  So the fish and turtles are gone now that the pond is gone, but so is most of the other wildlife that was there.  The pond and river would be so full of Blue Herons, Great Egrets and Canadian Geese, various breeds of ducks.   I even saw a pair of Comorants that came for several years to the river.  Out of water, the birds that you would commonly see here in the park and river area were Bald Eagles,  various breeds of Hawks.  There were a pair of Red Tail Hawks that were in the park almost everyday for years.  Lots of other birds like Northern Flicker, Baltimore Orioles, Bluebirds.  Most of these birds are gone now from the park and river area.  I did see a pair of Bluebirds along the river twice this spring and there was a pair of Bald Eagles that came during the flooding earlier this year.  This is the first time in years that I have seen either of these birds here. There were also a couple of Canadian Geese and their hatchlings in the pond when there was still enough water there for them.
There is the huge Rookery over in the wetlands across Fayette St. and it appears that they had a good hatching over there this year, but you can watch them flying away everyday to various points, but not to the pond or river here.  Only three times have I seen Blue Herons in the pond and river here this year.  There were Fox, Muskrats, Groundhogs, Raccoons, Coyotes, even some Mink that were here for several years in the park.  No mistaking their smell!  I saw them several times over the years but there has been no sign of the Mink in years now.  The one animal that is still here are the White Tailed Deer, maybe not as abundant as they were in the park and river area, but still here.  Most of this wildlife is gone now and all I can think is that is seems to have corresponded with the decline of the river and pond because of Bridgeport digging that stupid canal and screwing this whole area up.  All of this was destroyed so Bridgeport could put a canoe launch in the pond in Davis Park back in the 1970's.  Now the canoe launch is gone, everything is destroyed and Bridgeport Township now wants to put in two more canoe launches.  I don't think the Township employes that are planning on doing that have any idea what is going on down here at the river.  They have probably never walked down here, never observed the wildlife, never enjoyed this once beautiful Cass River.  Either they are totally clueless or they just don't care what is happening here.  They are making no attempt to fix this mess or even clean the garbage up out of the parks and river, well unless you want to count them burning the trash in Davis Park as an attempt to clean it up.

Burning trash in Davis Park Bridgeport Township, MI June 13th, 2014

I posted this video on YouTube on June 13th of the trash pile they burn in Davis Park here in Bridgeport Township. I can remember them burning this trash going back probably at least two decades and another person I talked to about it said they have been doing it for as long as they can remember since the dump was closed and they turned this area into a park.  I went back the next day and that pile was still burning.

"Bridgeport Township has had a huge trash and brush pile in a wooded area of Davis Park that they have been burning for years.  You can find every kind of piece of trash in this pile that you can imagine. They also pile brush and logs etc...  into the pile.  Normally when they burn this trash pile, they burn it all the way down and there have been years when you go there and the ground is smoldering for days.  This time they did not burn it all the way down, just burned it half way down and then covered one side of the pile with more trash and dirt.  That new trash will get burnt the next time they burn this pile.  Some of the trash in this pile appears to be illegal to burn.
Here is a link from Michigan DEQ concerning Michigan Laws about the trash you can and cannot burn, also the health dangers posed by the burning - http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,4561,7-135-3310_4148_55793-234558--,00.html
So I suspect that this burn pile leaves behind some contaminant's on the ground there, then come the flooding season, this burn spot is under water, it sits just 10 to 20 yards from the Cass River.  Do the contaminant's then wash downstream in the Cass River with the floodwater's?   If so, then they end up eventually in the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge. 
There was some lumber and big logs that were still smoldering and one piece actually started burning again.  There was no one down to monitor this burning, not while my dog and I were there.
Here are Bridgeport's "Rules for Burning" from their own website - http://www.bridgeportmi.org/index.php/open-burning
There are some photos in this blog post of the trash pile taken 3 days ago before they burned it - http://bridgeportmusings.blogspot.com/2014/06/june-10th-update-on-bridgeports-lyle.html"

June 10th Update On Bridgeport's Lyle And Davis Parks

My dog and I took another walk through Bridgeport's two parks this morning.  It was nice weather for a walk, the mosquito's weren't too bad as long as you stayed out of the tall weeds and woods.  Sadly though the tires and trash were still there.
My first comment is directed to the residents that use Lyle and Davis Parks:  You bring your fishing gear, your snacks, your beer cans with you when you go to the parks, WHY do you not take them with you when you leave?  Just because Bridgeport Township itself is allowing these two parks to turn into trash piles does that mean that it is OK for you to add to the trash problem?  I used to carry plastic shopping bags with me when I would go for walks through the parks and pick up the trash left behind by my fellow residents but I quit after there was too much drug paraphernalia being left in Lyle Park.  One good side note here, in the ironic sense, is that since Bridgeport Township has closed off Lyle Park for most public use, there is less trash being left behind by the park users.

So while my dog and I were walking along the non-motorized walking trail through Lyle Park I stopped on the trail to take a few photos of the tires still lying down in the low area between the trail and railroad tracks.  I suspect all 7 tires are still there, these are just 3 of them that you can see right from the trail.  Last week they all had water in them and I suspect after the rain tonight they will have water in them again, once again serving as a mosquito breeding ground.

I was thinking that maybe some group like a Boy Scout group would be interested in getting a volunteer effort together to clean up all the trash and tires down in Lyle Park, but that probably is not a good idea.  There is too much trash, too many sharp rusty objects down in that low area.  And too many mosquitoes and  nasty plants like Poison Ivy etc..  So I guess the trash and tires will remain there, maybe some of it will get washed away downstream in the next flood.

As we walked along a little farther down the trail in Lyle Park we came upon the abandoned boat ramp and dock.  It is a sad sight to many former users.  Since I was there last week, part of a tree has fallen down and landed on the dock that just sits there on the bank now.

It felt like such a sad ending for the poor dock.  But the poor dock was often neglected by Bridgeport during it's life there.  It would sit onshore for half the summer, then late in the season they would finally put it in the water.  But then they would leave it in the water for the winter and it would end up floating downstream and then end up frozen into the river for the winter.  Maybe Bridgeport would let someone come and haul it away and give it a good home where it could be used.  Or it will probably just continue to sit there until it finally falls apart and either the pieces float downstream or they will haul it over to Davis Park and add it to the big trash/burn pile there.

There was a dead tree that had fallen down next to the trail there in Lyle Park and I was wondering if they would ever clean that up.  I was so happy when I saw that they did.  Here is where it was fallen down and you can see they cleaned it up.

But then I saw what they did with the dead tree................................................
They got some big equipment down there and pushed the tree into the river...Not all the way into the river, the trunk is sitting on the very edge of the bank and parts of the tree are in the river.

Here is a good view of that tree from the other side of the river in Davis Park.

In time that tree will end up out in the river.  The next flood will definitely dump that tree out into the river.  Friggin' Brilliant move on the part of Bridgeport Township!!
They are planning on putting in two canoe launches on the river, one right there in Davis Park.  So it makes sense that they would dump the dead tree into the river too.  That should make for some good canoeing down the Cass River through Bridgeport.  There are already trees there in the river so I guess one more won't hurt!  I would think that they would be working on clearing the other trees out of the river, not dumping more in.
Here are a few of the others..

Here are a few more down by the Fort Street Bridge.  One tree is stuck out on one of the sandbars and the big sandbar has trees down on the one end of it also.

Years ago when I was down along the Cass between the Fort Street Bridge and where the river heads towards Riverview etc... there was a huge log jam that blocked the entire river, from one side to the other.  I don't know if that log jam has been cleared out or not since I haven't been down there in years.  I heard that someone had started on clearing it out.  I have also heard that there were other log jams along the river that would interfere with running canoes down this river.   And I have heard that there are other areas between the two proposed canoe launch sites where the river is so shallow you can walk across it and there are sandbars there also.
So, you have a river that already in spots has only 1 to 2 inches of water in it, and logs and trees scattered all through it....  That doesn't sound like a good recipe for a successful canoe launch.
If I was planning on putting in two canoe launches, I would first clear the logs and trees out of the river, I would close off the man made canal along Fayette St./Fort Rd. that has caused the water flow to change in the river and has caused the silting and sandbars, I would dredge the river out so it is deep enough to run canoes down, I would clean up the trash in the two parks along the river and where one of the canoe launches is supposed to be placed.  Those are just my thoughts on how to launch a successful canoe run.

Here are a few more photos down by the Fort Street Bridge.   One is of the other end of the biggest sandbar and also one taken from the sandbar looking at the low water levels under the bridge.  More sandbars will be appearing soon as the water levels continue to drop.
My dog wasn't too happy with me at this point.  She loves to swim in the river but when the water levels get too low like they are right now, if you let them swim and don't bathe them afterwards they will break out in sores on their body.  And if you let them drink too much of this nasty water they will vomit and get the diarrhea.  So no swimming for my dog today.

Here are some more photos from the backside of the biggest sandbar and then where my dog and I walked along the ill fated man made canal that was dug from the Cass River to the once beautiful pond in Davis Park.  At the end of the canal at the river and behind the sandbar, that water is getting nasty.  There are still a few pools of the stagnant water in the canal but most of it has dried up now.  Hopefully the canal will continue to dry up, but that depends on how much rain we get the rest of this summer.  The pools of water are now showing the sheen/oily substance that tends to float on the top of the water there every year.  It doesn't show up that well in these photos but it is there.  Someone told me that is just from plant material decomposition, whatever it is, it looks nasty and usually smells nasty.

The large pool of water at the end of the canal in Davis Park, where the culvert runs under the road from the wetlands into Davis Park, is going down.  It is now dry on the canal end and there is only a little water coming through the culvert.  And the pond in Davis Park is almost totally dried up now for the season, due to the silting in of the pond which was caused by the change in the flow of the water caused by the canal they dug.
Who would have thought back in 1975 when Bridgeport Township put in their long ago failed canoe launch in the pond and dug that canal to the river, that it would cause so much damage here.

If you look closely at this next photo you will see these small guppie size fish all congregated around the area where the small trickle of water is coming through the culvert pipe into the large pool in Davis Park.  That is the only place where there is enough oxygenated water for them. 

One of my dog's favorite parts of our walks through the parks is the wooded area on the Davis Park Island.    I was glad to see that they did finally mow that tall grass on the rest of the island.  Now it looks like a half a@@'d mowed hay field, but at least it is mowed.  They also mowed a path through the woods so my dog and I braved the mosquito's back there.  We found that the trash piles are still there back in the woods.  They have actually added more brush to the big trash pile. Maybe they are getting ready to burn it again.  At times in the past you would go back there after they had burned the big pile of brush and trash and the ground would be smoldering for days.  I was hoping they would haul the trash off to a proper landfill but it doesn't appear they are planning on it.  Maybe they are planning on turning Davis Park back into a dump/landfill like it was years ago.  Davis Dump, it has a certain ring to it.

**** UPDATE JUNE 13TH, 2014  WATCH THE VIDEO OF THIS TRASH PILE AFTER THEY BURNED IT http://youtu.be/F9ueIskhd8U ****

Bridgeport Township is planning at some time in the future to extend their non-motorized walking trail.  The trail now starts at the historic bridge and goes through the trash and tire filled Lyle Park, then over the Fort St. Bridge.  They will be extending it along Fayette St. and then into the long neglected, dried up and trash filled Davis Park.  I imagine that will draw visitors from all across the state........
They have also applied for I believe two grants to build their proposed two canoe launch sites in a unusable and filthy Cass River, with one of those proposed launch sites being placed in the neglected, trash filled Davis Park.
WHY would anyone give them grant money to do that?
All they need to do is take a look at the past mismanagement and neglect of Bridgeport Township in their parks.  The past is the past and it is now different people running the show here, but the neglect and mismanagement seem to be the same.  They restored the bridge which is a good thing, but that came with much controversy, and Davis Park seems to me to be more neglected than it has been in years.  Lyle Park is no longer of any use to anyone other than the few who walk or ride on the trail. If they can get equipment down into Lyle Park to push a dead tree into the river, you would think they could get some equipment and employees down there to also clean the trash up.  In Davis Park, the mowers go back and mow around the trash piles, there is a nice two track back there, so why don't they get the equipment and employees back there to clean up the trash?
Those two proposed canoe launch sites sit in the two worst flood areas that I am aware of here in Bridgeport.  How many weeks or months have they had to put off the surveying of the sites and putting in the stakes because the flooding was too bad?  The flooding was actually worse last year than it was this year.  So those areas will be under flood water and unusable for months every year, and then during the summer the river will be too shallow to get a canoe down.  If some fool gives them that grant money for the canoe launches and they actually get them put in, they will just neglect them like they have done to the two canoe/boat launches they had in the past.
But Hey, It's Free Grant Money!!  So when this money gets wasted like the past grant monies they have received, who cares, it is not their money, it is just tax payer money.

June 2nd Update On Bridgeport's Lyle And Davis Parks

I haven't been able to get to the parks in several weeks but my dog and I made it there this morning.  I thought with Bridge Fest starting in a few days that Bridgeport Township would have made a effort to clean up the old mosquito breeding tires and the trash in the parks.  Alas, nothing has been done to clean these parks up.
The water is gone from the low wet area alongside the walking trail through Lyle park for now until the next flooding or heavy rains, but the 7 tires remain. I was able to get to only 4 of the 7 tires due to the high weeds and heavy mosquito's, but the 4 tires I was able to photograph are sitting there with water in them breeding mosquito's.  If Bridgeport Township Government is not going to do anything to clean the trash up and get those tires out of there, then maybe there is some kind of state agency that needs to be notified.  If West Nile Virus, Encephalitis and Malaria aren't bad enough, there is a new mosquito borne disease that is expected to spread to the United States this year.  It is called Chikungunya --  Mosquito-borne virus could become public health nuisance for Florida
It is predicted that it will hit Florida this year, I am not sure if it will spread throughout the rest of the country or not this year, but it has been showing up in northern climates as well as the tropics.
After we left Lyle Park we went over the Fort Street bridge and I took my dog out on the big sandbar that has formed at the end of the canal that was dug back in the 1970's along Fayette St./Fort Rd. out to the Cass River.   You can walk out onto the sandbar from Fayette St. right by the base of the Fort St. bridge. The sandbar continues to grow in size but has not succeeded yet in totally closing off the canal from the river. There is only a little area of semi free flowing water at that end of the canal there and down in the big pool where the water flows from the wetlands on the other side of Fayette St. through the culvert.  The rest of the canal along Fayette St. is just isolated pools of stagnant water, perfect mosquito breeding grounds.  As the weather continues to get warmer the isolated pools will continue to dry up... UNTIL we get more rain or flooding, then they will fill back up, slowly go back down to the stagnant pools breeding mosquito's... It is a never ending vicious cycle.
Saginaw County Mosquito Abatement Commission just released a statement regarding the high mosquito population this year -- "As a result of a wet spring and significant rainfall in May, Saginaw County is experiencing high nuisance mosquito populations. To promote community-wide mosquito control our agency has temporarily discontinued all spraying of individual properties. Additionally, spray shifts are working extended hours and weekends to expediently reduce mosquito densities throughout the County."
Bridgeport Township could fix that problem of the mosquito breeding grounds that the canal has become if they would repair that damage that they caused by filling in that useless canal.  Maybe there is some free grant money out there for a project like this.  That would be a better use of the free grant money/taxpayer funds to repair the damage and close off that canal then to put in two more canoe launches that will probably end up failures like their previous attempts.
Once into Davis Park things weren't any better there.  The once beautiful pond is drying up like it does every year after the flooding is over.  I found ironic the "No Swimming" sign and the "Boat Launch" sign from the previous failed canoe launch fiasco that has caused all the damage to the river and pond.
The grass in Davis Park is once again only mowed in the front part of the park.  On the island part of the park the grass is only mowed near the picnic tables and the playground equipment, then there is one path mowed around the perimeter of the island.  The grass in the middle is way over ten inches!!  Where are you Ron Wheatley?  Maybe he is too busy out slapping fines on the private property owners in the township to notice that the township itself is in violation of their own codes..  Hopefully Bridgeport will find the time to at least mow the rest of the grass on the island before Bridge Fest. Then there is the rest of the island and wooded area in Davis Park that is waist and chest high weeds, including weeds that Bridgeport lists in their "Code Of Ordinances" as banned in this township.  Private property owners will get huge fines for the mess that is found in the township parks, maybe the township parks are exempt from their own codes.
My dog and I braved the mosquito's and high weeds to go back into the wooded area and I saw that the trash pile's were still there, the railroad ties with the rusty spikes sticking up were still there, the huge tractor tire was still there.
Nothing seems to change in Bridgeport and obviously nothing ever will. They can spend $10,000 dollars on all the flower pots they want, the flower pots don't hide the garbage in the parks.  Hopefully Bridge Fest will draw visitors to our little township, but my recommendation to the visitors is to stay out of the parks.