Neighbors challenge Wolverine project
Neighbors in Elmwood Township are mobilizing to try to stop a giant electric sub-station slated for construction next door to their homes. Property owners in Elmwood Township have petitioned the Elmwood Township Zoning Board of Appeals to interpret language in its zoning ordinance as it applies to the provision of "essential services" in response to construction that began on a rural site in the township earlier in November. Wolverine Power Cooperative plans to build a massive super-sized electric sub-station on the site, but as construction began the public in Elmwood was unaware that the utility was building in the township. Wolverine Power Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-owned generation and transmission electric cooperative based in Cadillac, Michigan and provides wholesale electricity to Cherryland Electric Cooperative and four other electricity co-ops in Michigan.
Adjacent property owners Mason and Lisa Argue filed one of the petitions. They had no knowledge of the proposal to build a massive electric "Super Sub-station" next to their property before construction equipment moved onto the site and started work. Without their knowledge, approval for the project had been granted as early as last July through the signature of a single Elmwood employee without the benefit of review by any township board or commission and without public notice or public hearing.
"Wolverine found a way to get this in through the back door", observed Mason Argue in regard to the approval process as it was addressed by the Township. "Anyone down there (township hall) who looked at the news papers knew there had been a huge storm over this thing across the highway in Garfield Township last spring. They should have known this thing was big and ugly and dangerous, and they should have let us know it was being planned."
Based on statements made by Elmwood officials to date, it is difficult to determine which offices had complete information on the project, or how the determination was made that Wolverine was clear to proceed. Once construction equipment was on the property and the phones began to ring at the Township Hall the board quickly voted to authorize its attorney to make a determination as to whether a complete review as required had been carried out. Abstaining from the vote was Trustee Terry Lautner.
In addition to serving as Trustee on the Elmwood Township Board, Lautner holds a seat on the Cherryland Electric Co-op Board (an elected position), and has held a seat on the Wolverine Board in the past. The 10 acre lot where the 750 foot long and 80 foot tall super substation has been proposed is owned by Lautner and is being purchased by Wolverine. Lautner spoke on behalf of the project before excusing himself from voting on the matter. He indicated that the project was one he'd been working to see to completion over a period of years. Elmwood Zoning Administrator Don Witkoski retired and left the area shortly after signing off on the project.
Wolverine abandoned a process it had undertaken to locate the station a short distance away in Garfield Township earlier in the year. The utility had argued that its then proposed location was the best possible site for the facility. Facing stiff public resistance Wolverine let the matter drop. Explaining its decision to relocate the project in Elmwood a Wolverine spokesman indicated that the choice had been made in light of their understanding that no public hearing would be required in Elmwood.
"Before this all happened I would have said that it was a good thing to have someone from the Township Board sit on the Electric co-op board", said Argue. "I would have thought an arrangement like that would have given the public a better picture as to how infrastructure was going to be developed in our community. But I guess you have to be careful. If you have people that want to do things in secret they'll do as they please whether they've been elected to uphold the public trust or not".
The question of interpretation raised by the neighbors will likely be taken up by the Elmwood Zoning Board of Appeals at its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, December 19 at the township hall.
Photo by tilaneseven. Used under a Creative Commons license thru http://flickr.com/photos/tilaneseven/255407796/