A mix of informed complaints and impassioned pleas from residents convinced Oxford Township officials last week to explore alternative security measures and “more aesthetically pleasing” options for its proposed water treatment facility in the Oxford Woods subdivision.
“I think we need to take a look at what will best fit the neighborhood in terms of aesthetics,” said Treasurer Joe Ferrari. “I live across the street from that area and I wouldn’t want to look at it either.”
Approximately 90 residents, a majority from Oxford Woods, attended a special meeting at Lakeville Elementary March 4 regarding proposed improvements to the township water system and planned security measures to protect it.
The main bone of contention for Oxford Woods residents is a proposed 3,000-square-foot water treatment plant – designed to reduce arsenic and iron levels in township water – slated to be built on Queens Drive near the township’s well sites and the proposed security measures to guard it.
“We don’t think that a huge water treatment facility belongs in the middle of single residential housing,” said Oxford Woods resident Jeff Holland. “We just don’t feel that it’s right for our neighborhood.”
The facility’s security measures include an 8-foot chain link fence topped with a three-strand barbed-wire cradle pointed outward at a 45-degree angle. In addition to the fence, there will be other unseen security measures which cannot be publicly disclosed for obvious reasons, according to officials.
The township based its proposed security measures on a “Vulnerability Assessment” manadated by the federal government in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, performed by an independent firm and paid for by the Oakland County Drain Commission, which also made security recommendations to the municipality.
Township engineer Shannon Parry, of Rowe, Inc., called the fencing a “deterrent” and a “stall tactic.”
“Somebody has to get through (the fencing) first before they can get to another portion of the water supply system,” she said.
But many Oxford Woods residents expressed their opposition to fencing.
“I don’t know how you can sit in front of us tonight and tell us that putting up an 8-foot fence with a barbed-wire top and perimeter lighting will not affect the value of the homes that face it, are beside it and of the people who have to drive by it everyday,” said Oxford Woods resident Inga Holland.
Inga Holland said if the plant is constructed as it’s currently planned, Oxford Woods residents could lose 20 percent of their property value, which could amount to between $40,000 and $60,000 depending on the home.
Holland said when she bought her home “there was a small, hidden well area that I hardly noticed when I drove by.” “I would not have bought my home if this proposed (water treatment plant) was put up there,” she said.
Lee Prain, an 18-year resident of Oxford Woods, suggested alternative security measures – such as digital cameras, DVD recorders, sensors, monitoring systems that send 24-hour live feeds – as opposed to fencing.
“Barbed-wire fencing makes it look suspicious,” Prain said. “It brings curiosity. People look and say, ‘Why do they have to protect this so hard?’”
Barbed-wire fence also increases liability to the township, said Prain expressing his concern children will attempt to climb it and sustain injury.
Prain noted the Kalamazoo water system, which serves 100,000 residents, has 19 well sites and 110 wells, has no barbed-wire fencing around wells in residential areas. Kalamazoo utilizes the alternative security measures mentioned above, according to him.
Oxford Woods residents are a built-in security measure, which officials have not considered, he said.
“We are your eyes and ears,” Prain said. “We live this place, we breathe it. We don’t need a fence. The residents of Oxford Woods that live around, walk by, conduct their everyday lives in the proximity of the well system are part of the solution to the security issues.”
“We do care what happens in our subdivision. Our homes are one of our biggest investments,” he added.
“There are other security measures that are being looked at,” Parry said. “There are other things we can do fence-wise.” Instead of chain link fence, the township could install a “more decorative” fence, she suggested.
Ferrari said he wants to look into alternative security measures and suggested a 24 -hour surveillance as a good option. “There are other options,” replied Parry, but all of them have costs attached to them.
For those concerned about the appearance of the plant itself, Parry said it could be redesigned architecturally to look like a “club house,” “country club,” or a “community center.” “There are plenty of things you can do to change the look, but all of them have costs associated with them,” she said.
Residents also took issue with the review and approval process through which the proposed plant has been.
Jeff Holland said residents want a “fair” and “thorough” review of the planning commission’s decision to approve a special land use permit for the facility and a “proper study” by an “independent appraiser” of the effects the plant will have on Oxford Woods property values. “We don’t feel like any of this has been done,” he said.
“The approval of the building and the proposed 8-foot barbed-wire fence is not supported by any zoning ordinance or article that have established guidelines for R-1 residential property,” Prain told officials.
Residents told officials they wish to be a part of the approval process surrounding the proposed treatment plant. “We are not reacting out of emotion or fear,” Prain said. “We are reacting off a plan that is trying to be implemented that infringes upon our legal rights to be part of the process.”
“Work with your township residents, not against us,” said Jeff Holland.
Parry said the township hoping to begin construction of the water treatment plant in July and have it completed and operation by July 2005.
New federal standards concerning the maximum allowable level of arsenic in municipal water supplies takes effect in January 2006 for existing water systems. The new standard reduces the level from 50 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion.
Currently two of the township’s three well fields, Oxford Woods and Mickelson Shores, exceed the new standard with average arsenic levels ranging from 12 to 23 parts per billion, according to Parry.
If the township’s arsenic levels are not reduced to meet the new standard by January 2006, Parry said substantial fines will be levied against the water system.