Area residents packed the Clarkston Middle School auditorium May 11 to debate the proposed closing of Campfire Circle which connects Lake Waldon Village and Spring Lake subdivisions.
Residents of Lake Waldon Village have petitioned the township to close the street which they say is used as a cut through. Residents said traffic, vandalism and speeding are all concerns and their safety is at risk.
‘Virtually every day I see cars speeding down our streets,? Lake Waldon Village resident Renee Letchworth said. ‘Often they are going so fast I am unable to get even a partial license plate despite being only a few yards from the road.?
Residents said many individuals use Campfire Circle as a cut through to I-75 and Clarkston High School instead of using Maybee or Sashabaw Roads.
Candace Woodward, a resident of Spring Lake subdivision circulated a petition in the neighborhood which found 97 percent of the residents wishing for Campfire Circle to remain open, two percent wishing for it to be closed and one percent being undecided.
‘We are very much opposed to the closing of the road connection between Spring Lake North and Lake Waldon Village,? Raymond Rowe said. ‘Our concern is not just for convenience. We feel that the closing of this connection creates a serious public safety issue for both police and fire department protection for both subdivisions.?
Township Planner Dick Carlisle, Independence Township Lieutenant Dale LaBair and Independence Township Fire Chief Steve Ronk opposed the closing of the road.
The issue will be placed on the June 1, 2004 Independence Township Board meeting agenda. There recommendation will be forwarded to the Oakland County Road Commission who will make the final decision.
‘It looks pretty open and closed to me. I think it needs to remain open,? Clerk Joan McCrary said. ‘However, certainly I do think something should be done to slow the traffic.?
Trustee and Supervisor candidate David Wagner was disappointed in the meeting. ‘We already heard all of this. It was nothing new that the board was not aware of. Having all the consultants sit there for five hours was a huge waste of money,? Wagner said. ‘This cost the township thousands of dollars.?
Wagner said he believed the road should stay open for safety reasons. Stuart, while not willing to announce his opinion before the meeting, said he thought the meeting was productive.
‘We had so many people approach us who conceived this to be a problem that I thought it needed to be revisited. In spite of what I have heard so people say it was a very productive and useful meeting. I think after the meeting it is clearer what the board should do,? Stuart said.