Dick Hassberger is hopping into his antique fire truck and moving his business to Oxford.
He will also be giving up his post as Chairman of the Board of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), a position he held for a year.
‘Downtown Lake Orion was a great, close-knit community,? he said. ‘You knew everybody. If you needed help, it was always right there.?
For nearly ten years, Hassberger has operated as an independent sales representative in an office he shared with his attorney wife at 125 N. Broadway.
An avowed automobile buff, Hassberger said they are moving to Glaspie Street, an industrial area in Oxford, so he has more room to store his collection of vintage cars and trucks.
Hassberger owns a ?31 Model A farm truck, a ?77 Pontiac Astre, a ?28 Pontiac and the antique fire truck he most recently led the Halloween parade with.
Hassberger got involved with the DDA when he noticed several projects downtown were sort of stuck, he said. ‘I tend to be an impatient person. A lot of these projects were languishing,? he said.
Hassberger was on the board for several years before becoming the chairman.
Some of the projects he’s most proud of being involved with are cemetery lighting and fencing, moving forward with the Meek’s Park bridge, improvements with the holiday lighting and the pager program at the Sagebrush.
Vice Chairman of the Board Robert Hollenbeck will serve as chairman until further notice. In the meantime, DDA staff said Hassberger will surely be missed.
‘Dick was really involved,? said Lois Golden, the DDA’s executive director. ‘Everybody on the board is going to miss him.?
Golden said he was instrumental in repairing Flint and Broadway and acquiring the DDA’s current offices.
‘He brought us to a new level. He was extremely committed to all the projects,? said DDA Administrative Coordinator Janet Hartman. ‘Once Dick got a hold of something, it got done. Our loss is Oxford’s gain.?