Brandon Twp.-Township residents recently made their feelings clear’they want a park.
With little opposition, residents supported a township plan to purchase property for a recreation park at the Aug.18 Brandon Township Public Hearing.
‘Act? and act now,? Evergreen Street resident Eric Straffold told the board.
‘The kids moral and ethical character are worth it.?
‘I’d built it in my backyard if I could,? he finished.
Straffhold along with about 50 residents gathered at the township hall and told the board that the time has come to build a park for the children of this community. To put off buying it would only increase the cost of building one in the future.
While Supervisor Ron Lapp admits the plan to purchase more than 45 acres at Hadley and Oakwood roads will be a financially weighty move, the community needs recreational fields. The sale of township owned property on Seymour Lake Road could offset the cost of purchasing the receational property currently owned by the VanTine family, added Lapp.
‘This is a community with the largest number of families of children under 18 in Oakland County,? said Lapp.
‘We have a massive number of children and it’s time as a community we pull together and buy the property.?
Lapp said selling the Seymour Lake Road property by sealed bid starting at $650,000 will offset the cost of the $800,000 Hadley Road property, which averages out to $17,000 an acre.
Residents appeared undaunted by the $800,000 price tag of the property. Several residents expressed that waiting to purchase will cost the township more money in the long run.
Conversely, township resident Bonnie Kerin noted there were several other pieces of property in the township that were for sale, and her research shows they would be appropriate for a recreational park, asking the board to do further research before acting on the VanTine acres.
‘It always comes down to money,? said Dan Flood, a township resident. ‘Everybody complains, but the bottom line is that property (costs) will not go down and we are losing out on a chance to make a serious investment in our community.?
Compared to the Seymour Lake Property Fred Waybrant, director of the Brandon Recreation department said the four foot elevation on Hadley Road will eventually save a ton of money when developing soccer and ball fields.
A study by the park committee reveals that the relatively flat VanTine farming fields would cost significantly less to build an infrastructure, than to develop the rolling 40 acres on Seymour Lake Road.
Further, Waybrant said this year alone they have turned away kids in all recreation programs due to lack of playing space and he only sees the situation getting worse in the future.
‘I just received a fax from the school that they will have to start charging maintenance fees to use their fields,? Waybrant said, adding that the rec programs have outgrown the limited number and condition of the district fields.
Resident Chris Foster, who also schedules Brandon baseball emphasized that the lack of playing space is evident, but noted that by purchasing the VanTine property the community would be protecting the quickly fading open space in the community.
‘As more and more farms are sold the open space is disappearing,? said Foster.
‘We need to protect that space and if we don’t purchase it now it will only escalate in price.?
Discussion about the purchase the Hadley property will go before the township board on Sept.7.