Some potential modifications to Oxford Village’s new truck traffic restrictions on W. Burdick St. are in the works, but nothing that would allow gravel haulers and semi-trucks to begin using the road again.
Village attorney Bob Davis is looking into modifying the ordinance language that currently prohibits ‘all truck traffic? from using W. Burdick St. between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Right now, the problem is the village defines a truck as any vehicle that weighs more than 7,000 pounds and is capable of carrying cargo. Officials are concerned such a low weight limit could have the unintended consequence of prohibiting vehicles such as snow plow trucks and heavier pickup trucks.
The truck prohibition was adopted by council in September and took effect in October.
Despite their willingness to potentially modify this prohibition, officials were unwilling to look into changing their other recently adopted truck prohibition.
Trucks weighing more than 40,000 pounds ? gross weight including cargo ? will continue to be banned from using W. Burdick St. 24 hours a day.
In both cases, the ordinance language makes exceptions for local deliveries.
Council adopted this language in response to resident complaints regarding the excessive noise and vibration produced by large trucks. Residents complained about truck traffic disturbing their sleep in the early morning hours, rattling their windows and damaging the foundations of older homes.
Officials were also hoping to extend the life span of the portion of W. Burdick St. which the village paid approximately $500,000 to have reconstructed over the summer.
Attorney Steve Wright, who represents T.K.M.S. Trucking located at 425 S. Glaspie St., asked council to consider making some changes as a compromise.
‘We want to be part of the solution. We don’t want to be a problem,? he said. ‘If there’s a problem that needs to be fixed . . . let’s fix the problem.?
T.K.M.S. trucks haul construction and aggregate materials such as sand, gravel, dirt, concrete and asphalt.
Wright suggested increasing the weight limit to 70,000 pounds because that’s what one of the firm’s trucks weighs when empty. He also asked officials to consider changing the time restriction on trucks from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m.
This way, T.K.M.S. trucks would at least be able to use W. Burdick St. to get to the gravel pits in Holly first thing in the morning in order to load up for their daily deliveries, according to Wright.
Trucks with full loads, which weigh 150,000 pounds, would still be prohibited from using W. Burdick St. under this suggested compromise.
T.K.M.S. has been operating in Oxford since the 1970s. The firm’s S. Glaspie St. facility houses 32 trucks and employs 47 to 50 people.
‘We’ve been in the community long enough that we should be able to work together to find a solution to the problem,? said Wright, noting the firm should not have to consider leaving Oxford. ‘We want to be where we are and we want to be good residents and citizens.?
Wright said T.K.M.S. needs to use W. Burdick St. because it’s the best route to get to Holly. He explained that other roads, such as Drahner, Oakwood and even Dunlap, do not make good alternate routes for large trucks because they’re either unpaved or ‘too narrow? or ‘too small,? which makes them unsafe to drive on.
‘These dirt roads simply will not work,? he said.
Wright pointed out the reconstructed portion of W. Burdick St. was designed and built to handle trucks weighing 160,000 pounds.
Councilwoman Maureen Helmuth, who originally voted against the prohibitions because she felt they were ‘too strict,? indicated she was willing to take another look at the issue and come up with a compromise.
Councilman Bryan Cloutier held the opposite view. ‘It upsets me that one month, two months later, we’re already looking at this again. It’s absurd,? he said. ‘I don’t know why we’re even discussing this.?
Several residents who live along W. Burdick St. in the village and Seymour Lake Rd. in the township spoke in favor of keeping the weight and time restrictions as is.
‘It has been a blessing,? said W. Burdick St. resident Russell Gill.
‘I thought this was a dead issue,? said W. Burdick St. resident John Mayo.
Mary Woodward, who lives on Seymour Lake Rd., urged council to not put business interests ahead of residents.
‘I’m just tired of businesses and Corporate America taking away from us our rights (and) some of our privileges,? she said.