Wednesday, October 13, 2004
ERIN ALBERTYTHE SAGINAW NEWS
A pending land donation in Zilwaukee Township has added fuel to controversy over a proposed dredging site along the Saginaw River.
Members of the Saginaw County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to donate 300 acres to the state Department of Natural Resources if the county obtains the land as part of a 537-acre purchase for a silt disposal site planned near the Crow Island State Game Area.
The donation would satisfy DNR compensation requirements for a temporary easement that would enable the county to place an inlet pipe between the river and the disposal facility, said James A. Koski, county public works director.
Zilwaukee Township Clerk Patricia A. Bradt complained, however, that the donation is one more way the facility will hurt her community.
"The state owns 75 percent of this township, and now they take another 300 acres," Bradt said. "We have no tax base left."
Controversy over dredging started with residents' fears that the dredge site will bring dangerous toxins and increase the risk of flooding.
Opponents have called for a more thorough environmental impact study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which selected the site. They have formed a group named Citizens Against Toxic Substances -- CATS -- which is raising funds for a legal battle that members intend to fight if the corps builds the facility without further environmental studies.
Supporters say dredging is critical to riverside businesses and jobs. Business owners have said the river will become closed to freighters if dredging does not commence within two years.
"Many, many folks cannot go up the river right now," Koski told commissioners.
Another variable is the county's ability to buy the 537 acres, which overlap Zilwaukee Township and Frankenlust Township in Bay County. Assessors hired by the county have estimated the property's value at just under $1.1 million.
The property owners disagree, Koski said.
"They told me not to set foot on their property again," he said.
If owners refuse to sell, the county will attempt to acquire the land through eminent domain, which allows the county to argue in court that the land is needed for public use. v
© 2004 Saginaw News.
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