Goodrich – The road issue that spurred the effort to dissolve the Village of Goodrich has been dropped.
Residents of Hawthorne Ridge Condominiums had previously approached village officials regarding taking over private roads in the complex, and complaining about inadequate or incomplete village inspections, and lack of services for taxes paid.
An engineering evaluation of the private roads indicated the streets would require some work before the village could assume responsibility.
Hawthorne Ridge resident Cindy Hendry, who is also involved with the Vacate the Village committee, attended the Sept. 13 Goodrich village meeting, in which the council recommended meeting with members of the condominium association board.
Hendry had promised to call the village office by Sept. 17 to indicate when the meeting could be held.
In the meantime, a paper ballot was distributed among the 62 condominium residents, asking voters to choose between the village assuming responsibility for the roads, keeping the roads private, or attempting to dissolve the village.
‘Fifty-five units voted, 84 percent voted to not have the village take over the roads,? said Hendry.
‘Everybody’even the people who were for the village taking over’didn’t want to pay out anything. We feel we pay enough in taxes already.?
Village officials received an answering machine message on Sept. 17 stating the condominium roads would remain private, said Goodrich village administrator Jakki Sidge.
Condominium residents upset over the road issue, along with village residents involved in the unsuccessful 1996 attempt to dissolve the village, combined forces to form the current Vacate the Village committee.
The condominium association is a separate entity from the Vacate the Village committee, stresses committee chair Phil Jackson.
Vacate the Village is still actively circulating petitions among village residents to force an election regarding dissolving the village, Jackson said.