By Megan Kelley
Staff Writer
LAKE ORION — The Lake Orion Village Council officially approved the 2023 Lions Club Jubilee event in downtown Lake Orion during the council meeting on Monday.
The event application request was originally on the agenda for the meeting on March 13 but was pulled down and tabled until the March 27 meeting in order for a meeting to take place between the fire department and village administration to address concerns expressed by former Fire Chief Rob Duke and Fire Marshal Jeff Williams.
Over the past several years, there has been a recurring issue with the event, one that stems from the street closures necessary to provide adequate space for carnival rides.
Two years ago, all stations in Orion Township, including Fire Station 1 in the Village of Lake Orion, switched to Advanced Life Support (ALS) to better support the health, safety and well being of the residents.
Because of this, it is vital that the fire station have a clear route to any calls that could occur, fire officials have said in past meetings.
With Fire Station 1 being located down Anderson Street, right by the Orion Art Center and adjacent to Children’s Park, with rides being placed in the streets of downtown, personnel at the fire station are unable to get out of their parking lot and would be hindered in getting get to a fire/emergency if one were to occur in the downtown, officials have said.
During that meeting on March 13, Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett spoke regarding the issue and expressed his irritation that the meeting had not yet taken place and also noted that of the eight events the council would be approving that evening, the Jubilee was the only one for which the fire department had denied the request.
Barnett added that, despite comments being made in the past that the village did not need the fire department’s approval for events, it was a slippery slope that he claimed was not legally accurate.
In the March 8 letter written to the village council from Fire Marshal Jeff Williams, the Orion Township Fire Department reiterated concerns and denied the request to hold the Jubilee in downtown as planned.
“Over the past several years, the village has experienced a tremendous amount of growth with additional businesses, residences and visitors within the downtown area. With this growth, the Fire Department has responded to several emergency situations, including building and structure fires. These types of fire emergencies in an historic downtown setting, lead to multiple agencies from surrounding communities responding to the downtown area, filling village streets with firefighters and apparatus attempting to extinguish the fire before it spreads to nearby structures,” wrote Williams. “When events like the Jubilee are held in the downtown area, it creates roadblocks and obstacles that place both life safety and properties at higher risk.”
Williams referenced the fire that occurred on S. Broadway Street on Jan. 14, 2022 which caused irreparable damage to a boarding house and took the fire department hours to extinguish, noting that being able to strategically place the fire trucks allowed them to reduce exposure to adjacent properties.
“If this fire event were to occur while the Jubilee event was taking place, neither of the apparatus would have been able to access these locations. This type of scenario would have increased the probability of fire exposure, damage, and risk of life safety if occupants were inside the home when the fire occurred,” Williams said.
Despite these concerns and the denied request from the fire department, the council approved the event in a 6-0 vote. Councilmember Sarah Luchsinger was absent from the meeting.
“Thank you to the council. I know it was a lot of work this year, a lot of extra work. I wanted to compliment the village manager on how you managed the situation. You did a great job, you even asked us questions that we didn’t think of,” said Lions Club Jubilee Chairman Mike Pikelis during public comment on Monday. “Thanks to everybody, to the fire, police and the DPW. Any problems or anything that comes up with the Jubilee, let me know.”
The Jubilee is set to take place June 22-26. Street closures are S. Broadway Street from M-24 to Shadbolt Street, Flint Street from Lapeer Street to Anderson Street, Anderson Street from Flint Street to Front Street, and Front Street from Anderson Street to S. Broadway Street.