Atlas Township – In case of emergency the fence will come down.
That’s the message from township officials, who are at odds over access to Kearsley Creek water just below the Goodrich dam after fencing was installed last July near the Commons area. Township fire department officials say access is needed in case additional water is required for a major fire in the area. Since last summer Goodrich officials have denied giving the fire department the gate they need to access the water.
‘We have been using that spillway for our practice sessions, to test our equipment and to pull water if we need to, since 1939,? said Paul Amman, township supervisor, during a heated discussion regarding the issue at the township meeting on Dec. 17.
‘I don’t understand the problem. The village could put a heavy duty combination lock on the gate and there would be no keys involved. The only liability would be to us if we left the gate open.?
Pete Morey, street administrator for the Village of Goodrich, said they won’t put in the gate the fire department has requested, emphasizing state regulations and a liability if someone entered an opening in the fence and fell in the water.
‘If they need to get water, they can put in a draft pipe on the bridge and pull water there,? said Morey. ‘A draft pipe does meet the requirements for state testing. As far as I am concerned, they dropped the ball when the fire chief didn’t get me information about how much money a draft pipe would cost.?
Amman responded by saying a draft pipe would be nice in emergencies, but their equipment is set up to draft water from ponds and lakes.
Amman said he has been frustrated since the gate around the dam spillway went up in July and the dam spillway is the only place where they can get water all year round.
‘The water is running there now and keeps running all year round. Also, we can pull our truck in there and we are off the road, and there is no road obstruction like there would be at the bridge.?
If there is a structure fire, Amman said they get mutual aid from Brandon, Groveland and Davison townships so more than one or two trucks will be pulling water at the same time.
‘What will happen if we have a big enough emergency and we need that site? We told them all of this before the fence was put up. Pete (Morey) was on the fire department at one time, he should know better. We have the equipment to take that fence down in an emergency and that is probably what is going to happen.?