By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
CASSOPOLIS -- Porter Township residents, irate at restrictions which kept most of a couple hundred of them outside the Board of Commissioners meeting and unable to speak against the sewer project, milled around in the courthouse parking lot in protest.
Chairman Robert Wagel, R-Wayne Township, prefaced the 10 minutes of public comments he allowed by reading from the county board's code of conduct.
Gwen Alexander of Union, who has lived at Baldwin Lake since 1957, "came tonight to impress upon you that the majority of the population, the property owners, the taxpayers, the voters, the citizens, the residents and non-residents who have a stake in Porter Township, are against the sewer project.
Admission was regulated by sheriff's officers manning a sign-in table at the main door downstairs.
A new sign on the wall in the commission chamber says the room's occupancy is 50 people by decree of the Cassopolis fire marshal.
In fact, last December, Porter Citizens for Political Integrity submitted 461 signatures to Cass County Clerk-Register Ann Simmons -- more than the 280 needed to trigger a recall election.
A day later, township board members approved the sewer project for Birch, Indiana, Long, Coverdale and Shavehead lakes and Union.
The 4-1 approval vote was the same margin by which the project had been beaten in October.
Commissioner Jack Teter, R-Edwardsburg, did not attend Thursday night's meeting.
Commissioner Mike Raab, R-Cassopolis and a 23-year resident of Shavehead Lake, commented at the June 17 meeting that water quality is "declining. I really think we need these sewers."
Second to speak was Bill Coleman of Long Lake. "I see that our one commissioner doesn't see fit to attend the meetings. Hopefully, our other commissioner will convey our feelings to Mr. Teter. We're trying to delay this project until everyone has a chance to look at it carefully.
A woman from Shavehead Lake came to the podium third. The 10 minutes expired before she finished talking.
She said in response to the previous meeting. "Mike Raab said Shavehead Lake is not as clean as it was five years ago … on May 8, we received a report of the water quality study done … He said the only adverse thing he found in Shavehead was the phosphorous level may be increasing" due to fertilizers applied to farm fields surrounding the lake as well as lawn care products.
In it, when asked if they would be inclined to pay additional taxes to provide sewage treatment, 94 responded no to 70 who said yes.
A master plan based on approximately 200 of 3,600 residents "is not worth the paper it's typed on," she said.
Vogtmann responded to criticism that sewer supporters weren't timed at the previous meeting that he talked for three minutes.
Referring to the five 4-H members who reported on their trip to Washington, Vogtmann said, "Tonight we have honored some of the youth who will inherit what we leave in their care -- both good and bad." Reading a letter published in the Edwardsburg Argus by 2004 Cassopolis graduate Leah Dussel, the Shavehead Lake resident concludes "the future will be in good hands." He said her words "bear repeating":
Meanwhile, the bonds have been sold and construction companies' bids are scheduled to be opened next week.