NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 16, 2008 Issue No. 1
COMMITTEE INTRODUCTION & MISSION
The Rives Concerned Citizens Committee was formed after many unsuccessful attempts to convince the Rives
Township Board that there are other solutions to the sewer problems which plague the Village of Rives.
Our mission is to be the voice of the people of Rives and to make our voices heard, not only by the Township
Board but to all residents of Jackson County with regard to the current Sewer Project.
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SEWER PROJECT MISCONCEPTIONS
So, you think you won't have to connect to the centralized sewer lines being installed in the village of Rives and
continuing on down Rives Junction Road? Think again!! If your current septic system fails you WILL be forced to
connect, OR if the township adopts an ordinance requiring all residents to connect. This could become a reality
very soon after the pipeline has been installed.
Why did we choose to live in a rural area in the first place? To maintain autonomy from city/county government
perhaps? Maybe so we could avoid any mandatory utilities provided by the city/county? I suspect that if you
wanted the city to provide your water and sewer, and you wanted to pay CHEAPER taxes...you would have bought
a house in town.
There are other solutions to the sewage problems in the Village of Rives, unfortunately the Township Board fails
to see there is more than one solution. We, the citizens of Rives Township, have discovered a solution which
would maintain our autonomy, eliminate involvement with Blackman Township & the City of Jackson, is
beneficial to the environment, will maintain our rural lifestyle, and last but not least, would be less costly to
install, operate and maintain.
From a long-term sustainablity standpoint, a well designed and operated local treatment facility is a sustainable
approach to meet current & FUTURE wastewater infrastructure needs. Technology has now developed to the
point that decentralized and satellite systems perform as well, if not better, than central systems. The EPA and
a growing number of state and national experts agree. This is the system we have asked the Township Board to
take a look at, a decentralized treatment facility, owned and operated by the people of the Village of Rives.
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WHERE ARE WE NOW?
On February 9, 2008 the committee Chairman & Co Chairman, Marty Barnes and Tom Babcock had an informal
meeting with the Township Supervisor, Gerald Surbrook, in an attempt to persuade him to hold up on his Sewer
Project and take a closer look at our proposed Decentralized System. Mr. Surbrook indicated that he would not
delay his project but that if our proposal proved a significant cost savings then he would at least "have to look at
it."
Our next course of action is unavoidable, we must retain an attorney to request the court to issue a temporary
restraining order to put a halt to the Centralized Sewer project the Rives Township Board has in place. Along with
that we must obtain the engineering study for our proposed Decentralized System which would include all costs
to install the system and the monthly operation & maintenance costs. Which means, we must pay for both the
attorney and the engineering study.
All of this could have been prevented had the Rives Township board done their own research, even if only reading
information on the EPA website, to see what their options were. Instead they have put their faith in the County
Drain Commissioner without considering the citizens of this Township and what is in our best interest. When our
fate was turned over to the County Drain Commissioner all other options were wiped off the table as historically
the Drain Commissioner, Geoffrey Snyder, always proposes that outlying townships be connected to the Sewage
Treatment Plants in either Blackman or Leoni Townships. Mr. Snyder's interest is in monetary gain, not what is
best for the people.
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HOW CAN YOU HELP?
There are many ways that you can get involved. One way is to join with the other citizens in your township to make
our voices heard.
You can: Write letters to the Voice of the People in the Citizen Patriot
Assist in handing out flyers or newsletters
Talk to your friends and neighbors about this issue
Join or start a discussion (blog) online at either this site or in the Citizen Patriot online at Mlive.com.
Educate yourself about alternative solutions to our sewage problem in the Village of Rives.
AND/OR
We are currently raising money to retain the attorney and to obtain the engineering study for a
decentralized wastewater system. Time is of the essence in collecting these funds in order to stop
the Twp Board from moving forward with their plan to connect us to the centralized system in Blackman
Township. Any amount you can afford will be greatly appreciated....every $ counts!
We have a post office box and a bank account set up to receive funds.
Please make checks payable to:
RIVES CONCERNED CITIZENS and mail them to PO BOX 333, RIVES JCT., MI 49277
