5) We resent being chastised in the Resolution for not presenting our alternative system in
the 7 1/2 year period starting when the Township requested County assistance to the date
of the bond contract. Most, if not all, effected residents were not aware the sewer project
was moving forward and had no knowledge of the options being prepared or considered
We elect Township officials to public office in good faith to represent our interests and to
do the "right thing." By not informing us during this interim period or even inviting citizens
to help study options or offer opinions, you have contributed to an atmosphere of distrust.
To quote from Mr. Larry Stephen's letter to Mr. James K. White, dated January 25, 2008,
"Finally, I cannot understand how any honest, open-minded, and rational individual could
put forth a valid argument why it makes more sense to pump the wastewater from Rives
Junction at least 8 minles upstream through much higher terrain, and to a higher point
in the Grand River watershed, to treat it to an equal or lesser degree, only to discharge
the hightly treated effluent to the river for ultimate flow back through Rives Township on
its way out to the Great Lakes and eventually to the ocean, and plan to do so for perpetuity!"
Finally, we are appalled that you would generate blatant lies to the citizens of Rives as well
as the citizens of Jackson County. It is one thing to be downright stubborn, but it is quite another
to propagate bold faced lies in a desperate attempt to have your own way, despite the clearly
expressed will of the people. You have done the citizens of this community a tremendous
disservice and have also lost any credibility you may have enjoyed.