Gas Station Project Letter

Express Your Opinions Against This Proposed Gas Station
by Bernard Friberg, Mark Deprest, David Snyder

Attention Community Residents

The Huron River will have an additional risk of pollution if this proposed gas station is built and put into operation, a risk that we are not willing to accept and we would expect a vast majority of the community is not willing to accept.  85% of the Ann Arbor water supply comes from the Huron River.  Do you want to drink gasoline flavored drinking water?  The proposed site is the corner of Dexter-Pinckney Road and North Territorial Road and very near the Huron River.  This is Rural America at its finest.  The current proposal for this site is an expressway size gas station and mini mart placed in a wildlife corridor between Hudson Mills Metro Park and Stinchfield woods.  There are many issues and arguments that can be made to deny the issuance of a permit to go ahead with this project.  The primary concern that will affect everyone living downstream from this site is the potential pollution of the Huron River.  Test drillings have determined that there is not a natural clay liner at this site, only sand.  A spill and runoff will migrate directly to the Huron River and will also pollute the local ground water, the drinking water for the local residents. There is no public sewer and water in this area.  It makes no sense to locate a gas station at this very sensitive site.

J & L Consulting Services, a firm retained by the Planning Commission has recently issued a report and recommendation that the Planning Commission revoke the conditional use permit for this project.

Other arguments that can be made against this project are:

1. This is a major recreational area.  Why destroy the rural character with an expressway size gas station and minimart when it is not needed or wanted?  The local community has expressed many times that they do not want this gas station.  Why proliferate the landscape with gas stations.
2. There are 4 gas stations within a short drive from this site in the Dexter area not counting the Dexter expressway station on I-94 and the two gas stations at North Territorial and I-23.
3. This will add to the light pollution and degrade the night sky conditions for the observatory that is located on Peach Mountain.
4. An increase in trash and noise is expected.
5. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has recently expressed their concern about locating gas storage tanks in this area.  They are very much involved with the evaluation of this project, but there is only so much they can do.  They may or may not have sufficient power to stop this project.  That has yet to be determined.

We are suggesting that the public get more involved in order to defeat this project.  Lets not leave it up to chance at this point, we need to do everything (legally) that we can possibly do in order to defeat this project.  Writing letters to the Dexter Township officials and to the local newspapers and/or endorsing this letter is suggested.

Please send a copy of your letter to NoGasStation@aol.com to be published on our website.

Addresses

The Planning Commission, The ZBA, and Other Officials
Dexter Township Hall
6880 Dexter-Pinckney Rd
Dexter, MI 48130
dexter_twp@usol.com

Endorsed by

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If you have comments about this issue, send email to NoGasStation@aol.com