Members from the Home Owners of Orion Lakes Association (HOOLA) are hoping that a meeting held at Orion Township Hall on March 30 will help in the improvement of their community.
The Orion Lakes Manufactured Home Park is located on Brown Road, west of Lapeer Road.
Residents of the community had several concerns, ranging from the safety of their drinking water to hazardous abandoned homes.
HOOLA President Tim Griffin and Vice President Al Howlin asked Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk to sit in on the meeting, and help facilitate a meeting with representatives from Winfire Management, which owns and operates Orion Lakes.
Griffin compiled a list of several complaints, many of which were addressed by Terry Winter of Winfire.
At the end of the meeting, Dywasuk set a tentative meeting date, for two months ahead, in hopes that some of the concerns would have been addressed by then.
‘I thought it was important to get this sorted out,? Dywasuk said. ‘Sometimes you just need to sit down and talk.?
Dywasuk noted that although Orion Lakes is a privately-owned manufactured home community, it is still part of the Township, and deserves proper attention.
Representatives from various Township departments also attended the meeting.
‘Right now the residents just don’t know what’s being done,? Howlin said.
The four biggest concerns addressed were water safety, security, abandoned homes and rent/taxes, the latter of which may be addressed again once tax season ends.
‘The water system has always been a concern for us,? Winter said.
Griffin noted that the arsenic level for water in the community has tested above government levels.
Winter responded by saying that a new filtration system for the two wells on the property was in the works.
New buildings constructed behind Orion Lakes also concerned Griffin and Howlin.
In the process of this construction a fence was taken down, though Winter noted that the fence was not on Orion Lakes? property.
‘I live in the back of the park,? Griffin said. ‘There’s no fence or wall there yet.?
He said the issue affects both security and drainage in the back of the community.
With regards to the abandoned homes, Winter said the process of removing the homes is a tedious one.
He removed 18 homes last summer, and has 30 more scheduled to be removed in the coming months. However, Winter said he has to have titles to the homes in order to take them out of the community.
‘You can’t just break the law,? Winter said. ‘You have to go though the correct process.?
Winfire took over Orion Lakes in the fall of 2003, and Winter said the process of cleaning up the park is at least a five-year ordeal.
‘You can’t put in a new home if it’s surrounded by six abandoned ones,? he said. ‘It’s a long process. We have to get all of the abandoned homes out first.?
‘In two or three years, we will really start to see changes.?
Griffin and Howlin agree that there are some things that simply cannot wait.
‘The meeting went well and I’m happy we got to talk,? Griffin said, ‘But the people want to see results.?
‘We are not seeing any progress right now,? he added, but noted he is hopeful some things will be addressed in the coming months.
Winter vowed that he will continue to work with the residents.