Brandon Twp.- The township board will have a public hearing tonight, Oct. 30, to receive citizen input on the proposed purchase of more than 50 acres of land using Brandon Fire Department funds.
The hearing begins at 7 p.m. at the township offices, 395 Mill St. Comments and written requests will also be received regarding the use of approximately $36,788 of Community Development Block Grant funds for 2007.
Following public input regarding the land purchase, Supervisor Ron Lapp said a vote would be taken by the board on whether to accept the proposed purchase agreement for the land located off of M-15, adjacent to Brandon High School. The property has four to five acres of M-15 frontage and about 20 acres of wetlands, leaving about 34-35 acres usable.
‘I think it’s a good idea for the future of the township and future needs,? said Lapp, who will be absent from the hearing. ‘It means that we’re committing to a timeline…It also gives the seller of the property an idea of when the purchase would happen. (The hearing) gives the public a time for input on the proposed purchase. I’m confident our board will purchase that property for future township needs.?
Mike Riddle of Brandon Lockwood LLC initially offered 54 acres to the township at a cost of $1.7 million at a March public hearing.
Brandon Fire Chief Bob McArthur has said both the amount of land and the price have changed, but not significantly. He declined to give exact numbers, saying the changes happened because of a need to balance the land and are close to the original figures.
The land is attractive to the township for several reasons. If purchased, the fire department plans to use 4-5 acres of the land to build a new fire hall to replace Fire Station #1 on South Street in the village, which officials say poses a safety hazard with emergency vehicles responding out of the village. There have been two accidents on South Street in the past two years involving emergency vehicles and several near misses with the increasing number of emergency calls out of the village. Concerns have also been raised with the number of pedestrians, particularly children on the 25-mph roadway, particularly with Brandon Fletcher Intermediate School located on South Street, as well as two elementaries located on Varsity Drive, accessed by South Street.
Brandon School District Superintendent has also expressed an interest in purchasing some of the land from the fire department for additional parking at Brandon High School. Other possible uses for the land include a sewage treatment plant and future municipal complex for township offices.
‘It’s a long-term investment for us, no doubt about it,? said McArthur, who will make a presentation at the hearing regarding the purchase, which has been budgeted for. ‘We have to move out of the village someday. I want to make sure we have it and in place so we don’t have to search for property that may not be available.?