Four upcoming elections will take up some headline space in 2008 editions of The Review, but that’s not all readers can expect to see this year.
Like other communities across the state of Michigan, Orion Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk said it’s a matter of ‘weathering the storm? when it comes to recent economic struggles.
‘But Orion continues to be in great shape,? Dywasuk noted. ‘The Orion GM Assembly Plant is adding the Malibu line.
‘In spite of the fact that the residential end has slowed down almost to a halt, we’re seeing movement on the commercial side.?
In addition to the GM plant, Dywasuk cited the project on Orion’s corner of M-24 and Dutton, where construction of a bank, hotel and two restaurants is underway.
That project will serve as a gateway to the township’s southern border. Nearby, the board recently approved expansion on the Palace Chrysler-Jeep facility, owned by the Milosch family ? with work expected to begin there in earnest in 2008.
Dywasuk said the recent lull has allowed the township to catch up on some work, especially in the building department.
He added that things will be even more scrutinized during an election year and said township officials and department heads are always accessible, whether it be by phone or e-mail. Dywasuk also encouraged residents to visit the township’s award-winning website (www.oriontownship.org).
Most of the Village of Lake Orion’s 2008 direction will center around the hiring of a new village manager.
In just a month of advertising the position, the village council has already received a plethora of resumes and will likely begin the interviewing process in late January/early February.
Other projects for the council in 2008 have already been profiled in The Review, including the push for a village website.
Lingering headline stories, such as the Friendship Park investigation, the dispute around Elkhorn Lake and the lawsuit filed last summer by former township assistant Jill Verros will continue to find space in our pages.
Likewise, police and fire millages and expected returns of safety path and library proposals (both of which were turned down by voters in 2007) will be in the news, as will the election of a new township board later in the year.
Lake Orion Community Schools will also make headlines in the coming months, as they look to replace retiring Superintendent Christine Lehman, who will be leaving in June.
Meanwhile, we’ll continue to mix in a variety of stories certain to make our 2008 Year in Review issues as exciting as the 2007 versions (see this web edition for more 2007 Year in Review).
We might even throw a new twist or two into the mix, too (see The LO Down).