Fire department plan

Independence Township Fire Chief Mitch Petterson said they’re looking to reduce the number of vehicles in their fleet, as part of the fire department’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) .
The 23-year plan calls for $8.3 million in spending, of which over $1.9 million to be spent in 2017.
Petterson said they are looking to sell their current fire SUV and replace it with a mini pumper, as well as sell one of their fire engines, a ladder truck, heavy rescue truck, a brush truck and a rescue truck to offset the cost of a combined engine ladder truck. They also want to sell three medium duty ambulances to replace with smaller ones, and sell two PUC engines.
Petterson said sales costs of all vehicles are estimated to be over $1.9 million and purchases for the new ones are estimated over $2.2 million. Reducing the fleet count from 12 to eight would help them save how much they need to replace in the future and less trucks they need to maintain, as well as get rid of vehicles that are un-staffed and sitting in the station.
Petterson said the idea is to have a more “versatile fleet.”

Heritage Festival

Springfield Township hosts the Davisburg Heritage Festival, Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Shiawassee Basin Preserve, 12000 Davisburg Road.
Activities include a pancake breakfast, antique tractor and fire-truck display, wagon ride park tours, historical demonstrations, parade through downtown, family fun games, beer tent, market, music and live bands, kid’s activities and vintage baseball game.
Most activities are free. Pancake breakfast is $5 for those 7 and up; $3 for children 3-6; and free for children 2 and under.
Cow Pie Bingo starts at 2 p.m. A fenced and secure area will be marked off into numbered squares like a bingo card. The winner is chosen by the cow, which is let loose on the field and selects one of the squares with a cow pie.
Each square is sold for $10; the winner keeps half of all proceeds and the other half goes to the Springfield Township Parks and Recreation Department. Must be 18 to purchase a ticket.