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Local News

Crooked Lake is "community in crisis" from rising waters

Crooked Lake flooding was not on the Barry County Board of Commissioners agenda Tuesday, but it was discussed by a resident and several commission members.

Sharon Ritchie said the Crooked Lake was a community in crisis, with waters from the lake flooding homes, crawl spaces and basements. She recognized several county officials and Rep. Julie Calley for showing an active interest in solving their problem.

 

She said it is a health and safety issue that the people are suffering through right now and they need help to prevent more loss of homes.

Ritchie read several comments from residents telling of flooded crawl spaces and basements, damage to electrical appliance such as furnaces, loss of vehicles to the flooding, damage to property, sea walls, and plantings and unknown potential damages.

 

The Ritchies were supposed to be on vacation in Maine, she said, instead they are at home with 1,125 sand bags around their house, seven utility pumps and two sump pumps running 24 hours a day, seven days a week “trying to save our home from the rising waters of Crooked Lake….this is not the way we like to live at this time in our lives,” she said.

She asked for two things; stop the water from going into Crooked Lake and reduce the lake level 18inches.

 

Commissioners Ben Geiger, Vivian Conner and David Jackson told Ritchie they, and many others, were working to give help, urging them not to give up, with Jackson saying, “We are with you.”

“County and state officials are working diligently to find a solution for the rising waters on Crooked Lake,” Geiger said later. “Moving massive amounts of water requires careful planning, and presents a real logistical challenge, but it’s a challenge we won’t back down from. It’s my hope that a solution is found in the coming weeks.” //

 

Also Tuesday, commissioners approved:

* renewal of a one year Barry County Administrative Services Contract with Blue Cross-Blue Shield for Jail inmates.

* renewal of a Consulting Services, LLC agreement for $9,500 for each of three years to provide indirect cost accounting services.

* renewal of the county liability, vehicle, physical damage and property and crime insurance though the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority liability policy for one year for $381,067,

* an amendment to the Municipal Employees Retirement System Hybrid Plan Agreement to change the county’s maximum contribution to 2.2 percent effective Jan. 1, 2018,

* the 2018 L-4029 form for Barry County to collect summer taxes,

* the transfer of a 2001 Chevrolet panel van from the sheriff’s office to the animal shelter.

* the purchase of 12 ballistic resistant vests to replace 12 vests that expire in September from CMP Distributors.

* entry into the Michigan Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program for Jason and Jordan Scamlin in Barry Township,

* increasing the Child Care Fund budget summary from $1,034,001.14 to $1,234,001.14 and increasing the line item in the county budget from $250,000 to $450,000,

* an amendment to MERS hybrid plan to include the non-union Central Dispatch administrative assistant position to the plan effective June 1.

 

 

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