Resident criticizes township business support and bridge financing during public comment

During the public comment period at the planning commission meeting, resident Jacqueline Lash urged township officials to take action on commercial vitality and bridge financing and described operational problems she said she experienced while working at a township-leased restaurant.

Lash identified herself as a Grosse Ile resident and former Smokies employee and said township-leased equipment — including coolers and a walk-in freezer at the restaurant — was not reliably repaired while she worked there. "We were literally icing down food to serve to the public," Lash said, adding that poor equipment maintenance contributed to the business’s failure to remain open.

Lash also told the commission she sees slow business growth on Macomb Street and described perceived social divisions that she said deter younger, 20- to 30-year-old families from moving to the island. She urged stronger township support for small businesses and said the township’s spending priorities — including park projects — felt inconsistent with the lack of attention to leased business facilities.

The conversation turned to the township’s recent purchase and financing of the island bridge. Lash said residents were told tolls would fund purchase, operation and maintenance, and she said disclosure around the transaction and the millage was insufficient; she said she is working with groups to challenge the bridge financing and tolling. A township representative at the meeting said nondisclosure agreements in place during negotiation limit what could be disclosed to prospective buyers but that those agreements generally change after purchase; Lash and the representative disagreed about whether some information remains restricted post-purchase. One member of the board present referenced an approximate figure mentioned in prior discussions of about $59.7 million for bridge-related costs.

Bill, the township board representative present, told Lash that the operational questions she raised about Smokies were a township staff and township board matter and that staff and board members would follow up. Planning commission members suggested that Lash raise bridge-financing and broader business-support concerns directly at upcoming township board meetings, where the board has authority over those matters, and suggested applying to the Downtown Development Authority for more direct involvement in business-district issues.

The planning commission noted that elements of the master plan are intended to address Macomb Street business support and pedestrian/traffic enhancements; commissioners and staff encouraged Lash to continue her engagement with the township board and related local economic-development bodies so those concerns can be addressed through appropriate township processes.