[Toll Bridge Facts.com Editor: The News-Herald reporter's article is balanced and accurate, except there is one important fact about the GIBC's fire hydrant proposal that should be clarified. The Grosse Ile Township Department of Public Services Director, with the strong support of the Township Board, rejected the GIBC's fire hydrant proposal on July 19, 2007.
Given Mayor Durand's quote in the article, one gets the impression that the City of Riverview was the original entity that blocked the GIBC's fire hydrant project -- ironically, this is not the case. In fact, on April 24, 2007 one of the Assistant Attorneys of Riverview and the Riverview Fire Chief had a meeting with GIBC Owner and President Paul Smoke and GIBC Director of Community and Government Relations Greg Karmazin at the toll plaza to discuss the GIBC's proposal for connecting the fire hydrant to Grosse Ile Township's 12 inch water line.
The GIBC has been buying metered water from the Township's 12 inch water line running by the west end of the Toll Bridge since the 1960s. The GIBC's proposal was to connect the fire hydrant to the Township's 12 inch water line which is fed by a 16 inch water main owned by the Township. The City's Assistant Attorney and Fire Chief expressed support for the GIBC to install the fire hydrant at the exact location where we wanted to place it. The Fire Chief especially liked the GIBC's recommended location because he said the City could use the hydrant to protect the Riverview Boat Launch area which does not have a hydrant.
On April 25, 2007, the Riverview Assistant Attorney confirmed the City's support stating in an e-mail, "Thanks for your note and kind words. I too am glad we were able to resolve the fire hydrant issue in short order." At that point, all the GIBC needed was Grosse Ile Township's approval to install the fire hydrant. Unfortunately, the GIBC didn't get support from the Township as they unconditionally rejected our plan on July 19, 2007.
As for Mayor Durand's comparison of Riverview's relatively large City Hall complex to the GIBC's proposed 1,100 square foot operations building, well, this is like saying a watermelon is similar to a grape because both are fruits. The fact is that the GIBC's proposed operations building probably isn't much bigger than the Mayor's office.
It is extremely unreasonable and punitive for anyone to suggest that the GIBC should be expected to spend several hundred thousand dollars to connect to Riverview's water main that is more than 1,000 feet away from the toll plaza just because this is what the City spent to install a fire hydrant to protect City Hall.
It is worth considering that the GIBC annually pays Riverview more than $55,000 in taxes (incidentally, the GIBC annually pays Grosse Ile more than $58,000 in taxes). Since 1992, the GIBC's tax payments to Riverview have totaled more than $795,000. One would hope that the City uses at least part of the GIBC's tax payments to fund essential services that benefit all residents and businesses in Riverview.
Finally, there were no meaningful traffic delays after the first day of the Wayne County Bridge closure period and Wayne County's traffic light at the intersection of Jefferson and Bridge Road did a good job of controlling east bound traffic on the second day and thereafter.
http://www.ilecamera.com/stories/062708/loc_20080627005.shtml
Riverview's suit against GIBC thrown out
By Jim Kasuba, Heritage Newspapers
PUBLISHED: June 27, 2008
RIVERVIEW — A lawsuit filed against the Grosse Ile Bridge Co. for costs incurred during shutdowns of the Wayne County-owned free bridge has been thrown out of court.
Wayne County Circuit Judge Prentis Edwards ruled in favor of GIBC's motion for summary disposition of Riverview's lawsuit during a June 13 hearing in Detroit.
The city sought more than $71,000 for expenses officials said were incurred during county bridge closures in 2004 and 2007. The only way on and off Grosse Ile via automobile is one of the two bridges.
The Wayne County free bridge connects Grosse Ile to Trenton; the toll bridge connects Grosse Ile to Riverview.
Riverview officials said that during those times, significant traffic backups at the entrance of the toll bridge materialized, which necessitated emergency police response for traffic control and to ensure public safety.
The lawsuit alleged negligence during both closures in that the bridge company was aware the free bridge would be closed and had a duty to adjust its operations to handle the situation and to provide an adequate method of taking tolls.
The judge dismissed the case with an oral opinion, saying there is no basis in Michigan law for the city's claim.
"I've given up trying to figure out judges and juries," Riverview Mayor Tim Durand said.
He said Paul Smoke, GIBC owner and president, met with city officials a few days before the long-term closure of the free bridge last year and asked about the hiring of "off-duty or auxiliary" police officers to assist in traffic control.
Durand said that when he told Smoke the city does not have auxiliary officers, who typically serve as volunteers or whose pay is nominal, Smoke appeared to have lost interest in exploring the possibility of reimbursing the city for the use of its officers.
"He acknowledged from the beginning that he had a duty," Durand said. "The Palace (of Auburn Hills) and places like that pay for traffic control. It's a money-making venture."
The GIBC continues to draw attention to the fact that Riverview's assistant city attorney, Kurt Kobiljak, also serves as supervisor of Grosse Ile Township.
"This is the eighth time since 2003 that a Michigan court has ruled against legal action taken in opposition of the GIBC by elected officials in Grosse Ile or Riverview," said Greg Karmazin, director of community and government relations for the GIBC.
"These legal actions have cost local taxpayers a great deal of money. For example, the Grosse Ile Township board spent more than $450,000 on its failed attempt to seize ownership of the toll bridge through an eminent domain lawsuit. Prior to 2003, neither municipality had ever sued the GIBC."
Durand said Grosse Ile's lawsuit had nothing to do with Riverview's. He said Riverview's only litigation involving the GIBC has been the attempt to recover costs for police officers who handled traffic duty around the bridge.
As for Durand's saying the GIBC was unprepared for the extra traffic, Karmazin said the company invested approximately $750,000 in establishing the toll plaza and bridge pass electronic toll collection system.
"The bridge pass system enabled the GIBC to process toll collection approximately three times faster than payments made with tokens, cash or credit cards," Karmazin said.
"Starting in August of 2006 through early 2007, the GIBC repeatedly told elected officials in Grosse Ile and Riverview that the most important pre-closure planning activity was to help us to encourage drivers to purchase the bridge pass. Unfortunately, neither the leaders of Grosse Ile nor Riverview were willing to cooperate with the GIBC."
Smoke said that while he is pleased with the court's ruling, he continues to be disappointed with the "aggressive" litigation by certain leaders of Grosse Ile and Riverview.
"For the first 90 years of the company's operations, we had excellent relations with local municipalities," Smoke said. "Now, I can't even get a new fire hydrant approved to protect the bridge and its customers."
Smoke was referring to another bone of contention between his company and Riverview over a hydrant in which the city is requiring the installation of a loop main, a relatively expensive water hookup.
"We will not trade safety for expediency," Durand said in regard to the city's requirement. "We are not asking (Smoke) to do something that is not currently a law in Riverview. The city had to put in a loop main when we moved to (the current) City Hall that extends from Sibley (Road). It cost us several hundred thousand dollars. They reaped millions of dollars when the (free) bridge was closed."
Riverview has 21 days from the date of the ruling to appeal its lawsuit to the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Durand said that city officials have not yet discussed a possible appeal with the city's contracted law firm of Pentiuk, Couvreur & Kobiljak of Wyandotte.
