Despite strong opposition from residents, the Oxford Village Council last week voted 3-2 to approve the fire department’s request to temporarily remove the barrier that divides Dayton St. next year.

The purpose is to provide first-responders with quicker and better access to the northern and western parts of the township during the M-24 construction project in 2020.

“(You) have to consider if it was your grandparent, if it was your child (facing a life-or-death emergency) – the difference between three and five minutes is everything,” said Councilwoman Kate Logan.

Voting in favor of creating an access point that could only be utilized by emergency vehicles were council members Allison Kemp, Dave Bailey and Logan.

Voting against the motion were village President Joe Frost and Councilwoman Maureen Helmuth.

Dayton St. extends from Pleasant St. in the village to Sandhurst St., which is part of the Waterstone development in the township. Drivers cannot travel from one end of Dayton St. to the other because, just west of Chari Ct., there is a guardrail berm, along with some trees, some signage and a large rock, that block the way. This barrier has effectively created two Dayton streets, both of which are dead-ends.

Fire Chief Pete Scholz requested the barrier be temporarily removed next year to create an emergency vehicle access (EVA) point because the construction work on M-24 is going to severely limit the routes his ambulances and trucks can take when leaving Fire Station #1 at the corner of M-24 and Church St.

During the project, all northbound traffic is going to cease on the highway between Drahner Rd. and Gateway Dr. This stretch will undergo a complete reconstruction, meaning the entire road will be torn out.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime project,” Frost said. “According to MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation), the last time this road has been down to the dirt was in the 1920s.”

All northbound traffic will be detoured onto E. Drahner Rd., then directed to Oxford Lake Dr., Glaspie St., N. Oxford Rd. and finally Ray Rd., which will take motorists back to M-24.The detour route is one lane.

Southbound traffic will continue to flow on M-24 throughout the project, however, it, too, will be restricted to one lane.

“No matter which direction I go, I’m going to be hung up in traffic,” said Scholz, who noted more than 30,000 vehicles travel M-24 every day.

To avoid the congestion on M-24 and the anticipated increase in traffic on W. Burdick St., Scholz proposed emergency vehicles from Station #1 could take Davison St. to Pleasant St., then head west on Dayton St. into the township.

The chief said MDOT has agreed to remove the Dayton St. barrier, make improvements to the opening so emergency vehicles can use it and install signage warning motorists that through-traffic is strictly prohibited.

MDOT has also agreed to restore the barrier when the M-24 project is over, according to Scholz. He said “the guardrail will go back up,” the berm will be rebuilt and trees will be replanted.

“MDOT is paying for everything,” Scholz said.

Public opposition

Residents packed the council chambers to express their opposition to removing the barrier.

“I just think it’s not the best solution,” said Bonnie Staley, who’s lived on Dayton St. in the village for more than 45 years.

“We don’t want it, either,” said Claudia Geiger, who lives on Sandhurst St. in Waterstone. “The builder specifically asked if they could do (this) years ago and everyone said, ‘No, let’s leave it closed.’”

Linda Bartnik, who lives on the village side of Dayton St., agreed.

“We were told that they would never open up Dayton St,” she said.

Staley doesn’t want to see more vehicles on her street and in the northwest part of the village. She complained that the opening of Merge Studio and Gallery, the creation of parking for Polly Ann Trail users and the installation of a Dayton St. access point for Ridgelawn Memorial Cemetery has already generated a lot of traffic.

“Our lives have been changed so much in the last eight years . . . It almost brings me to tears to know that you’re going to yet again . . . (change) our lives,” Staley said.

“This is probably the last straw, I think. My husband and I would love to stay in our home for as long as we possibly (can). But if this goes through, I don’t think we’ll be there,” she noted.

Concerns were expressed about the safety of pedestrians and children due to the lack of sidewalks on Dayton St. There is no sidewalk on the south side of the street and the north side only has one between Pleasant and Maple streets.

“Our kids play in our roads,” Bartnik said.

Lisa Brinker, who lives on the Waterstone side of Dayton St., told officials they’re “going to have to widen the road” to enable emergency vehicles to travel on her street because there are often “cars parked on both sides.”

“(There’s) no way that a fire engine can get down there. No way at all,” she said. “I am opposed to this.”

Brian Peacock, who lives on the Dayton St. in the village, said his street is already “starting to fall apart” and he fears the addition of heavy emergency vehicles would only cause more damage.

“Are they going to repave it? I don’t think so,” he said.

Emily Dolata, whose parents live on Dayton St. in the village, suggested that during the construction project, the fire department could avoid M-24 by keeping a truck and an ambulance parked inside the old fire station on W. Burdick St.

The chief’s response

Scholz told the crowd it’s “not my idea to tear up M-24,” but it is his job “to look out for the health, safety and welfare of all 22,000 people that live in this Oxford community.”

He said he’s spent the last two-and-a-half years serving as a member of the M-24 Task Force, attending meetings and exploring options for firefighters and paramedics to get from Point A to Point B.

Opening up Dayton St. to allow faster and easier access to the northern and western parts of the township is one of those options and an attempt to make the best out of a bad situation. The chief explained that during construction, firefighters won’t be able to turn right out of Station #1 to head north on M-24 and if they try to use M-24 to head south or N. Glaspie St./N. Oxford Rd. to head north, they’ll find themselves stuck in one-lane traffic that’s bumper-to-bumper.

“I’m screwed no matter which direction I go,” Scholz said.

When construction begins, the chief noted, “I’m going to be cutting through every parking lot. I’m going to be cutting through every back alley. I’m going to be cutting through any(where) that I can find some place in an emergency to get through.”

A man in the audience told Scholz he wanted “to see it in writing where it’s guaranteed (MDOT will) put (the barrier) back.”

Scholz indicated his willingness to secure a written agreement and council made that part of its motion.

“It’s not my intention to leave it (open) afterwards,” the chief said.

Scholz addressed some of the residents’ comments and suggestions.

With the regard to the width of Dayton St. on the Waterstone side, the chief said if the current parking situation makes it so “tight” that his department’s vehicles cannot access the street in the event of a house fire or other emergency, “then it’s obviously something that needs to be addressed now.”

As for utilizing the old fire hall on W. Burdick St., Scholz said the department has 24-hour staffing and there are no living quarters in that building. “I can’t have them just sleeping on a cot,” he said.

Scholz said the bottom line is the M-24 project is going to be “an inconvenience to every single one of us.”

“I’m asking for patience from everybody. I’m asking for understanding,” he said.

Council comments

Logan said she couldn’t in good conscience turn down the chief’s request “if I know that this is the fastest route to get into Waterstone.”

She said “undoubtedly,” the M-24 reconstruction is “going to be a huge inconvenience for all of us,” so people are going to have to “exhibit an extreme amount of understanding” and “patience.”

Logan also asked folks to “exhibit some kindness” to both their neighbors and Scholz, “who’s done an extensive amount of research to make sure that this was the best option available for our community.”

Frost told the crowd “we don’t know” how many emergency vehicles will actually use Dayton St. next year.

“It could be one ambulance for the whole six-month (construction) period. It could be two ambulances a day,” he said.

Frost urged the crowd to consider how they would feel if the fire department’s access to a structure fire or a resident whose “life is in jeopardy” was cut off. He also urged them to think about the drivers and passengers in the 30,000 vehicles that travel M-24 on a daily basis and what could happen if first-responders were unable to reach them in a timely manner during an emergency.

“If one of those people died because our chief could not get there, that’s on everybody in this room,” Frost said.

Frost’s statements during the meeting made his ‘no’ vote puzzling.

When asked about it during a short recess, Frost told this reporter, “It’s hard to vote ‘yes’ on (opening Dayton St.) when we have 35-plus residents asking us to vote another way . . . Despite what I think needs to happen, these folks are (my) constituents.”

Helmuth, who lives on Dayton St., voted against removing the barrier because she wanted more information regarding what’s going to be done in terms of enforcement and penalties when it comes to non-emergency vehicles illegally using or attempting to use the access point.

“I think it’s premature to make the motion (before) we’ve discussed enforcement,” she said.

Helmuth expressed interest in council potentially enacting an ordinance with a hefty fine for violators. “I’m thinking big,” she said.

The enforcement issue will be addressed at council’s next meeting on Tuesday, May 28. It will begin at 6:30 p.m.