SAND LAKE, Mich. — The Sand Lake Village Council approved the sale of its fire department to Nelson Township on Friday, a decision made minutes after five new council members, including a president, were sworn in.
During a public meeting at the Gathering Place in Sand Lake, the two remaining council members — Chris Stieg and Marcia Helton — picked two new members — Maggie Merritt and Justin Van Etten — to reach a quorum. Then, three additional members — Ken Johnson, Abbey Shirey and Dan Hula — were picked one-by-one to complete the full, seven-person council, with Hula appointed to serve as president.
Once seated, the freshly-formed council unanimously voted to sell the Sand Lake Fire Department to Nelson Township.
As part of this deal, Nelson Township will receive full ownership of the building that houses the department, as well as its engines, equipment and additional funds set aside for the department. In turn, the township will provide fire services to the village for the next ten years with the option for renewal every five years.
According to the village, the fire department's assets are valued at $500,000.
How did we get here?
The village council's decision to sell on Friday came as a result of a lengthy dispute over fire services.
Three months ago, the Village of Sand Lake announced it would stop offering fire services to Ensley, Nelson and Pierson Townships after it was unable to reach a "unified, long-term solution" with them at least party due to cost.
In the months that followed, firefighters for the Sand Lake Fire Department threatened to quit if the three townships weren't included in a future plan, and the townships began to look into the possibility of forming their own department.
Last week, now former Sand Lake Village President Mollie Doerr and four other members of the village council resigned, with Doerr citing threats to her safety as reason for her decision to leave the position.
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The sale of the fire department
Now, with the village's fire services agreement set to expire at the end of the month, Nelson Township will purchase the Sand Lake Fire Department, joining forces with Ensley and Pierson Townships to provide full fire coverage for the area.
When the sale was finalized on Friday, those attending the meeting, including members of the fire department, applauded the decision.
The village council also voted to allow the department to spend $40,000 of their $100,000 budget to upgrade their equipment.
"It's been a long, long fight for these people who have done so much for our community, and now they have a forever home with Nelson Township, Ensley and Pierson Townships and the Village of Sand Lake," Nelson Township Supervisor Robyn Britton said.
"We're going to build [the new department] bigger and bigger," she said.
According to Sand Lake Fire Department Chief Mike Patin, all of his firefighters have agreed to work for the new department.
"I think it's a great decision," Patin said about the sale. "One we should have made six months ago."
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The future of Sand Lake
While the future of the Sand Lake Fire Department may be more or less settled after Friday, the future of the village itself will be determined in May with voters in both Sand Lake and Nelson Township set to decide whether to disincorporate the village.
If Sand Lake is disincorporated, its land will be absorbed by Nelson Township and its government will cease to exist.
"I think it's a great night for Sand Lake, and I think it's a great step forward," Justin Van Etten, newly appointed to serve on the village council, said after the meeting on Friday.
"We take it one day at a time," he said.
