January 2018 In This Edition 2017 Firefighter of the Year.. Page 1 Lyon Twp Ranked 5 Star Community. Page 2 Christmas Tree Recycling. Page 2 Fire Chief Recognized... Page 2 Fire Marshal Named.. Page 2 2018 Dog License Rates... Page 3 Don t Plow Snow into the Road Page 3 Lyon Township Public Library Events. Page 4 New Library Hours for 2018.. Page 5 2017 Firefighter of the Year Township Calendar New Year s Day Jan 1 Twp Closed Board of s Jan 2 7:00 p.m. Planning Commission. Jan 8 7:00 p.m. DDA Jan 9 7:00 p.m. Martin Luther King Day... Jan 15 Twp Closed Parks and Rec Board.. Jan 16 7:00 p.m. ZBA Jan 17 7:00 p.m. Planning Commission. Jan 22 7:00 p.m. Board of s Feb 5 7:00 p.m. Planning Commission. Feb 12 7:00 p.m. DDA Feb 13 7:00 p.m. Presidents Day Feb 19 Twp Closed Parks and Rec Board.. Feb 20 7:00 p.m. ZBA Feb 21 7:00 p.m. Planning Commission. Feb 26 7:00 p.m. All meetings are held at: Lyon Township 58000 Grand River Avenue New Hudson, MI 48165 Phone: 248-437-2240 http://www.lyontwp.org http://www.facebook.com/lyontwp http://www.twitter.com/lyontwp Honoring Yesterday. Building Tomorrow. Sergeant Robert Simmons has been named the 2017 Lyon Township Firefighter of the Year. Bob Simmons moved to Lyon Township in 2007 from Royal Oak to raise a family in a more rural environment. As a professional firefighter since 1999, he wanted to serve the community in which he lived. In 2009, he joined the Lyon Township Fire Department as a paid on-call firefighter. After 3 years of dedicated service, Firefighter Simmons was promoted to Sergeant, a position he has been honored to fulfill ever since. Sgt. Simmons is a certified Firefighter, Emergency Medical Technician, HazMat Operator, Confined Spaces Operator, and Ice Rescue Certified. In addition, Sgt. Simmons is the Assistant Training Officer and handles overflow administrative duties, such as scheduling the 24 hour coverage for firefighters. Bob is a proud member of the community, the father of two lovely young ladies, and a local business owner at Grand Trunk Crossfit. 1
Lyon Township Ranked a 5-Star Community Lyon Township has been named a 2017 5-Star Community by ecities. ecities is an annual research study that examines community-level factors that influence entrepreneurship, economic development, and job growth. The focus of this project is to learn and share the "Best Practices" to attract entrepreneurial development and create business growth. Understanding the best practices and utilizing these concepts across Michigan will have a positive impact on the state's economic future. This year, the ecities team collected data on 277 communities across Michigan on many factors related to economic development, entrepreneurship, growth, and community involvement. A panel of reviewers with various backgrounds related to entrepreneurship, development, and government examined these communities and selected those to be recognized as the top communities in Michigan. Christmas Tree Recycling Like previous years, all 11 Oakland County Parks (including Lyon Oaks in Lyon Township) is offering Christmas tree recycling. Just follow the signs to get to the drop-off location in each park. The drop-off sites are open from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., seven days a week (December 26 th through January 29 th, 2018). There is no charge to drop off your tree, but all plastic, tinsel, and wire must be removed. Commercial trees are not accepted. Trees are processed to make compost and woodchips, which are distributed throughout the year. Fire Chief Recognized The Commission of Professional Credentialing (CPC) met on December 5, 2017 and voted unanimously to award Lyon Township Fire Chief, Ken Van Sparrentak, with the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation. He has earned the professional designation as witnessed by a team of his peers and members of the CPC. Chief Van Sparrentak has demonstrated through his education, leadership, and management skills that he possesses the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the fire and emergency services profession. Fire Marshal Named At the December 4, 2017 Board of s meeting, Brian Holzheimer was named the new Fire Marshal for Lyon Township. Brian was previously the Fire Inspector and is NFPA certified as a Fire Inspector and state certified as a Fire Officer III. 2
2018 Dog License Rates In accordance with Michigan Act 339 (The Dog Law), all dogs must be licensed at four months of age or older. Each Dog must be vaccinated by a certified veterinarian. Licenses are sold through Oakland County Animal Control and may be purchased at the Lyon Township Municipal Center. You must bring proof of rabies vaccination for your dog. The rates for dog licenses are set by Oakland County and have increased for 2018. The rates are now as follows: Rates through June 1 st (Non-Delinquent) 1 Year 3 Year* Spayed or neutered: $10.50 $28.50 Not spayed or neutered: $18.00 $51.00 Senior rate (65 and older) spayed or neutered $9.75 $26.25 Senior rate (65 and older) not spayed or neutered $16.50 $46.50 Rates starting June 2 nd (Delinquent) 1 Year 3 Year* Spayed or neutered: $33.00 $51.00 Not spayed or neutered: $33.00 $66.00 Senior rate (65 and older) spayed or neutered $33.00 $49.50 Senior rate (65 and older) not spayed or neutered $33.00 $63.00 *Three year licenses may only be purchased if your dog s proof of rabies vaccination is valid until a date during the final year in which the three year license runs through. If you have any questions about dog licenses, please call the Treasurer s Office at 248-437-2240. RCOC: Don t Plow Snow into the Road The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) would like to remind residents and business owners that it is illegal under Michigan law to shovel or plow snow or ice onto any road or highway, or to deposit snow on a road or road shoulder in such a way that it blocks motorists view of traffic. This creates a safety problem for motorists and creates additional work for the RCOC, which, in some cases, has to re-plow the road. That can make it take longer for them to get to other roads and subdivisions. Pushing snow from a driveway or parking lot onto a road or depositing snow in a way that blocks a drivers safety vision is specifically prohibited in Section 257.677(a) of the Michigan Vehicle Code. Doing so is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $100 and/or a jail sentence of up to 90 days. 3
Library Events Lyon Township Public Library Events Hat, Mitten, and Glove Drive for Active Faith Residents are invited to donate hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves on behalf of Active Faith. Please bring your donations to the circulation desk during library hours. We will be accepting donations through January 31 st. New items only, please. Community Electronic Recycling Thursday, January 11 th from 12:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Friday, January 12 th from 12:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. Do you have old electronics you want to get rid of? Please drop off old computers, radios, flat panel screents, etc. No CRT (old style) monitors, please. Everything will be used for our Tech Take Apart Program on January 13 th and then be recycled. Adult Programs Qijong & You - Wednesdays from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Qijong, a 5,000 year old system referred to as an Ancient Chinese Secret of Health & Longevity, uses simple movement, breathing technique, and mental focus to cultivate internal energy. The class focuses on the power of Qigong for health, self-healing, and longevity. It is an excellent way to manage stress and to find balance and inner harmony. Each class ends with a guided meditation. Classes are taught by David Tharp, a certified Qigong Teacher, and are free to the public. Books and Brews Book Club Tuesday, January 9 th at 7:00 p.m. Our next book is Heroes of the Frontier by Dave Eggers. We meet at Aubree s Pizzeria & Grill in South Lyon. Please join us for lively, opinionated discussions. We welcome all readers and ideas! You can pick up a copy at the library. Essential Oils Saturday, January 20 th (check website for time) Learn all about essential oils and how they can bring you health and wellness in the new year! Kid & Teen Programs Tech Take Apart Saturday, January 13 th from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. 4 th through 12 th graders, have you ever wondered what goes on inside computers and other gadgets? Join us as we take them apart and take a look at what s inside! Everything will be recycled after we re finished. Please RSVP. Chain Reaction Contraption Challenge Saturday, January 27 th from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. 7 year olds through teens! Using things like tubes, tracks, Q-Ba Maze marble run, Chaos tower, and a good ol box of bots & props, we will together build an amazing chain reaction contraption that will do something! Thumble Workshops will be helping with this fun program. We will be playing and building from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m., with the option to let kids keep working until 4:00 p.m. Registration requested. Kids & Genealogy Programs on the next page! 4
Kid Programs Cardboard Imagineers Thursday, January 4 th from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. A cardboard box can be anything if you use your imagination! Come work together to use Make-do tools to construct anything you can dream up. Forts, houses, and castles are all possibilities. Join us as we all share ideas to construct some cool projects. All ages welcome. Registration is required. Lego My Library Thursday, January 18 th from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Stop by and build something fun at the library! We ll have Legos, K nex, and other materials to build with. Everyone can make their own creation or work together to create something. All ages are welcome, we even have baby blocks! No RSVP required. Genealogy Programs Genealogy Book Club Thursday, January 11 th at 2:00 p.m. Pick up a copy of our January selection, The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell. All are welcome! Funeral Home Research Tuesday, January 26 th from 2:00 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. Presented by Dan Earl. Genealogy Roundtable Friday, January 26 th from 2:00 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. All are welcome to come share their ideas, show geneaology treasures, or tell us about a brick wall that they have encountered. We all have a lot of experiences to share with each other! http://www.lyon.lib.mi.us New Library Hours for 2018 The Lyon Township Public Library has new hours, thanks to the passing of their operating millage in 2017. These new hours are effective January 2, 2018. Monday Thursday: 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Friday Saturday: 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Sunday: Noon until 4:00 p.m.* *Labor Day through Memorial Day 5
Lyon Township Board of s John Dolan Supervisor Michele Cash Clerk Patricia Carcone Treasurer Lise Blades Kristofer Enlow John Hicks Sean O Neil 6