Orbie Holland loves living in the Valley View neighborhood in Brookfield, but there’s one thing that ticks him off.
It’s the people setting up yard-sale merchandise displays along Warren Sharon Road next to the restaurant building at Valley View Drive – the entrance to his neighborhood.
Holland registered his complaint at Brookfield Trustee Dan Suttles’ neighborhood meeting June 23 on Lee Road in the Valley View development. He gave Suttles his phone number and warned him, “I’m going to hold your butt to the fire.”
Orbie Holland writes his telephone number for Brookfield Trustee Dan Suttles, left, at Suttles’ recent “Talk With a Trustee” neighborhood meeting.
Suttles said he is ready for the heat. “The follow-up’s more important than the original conversation,” he said.
(Holland likely will be disappointed with Suttles’ follow up. Police Chief Dan Faustino said June 25, in response to a question from Suttles, that as long as the vendors have the permission of the property owner and are not going door-to-door, the sales are legal.)
About a dozen people came out for Suttles’ “Talk with a Trustee.” Many complained of speeding, stop sign running, unlicensed vehicles such as four-wheelers, and heavy trucks – particularly from loggers – on the streets.
“Valley View (Drive) is beat to the dickens,” said Dan Styduhar.
Matt Glover complained about the township’s failure to do anything about the collapsed storm sewer pipe in his yard. His yard does not flood, but the pipe created a sinkhole.
“I keep throwing rocks in it,” he said.
Styduhar asked about access to meeting notices and the township’s web site, which he described as “a little embarrassing.”
There also were discussions about zoning, and property maintenance, and Brookfield Zoning Commission members Chuck Fizet and Shannon Hanley sat in and answered specific questions.
Gene Sheehan said that, while he thinks the trustees are doing a good job, township and school officials need to do a better job of selling the township.
“I see so much potential in this area,” he said, including the township’s proximity to major roadways, a blue-collar workforce that isn’t against putting in a hard day’s work, and immediate openings and good pay in the plumbing, electrical and welding trades.
“You have to sell the workforce, sell the community,” said Sheehan, retired after a long career in industry and sales. “If I was going to start a business today, I’d start it here.”
