Has The Word "Pride" Fallen Victim To Budget Cuts In Chesterfield Township?

The dictionary defines the word pride as “pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself: civic pride.”

I write this due to the fact that I feel the word pride has somehow fallen by the wayside within certain areas of Chesterfield Township. Citizens and visitors do not have to look far to observe this statement being made. Some public buildings actually border violating the township's own obnoxious weed ordinances, which can easily be viewed at http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientID=12988&stateID=22&statename=Michigan. Enter the word "weeds" in the search box and behold the simple explanation of what constitutes a violation written in plain black and white.

Given this knowledge, now drive by the pride of the Chesterfield Township Fire Department Station #3 on 23 Mile Road and Baker and lay witness to the point I am trying to make. Notice the growth around the antique fire apparatus proudly placed in front of that hideously colored cement wall. The lawn is sure to contain many of the weeds known to northern climates displayed in the Scott’s weed book conveniently laid out at Lowe's in the Garden Department. I can assure you that the reflection of the exterior does not mirror the attitudes of our firefighters. I am proud of the men and women of the CTFD and it is a shame their operations are housed upon such neglected properties.

The Chesterfield Police Department announced some time ago that they had joined the Nixle system enabling them to inform its citizens of crimes and road closures due to police activity. Cutting edge technology at its best sent right to your cell phone and or emailed to ensure a quick means of keeping citizens up to date. Visit www.nixle.com and enter Chesterfield’s zip code. Last entry from CTPD was dated Jan. 15, 2010.

The department’s website proudly displays links available for its citizens to utilize various resources to help ensure safety for all. Excellent links on the website accessible right at your fingertips. One of these links happens to be the Neighborhood Watch program. This is a great tool for subdivisions to utilize and provides the means of educating the public how to assist our officers in reporting crimes. This link has enormous potential of creating great relationships between the citizens and those sworn to protect us.

Unfortunately, the first step for a subdivision to begin this program is to set up a meeting with a Neighborhood Watch Program Director. This just happens to be an officer assigned this role within that department. Sadly enough, this position does not exist at the CTPD. Make no mistake I am just as proud of the men and women of CTPD, as I have witnessed them in action many times and have called upon them for service myself.

There is no doubt that sacrifices have to be made by all to survive the economic turmoil our township faces today. However, it is heart-wrenching to see some cuts being made in hopes of keeping the books in the black. Links have disappeared from the CTPD site over the years as the Motor Division, Mountain Bike Division, and soon the K9 Unit will join the once proud assets of what Chesterfield Township police used to have in their arsenal of tools in fighting crime.

Residents should rally behind the men and women of the police and fire personal to help bring the pride back--thus making these departments the benchmark for all other communities to follow.

My hopes are that the heads of these departments are not just puppets to a group of puppeteers. There’s only room for one person behind a magical curtain and that character belongs to the tale that many have come to love as the Wizard of Oz. Perhaps there is a simple solution to all this. Someone just may have to swallow that ever-popular word called pride and seek help from volunteers or begin to address these concerns of many. Please be careful not to choke though. For some, this just may be an awfully large gulp to take down.

I am proud to be a citizen of Chesterfield Township.