Lagoon proposal causing a stink with residents

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Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005 | 8:39 a.m.

NEGAUNEE, Mich. -- Negaunee Township's plan to construct a 40-acre open sewage lagoon has angered residents near the potential site.

"The thought of smelling raw sewage around my home, and the bugs we'll have swarming around us, and the decrease in our property values disgusts me," Lenora Beckman said.

The lagoon, to be constructed on industrial-zoned property, would meet sewer needs for the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community's Ojibwa II casino. The casino is to be relocated from Chocolay Township to the former Marquette County Airport grounds, Negaunee Township Supervisor Wayne Johnson said.

The tribe would fund the system's construction, he said.

The township board has scheduled a work session for Tuesday morning to discuss the situation.

The project is still in the preliminary design stages, Negaunee Township Clerk Rachel Sertich said. "Therefore, it's difficult for us to let people know what's going on when we're still gathering information."