Dear Editor and Lima Township Residents:
In a recent letter to the editor (October 1, “Letter to the Editor: Dale Luick right fit for Lima Township”) Lima Township resident Florence Beach voiced her strong support for one of the other people running for one of the two open positions on the township board.
I very much appreciate her passion and support for our community. Unfortunately, there were some inaccuracies and misstatements in the letter that I do not believe serve the township or myself left unchallenged.
As I noted in my original letter to the editor, it is correct that I was appointed to fill out the term of Don Laier after his passing. While this was a sad occasion, I was honored to be considered on the strength of my experience on the Thornton Farms Board of Directors. It is this role that puts me in constant contact with the Lima Township staff on a regular basis as I address community issues for the development that I live in.
I am saddened and disappointed that someone would accuse me of being some kind of mole inserted by a builder to do their bidding. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I love and respect the rural community and want to preserve that, but I am also proud of our community at Thornton Farms and believe that we can and should continue to live side by side. As a consultant to a homebuilder, any residential development that would come to the board would require me to recuse myself from the discussion and voting, and I will absolutely pledge to do so.
Other than finishing the Thornton Farms Development, Lombardo Homes has no further interest in Lima Township. I plan on retiring here in Lima Township and want to preserve the community we have.
Ms. Beach voiced her sincere concerns about the town hall development and specifically about spending funds to an initial architectural review. For my part, I have heard about the township hall ever since I moved into Lima Township in 2012. This is a long-term project now spanning some 10 to 15 years. Over the last several months, I have listened and heard from residents about this build or renovate issue. The board was presented with the task of approving an engineering firm and an architect firm for preliminary documentation and fact finding totaling around $18,000. Given that there were no other documents available regarding the architectural plans, I saw no other option but to hire the engineering firm and the architect firm to create some documentation of the project.
It pleases me that our community has strong and vocal supporters like Ms. Beach. That will only help us maintain our identity as a rural community, even as we inevitably grow. I also agree with Ms. Beach that it would serve us well to “infuse new blood” onto the board and indeed into our community.
Someone with a track record of fiscal responsibility and some thoughts about how to move us forward without losing the essential rural nature of Lima Township. I believe I have that track record and look forward to continuing to serve our community.
David Hensel, Lima Township Trustee, appointed
