Meeting: Good Example Of A Commission Story

The Ingham County Commission approved of a luxury condominium development and discussed new protocol for the purchase a gun, among other things at the 2 p.m. meeting on Sunday afternoon.

            The commission voted 5-2 to approve plans for a luxury condominium development on Elkhart Lake.

            The property is owned by the Roswell Development Corporation. The company’s spokesman, Carlos Rey, said that the company plans to build a series of 10-story buildings containing a total of 715 units overlooking the lake.

            “[The] estimated selling price of a unit will be $250,000 and upwards, perhaps to top $750,000 for the larger penthouse units,” Rey said.

            Rey said that the development will have it’s own water and sewage systems. Additionally, Rey said that his company will donate $600,000 to purchase a ladder fire truck capable of reaching the top of a 10-story building.

            The condominiums will be promoted as a vacation and recreational center.

            Another issue that was discussed during the meeting was a proposed 72-hour waiting period before the purchase of a gun in Ingham County.

            Sheriff Gus DiCesare said, “There are a lot of cases where people went out and bought a gun with criminal intent and used it right away … We want a cooling off period.”

            Under the proposed ordinance, a customer would have to provide personal information to the dealer and then wait 72 hours before picking up the pistol, said DiCesare.

            He also said that this would speed the identification of the owner of a pistol if found at a crime scene.

            A majority of the commissioners said that they would favor such a proposal but want more information and possibly to hold a public hearing for the citizens. The proposal will be seriously discussed and considered at the next meeting.

            Next, the commissioners rejected a proposed pay raise on a 4-3 vote. The commissioners’ salary will remain at $51,000.

            Additionally, the commission honored and presented plaques to two 15-year-old girls, Doreen Nicholls and Pamela DeZinno.

The girls were honored for saving a young child’s life when she fell from a boat. The girls dove into the river and pulled her out. Nicholls proceeded to administer CPR while DeZinno called for help.