He posted one of the press releases on his Active Rain Blog and Craig Bryson, from the Oakland County Road Commission posted a comment as follows:
Here is the email we received from the Oakland County Road Commission on July 19th:
From: Craig Bryson cbryson@rcoc.org
Date: Mon, Jul 19, 2010 at 7:59 AM
Subject: Susan Downey (Sent via Activerain)
To: Mark Maupin maupin.marcus@gmail.com
You've received a contact message from your Contact Form on the ActiveRain network.
Message details:
From: Craig Bryson
Email: cbryson@rcoc.org
Subject: Susan Downey (Sent via Activerain)
Mark:I appreciate that you are attempting to help Susan Downey with your press releases and blogs, and we too greatly sympathize with her situation. However, your misrepresenting the situation is not going to get her situation resolved.
There is not a storm sewer at her home as you state in your press releases and blogs. There is a simple leaching basin. A leaching basin is simply a basin intended to collect water and allow it to gradually leach into the surrounding ground. This basin is not connected to any sewer system that would move water away from this area. Consequently, when the surrounding ground is saturated with water, there is no where for the water in the basin to leach. There is absolutely nothing we can do that would cause the surrounding ground to be less saturated, as it is the geographical low point, and water drains from the surrounding region to that point. The Road Commission has no authority, funding or ability to resolve this regional drainage problem that is not caused by or related to the road.
There is nothing there that is working improperly (either the road or the leaching basin). Her house simply sits at the low point in the area, and water runs downhill.
This is not a situation caused by or that can be remedied by the Road Commission for Oakland County.
I ask that you please stop misrepresenting the situation and inaccurately describing the Road Commission's response. We have met with her a number of times, reviewed the situation and explained the problem to her. As we have noted, there is nothing we can do that will make water run up hill. This has all been explained to the county commissioner and the township supervisor as well.
Again, we sympathize with her. But it does no one any good to blame the wrong party.
Sincerely,
Craig Bryson, APR
Public Information Officer
Road Commission for Oakland County
(248) 645-2000, ext. 2302
August 5, 2010
I am responding to your email regarding Ms. Susan Downey, a single, self-employed woman trying to survive in a poor economy. If the situation is not remedied she will become too sick to work, lose her means of supporting herself and become homeless.
I am not an expert in road drainage: storm sewers versus leaching basins, and I don’t believe you are either.
I can say that you are responding without the facts involving this situation confronting Ms. Downey’s failing health and her home which is becoming uninhabitable.
The facts, as I understand them, are clear and simple. The problem is new. It is not pre-existing or of long term nature. Water backs up to her house as the result of a leaching basin that has failed.
As to who has “jurisdiction” to repair the problem is best known by you…and appears to be a closely guarded secret.
Your comments to her are demeaning, side stepping and meant to further exacerbate a volatile situation involving her health and loss of her home.
I am absolutely amazed that an official of Oakland County would treat one of our residents with such disrespect.
She is the victim of a defective leaching basin. The problem has been confirmed by employees of the Road Commission. By the way, I assume that Road Commission employees are not volunteers at large.
She is not expecting you or anyone else to address “regional drainage issues” with non-existent “FEMA” funds.
She denies that any other member of the Road Commission has met with her or offered an explanation of this problem. Why would you say such things? As you appear to be more interested in continuing to aggravate this woman and to prolong her worsening health, I am requesting that some on else get involved in clarifying and resolving this problem.
Finally, whether true or not, to a reasonable person there appears to be a cover up in place or at the minimum suppression or failure to advise Ms. Downey of who the proper agency is to help her. This type of behavior is foreign to the usual cooperative attitude I have witnessed in the past from Oakland County.
Mark Maupin
More from Craig Bryson:
Apparently we are not successfully communicating. We are sympathetic to Ms. Downey's situation, but we do not believe the problem is either caused by or could be solved by the Road Commission.
Consequently, I would like to invite you and Ms. Downey to come meet in person with our staff and leadership to discuss the issue. We would be more than happy to explain our position and answer any questions either of you might have.
If you are interested in doing so, please let me know several dates and times that would be convenient for you. We can meet at our administrative offices in Beverly Hills (at the intersection of 13 Mile and Lahser roads).
Thank you,
Craig Bryson, APR
Public Information Officer
Road Commission for Oakland County
31001 Lahser Road
Beverly Hills MI 48025
(248) 645-2000, ext. 2302
cbryson@rcoc.org
Follow RCOC on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Oaklandroads
Here is another email from Mr. Bryson to me:
Hi Ms. Downey.
I'm the public information officer for the Road Commission for Oakland County.
As you may know, I e-mailed your friend, Mark Maupin, concerning the numerous blogs and press releases he has posted about the drainage situation on your property.
As I noted to him, based on the information he is including in his blogs and press releases, there is clearly a communications gap between the Road Commission and you. Consequently, we would like to invite you and Mr. Maupin to meet with Road Commission officials to discuss this situation. We will also invite County Commissioner Runestad to this meeting.
If you are interested in meeting, please let me know several dates and times when you would be available to meet. We can meet at the Road Commission's administrative offices on Lahser Road in Beverly Hills (at the intersection of Lahser Road and 13 Mile Road).
Sincerely,
Craig Bryson, APR
Public Information Officer
Road Commission for Oakland County
31001 Lahser Road
Beverly Hills MI 48025
(248) 645-2000, ext. 2302
cbryson@rcoc.org
Follow RCOC on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Oaklandroads
It looks like our next step is to have a meeting. We are working on setting a time that is convenient for Mark Maupin and others who are interested in getting answers. Check back for updates.
