FENTON, MI -- Neighbors gathered to watch as a massive crane pulled sections of an unauthorized bridge out of a Genesee County lake Tuesday.
In the morning of Tuesday, August 13, workers began lifting sections of the bridge from the water one piece at a time. One of the larger sections was removed around noon.
The bridge -- put in Monday, July 8 -- connected a private property off of Whitehead Drive on Lobdell Lake in Argentine Township to the property owner’s island, known locally as Turtle Island.
The owner of the property, Brett DeGayner, did not submit any permit applications to the township or state, which are required to build the bridge, according to officials.
DeGayner was present during the bridge’s removal, but was not made available for comment.
Now, it’s time to forgive and move on, Argentine Township Supervisor Brian Saad said.
“I’m pleased that Mr. DeGayner is cooperating with the state and I hope that the neighbors go back to being neighborly to him because now he is starting to do the right thing,” he said.
After an inspection by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), it was determined a state permit would not have been granted even if DeGayner had applied for one.
The inspection conducted by the EGLE Water Resources Division (WRD) Tuesday, July 9, showed the bridge was installed in violation of both parts 301 and 303 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, the letter states. These parts of the act apply to inland lakes and streams and the wetland protection laws.
When the bridge was installed, the township issued a stop work order to DeGayner, which he ignored.
The EGLE enforcement unit issued DeGayner a violation notice on Thursday, July 18, which ordered him to remove the bridge by no later than Sunday, July 28.
The bridge remained in place after the removal order deadline, but DeGayner’s lawyer informed the state DeGayner planned to have the bridge removed in August.
Justin Sildey, a resident on the lake said he personally wan’t too upset about the bridge when it was installed.
The bridge had a drawbridge feature, but it did not pull up completely vertically and was situated in a marshy area of the stretch, he said. Boats could pass through but some would get stuck.
“I think if he could have constructed it in a way that people could have freely gotten through there, I think that probably would have had a lot fewer people upset about it,” he said.
Those looking to place a bridge in a lake still have to go through the proper channels set up by the state and township, he said.
"Anybody’s got to go through those (channels), especially dealing with this magnitude of a project,” Sildey said. “I don’t know why he thought he could get away with it.”