To the editor:

I must respond to the front-page story “Tax question dogs trustee resignation” of July 12 that I was cited in. It is important to know how the Shore Shack Cabin of Trustee Codere came to light.

This spring the Schoolcraft Township Board was addressed by a well-known doctor who lives near the park. He had no problem with the park during the summer when it is open, the problem was fall and spring, when the park was closed, but the Shore Shack was in heavy use by young people with access to the cabin using four-wheel-drive vehicles and doing damage to the park while partying.

They were not breaking in. They had full access to the cabin for overnight stays. Instead of using the provided bathrooms in the park, they chose to defecate all over the park.

At this time Trustee Codere stated he owned the cabin and gave the doctor his cell phone number to be notified when the parties were in progress. He did note his cell did not work at his home.

I used the Freedom of Information Act to request the ownership records on the cabin. This is when I found the fact that the 7-year-old cabin had never paid taxes, had building permits or a defined description of the duties that came with the privately owned cabin. This in a public park with only the citizens liable for any damages from the cabin or full access parties.

Of note in the article is the quote of “Board President Patricia Burton said the board is monitoring the situation and expects new information coming soon.”

In fact I FOIAed the board, and the answer was the board took no action to gain the tax dollars due for the last seven years. At the July 12 Schoolcraft Township Board meeting, Trustee Codere stated he has taken out the heating system from the cabin, partitions, personalization and fabrics to make the cabin more as described in the article. I wish Mr. Neese had interviewed me before the article as these items could have been covered.

Samuel F. Buschell Jr.

Lake Linden