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COINS & CURRENCY
Chelsea
Rare Coins
1170 S. MAIN STREET • CHELSEA
(734) 433-9900
Minutes from Ann Arbor
I-94 Exit 159
VOL. 138, NO. 15
Sylvan Twp
officials fire
back at
former
supervisor
By Sean Dalton
Heritage Media
After former Township
Supervisor Michael Williams
went on the record with the
Chelsea Standard last week
regarding Sylvan’s financial
troubles, Township Clerk
LuAnn Koch fired back Monday.
Koch began by calling
Williams’ performance as
“(He) rarely showed
up … in 2008 he was
late or never showed
up 49 out of 55 days,
and July through
November (the end
of his term) he did
not hold any business
hours at all.”
LUANN KOCH
Clerk, Sylvan Township
township supervisor into ques-
tion: “(He) rarely showed up
… in 2008 he was late or never
showed up 49 out of 55 days, and
July through November (the
end of his term) he did not hold
any business hours at all,” in
addition to allegedly failing to
participate in the 2008 Board of
Review or vote in the 2008 pri-
mary election.
She added that the four law-
suits filed against the township
were done so “under his watch,”
and characterized Williams as
disorganized and non-compliant
with township rules regarding
that he not “(keep) township
information on his computer”
and that he “failed to comply
with township policy to turn
over all township information
and emails.
“The policy was adopted dur-
ing his term and received his
vote,” Koch said.
Going back to the lawsuits,
Koch said that in 2007 suit was
filed “because he couldn’t get a
development agreement signed
(between the township and the
developers),” in addition to
“fail(ing) to get the rest area in
Lima Township connected to
Sylvan’s water and sewer ser-
vices” and “failed to get the rest
area in Grass Lake Township
connected (as well,” under
agreements in place that allow
Grass Lake and Sylvan to make
such utility connections.
“(Williams) failed to get Scio
Township connected to sewer
service, failed to get other high
end scaled users connected
to water service, all of which
would have helped or elimi-
nated the issue at hand,” Koch
continued.
She addressed Williams’
assertions point-by-point.
Koch says that the special
assessment district established
to pay for the bonds is legal.
She also said that the town-
ship residents are not going to
see the effects of the lawsuits on
PLEASE SEE SYLVAN/3-A
Chelsea Standard
Photos by Burrill Strong
George Till speaks to a crowd at the Chelsea Depot about how Michigan played a crucial part in the Civil War.
150 years later
Society honors
Civil War
anniversary
By Crystal Hayduk
Special Writer
o commemorate the
T
official start of the
Civil War on April 12,
1861, the Chelsea Area
Historical Society
sponsored a presentation by
George Till, local Civil War
aficionado and re-enactor on
Monday evening at the Depot.
Till shared his expertise
and memorabilia gathered
over more than twenty years
of research and work with
the 24th Michigan Infantry
reenactment group. He said
that Michigan played a cru-
cial role in the Civil War,
sending more troops to the
front than any other state
except for New York.
Till began his presentation
by naming a number of local
men, the battles they fought
in, and interesting facts
about their lives as soldiers
or in Chelsea. Over 100 Civil
War veterans are buried in
Chelsea, and Till encouraged
audience members to visit
the graves.
“It may sound macabre, but
architects designed cemeter-
ies in those days, and people
would often take their R and
R on Sundays, visiting the
graves of loved ones,” he said.
According to Till, the
24th Michigan Infantry was
formed in 1862 as a volunteer
regiment when President
Abraham Lincoln called for
more troops, and became part
of the famed Iron Brigade.
The 24th in the Civil War
was like what we would con-
sider the Special Forces today.
They were tough dudes – men
INSIDE
Fiscal Agency head
speaks to WWDems
Page 15-A
75¢
Till helps Jaden Cobb, 9, of Chelsea put on a Union soldier’s uniform to show the difficulty of
carrying supplies.
who were accustomed to liv-
ing off the land and were good
with guns,” he said.
Till explained and displayed
the clothing and possessions
of the typical 24th Michigan
soldier in detail. He shared
his uniform and equipment by
dressing up 9-year-old audience
member Jaden Cobb to show
the difficulties of carrying sup-
plies into battle.
Till discussed the living
conditions that the soldiers
endured, and passed out sam-
ples of hard tack, the unleav-
ened bread that was their main
source of sustenance.
Till demonstrated the mul-
tiple steps involved in loading
the “workhorse of the Union
Army,” the 1861 Springfield
Rifle Musket, a 58-caliber weap-
on with a 20- yard killing range.
He also exhibited the foot
soldier’s saber, a bayonet and a
Confederate officer’s 1851 Colt
revolver.
Till explained that officers
used swords to direct the troops
rather than for combat.
The Civil War is a com-
mon topic for movies, and
Till recommended several,
including “The Hunley,” “Gods
and Generals,” which he
appeared in, “Gettysburg,”
with Jeff Daniels, and the mul-
tiple Academy Award winner,
“Glory.”
“My wife Dianne asked me,
‘Doesn’t re-enacting glorify
war?’ No,” Till said. “We try
to show how horrible war is,
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2011
but we also want to help people
understand it.”
Till ended the program
by reading Jeff Daniels’ for-
ward to the book “A Distant
Thunder: Michigan in the Civil
War” by Richard Bak. Daniels
wrote about standing on Little
Round Top in Gettysburg and
feeling the presence of the men
who fought on the battlefield so
many years ago.
“With the sesquicentennial
at hand, this is a great time
to take advantage of learning
more about the Civil War and
how it shaped the way our
country is today,” Till said.
For more information about
the local connection to the Civil
War, contact the Chelsea Area
Historical Society at 734-476-2010.
INSIDE
Meet the school
board candidates
Page 19-A
Weave the Web:
Make sure to click
on www.heritage.com
around the clock for the
most in-depth coverage of
Washtenaw County. One of
our “Most Viewed” stories is
“Movie Review: Brand worthi-
ly recast in ‘Arthur’ remake.”
Check out our video:
■ 2 for U
■ Restart the Heart
■ Daisy Troop 41235
says Pledge of Allegiance
■ VBT seniors volunteer
recognition breakfast
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INDEX
Editorial Page 6-A
Calendar Page 5-B
Death Notices Page 10-A
Sports Page 1-C
Community Page 1-B
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