RCOC Public Meeting on April 23, 2026

Kara
April 29, 2026April 29, 2026
SpringfieldMine

RCOC Public Meeting on April 23, 2026

Several Springfield Township residents and STEP members attended the Board of County Road Commissioners- Oakland County public meeting on April 23, 2026 to speak during public comment and oppose any reclassification of Ormond Road related to the proposed Levy/Burroughs Materials sand and gravel mine.

I attended the meeting through my work with Oko Environmental and submitted written public comments from residents who oppose reclassifying Ormond Road to support mining-related truck traffic [Copies at the end of page]. Because Road Commission meetings are held twice a month on Thursday afternoons at 1:30 p.m. at 31001 Lahser Road in Beverly Hills, more than a 40-minute drive for many Springfield Township residents, attending in person is not always realistic for those who work or have other daytime obligations. Oko Environmental offered to collect and submit written comments on their behalf so their concerns could still be entered into the public record.

After public comment, two Road Commission staff members pulled a group of us aside, including residents, STEP members, and myself, to discuss what is currently known about Ormond Road, the exploratory road boring permit, and what role the Road Commission does — and does not — play in this process.

To their credit, they spent nearly an hour speaking with us and answering questions.

What the Road Commission Told Residents

One of the first things clarified was that the Road Commission did not pay for the exploratory work on Ormond Road.

According to Road Commission staff, Levy/Burroughs Materials applied for and received a permit to investigate the composition of the road. The purpose was to determine whether Ormond Road is currently built to Class B, Class A, or all-weather standards.

The official explained that if a company requests permission to perform this kind of investigation, and the work is not disruptive, the Road Commission may allow it.

When residents asked what happens next, the Road Commission official gave an important answer:

They do not currently have a submitted road improvement plan in their office.

In other words, while Levy/Burroughs Materials may have discussed the possibility of improving or reclassifying Ormond Road, the Road Commission said it has not received formal plans showing exactly what those improvements would be.

The official also explained that many companies approach the Road Commission claiming they may improve a road, but those ideas do not always become real projects.

The Road Commission’s Role Is Limited

A key point from the discussion was that the Road Commission is not treating the possible reclassification of Ormond Road as a simple “yes” or “no” decision driven by public opposition.

Residents already understand that the Road Commission does not approve or deny the mine itself. That decision remains within Springfield Township’s local land-use and approval process.

What became clearer during this conversation is that the Road Commission also does not appear to view its role as simply approving or denying reclassification in isolation. Instead, staff described their role as reviewing what is formally submitted, evaluating road conditions, considering the scope of the proposed use, and identifying what improvements or conditions may be required to provide safe and workable access.

Road Commission staff repeatedly emphasized that they have an obligation to provide ingress and egress, or legal access, to property. They explained that once a project moves through the local process and road-related plans are submitted, RCOC would evaluate the engineering, traffic, safety, road base, drainage, soils, water table, and other site-specific factors.

In other words, RCOC is not currently saying, “Yes, Ormond Road will be reclassified,” but they are also not saying, “No, Ormond Road cannot be reclassified.” Their position appears to be that if a road change or improvement is formally proposed, they will review the details and work toward a solution that accommodates access while applying road and safety requirements.

That distinction matters because residents opposing reclassification need to understand where the decision-making pressure points actually are. Public concern still matters, but the conversation with RCOC made clear that residents should not assume the Road Commission will simply block a road change because the community opposes the mine or the truck traffic that may come with it.

What About Reclassifying Ormond Road?

Residents specifically asked whether the Road Commission could deny a request to upgrade Ormond Road from Class B to Class A.

RCOC Official’s Reponse:

“No. I’m just being honest. Do I come into your backyard and tell you how to do your stuff in your area? Our obligation is to give ingress egress to the property… So you’re talking about denying somebody doing a free upgrade on your road? You know what I’m saying? … From a road agency, somebody’s going to do a ton of improvements for you?“

Road Commission staff explained that road classification and improvement requirements depend on many factors, including the scope of the project, soil conditions, water table, topography, road base, drainage, engineering design, and traffic needs.

When I asked what specific parameters determine whether a road moves from Class B to Class A, the official explained that there is no simple one-number answer. It depends on the full engineering review.

RCOC Official’s Response:

“Look, this is one of these questions you ask and the answer isn’t “four” or “yes” or whatever. It all depends on the scope of the project, the conditions of the soils, the water table. The topography. There’s so many things. That’s why you go through when you look at it. And then you work a plan as you get going. There is absolutely no way without having something in front of us. There’s multiple steps. It’s not happening tomorrow. Okay. That’s, that’s, no way. Right? It’s a multi-year process to design this... If somebody wants to put a shopping mall on a two lane road and if that gets approved, we have to say, well, okay, you’re going need a traffic signal, and you’re going to need turning lanes here and here. You know, after it’s approved, we can put conditions on it, but we can’t deny them access.”

That matters because the public still does not have a clear, complete explanation of what would be required to reclassify Ormond Road, how it would be designed, or what long-term impacts those changes could have on nearby residents.

The Road Commission official emphasized that any major road improvement would not happen overnight. They described it as a multi-step, multi-year process.

Why Residents Are Concerned

Residents are not simply objecting to road improvements in general. The concern is that reclassifying Ormond Road could change the function of the road in a way that supports heavier, year-round industrial and commercial traffic through a rural residential area.

Ormond Road is currently a Class B road. Residents are concerned that upgrading or reclassifying it could make it easier for a large sand and gravel mining operation to use the road for daily truck traffic, while also allowing for additional industrial or commercial traffic in the future.

For residents, this is not just a road maintenance issue. It is also a question of how such a significant change to a major community road could alter the character of the surrounding area over time.

A Troubling Comment

At one point, a Road Commission official made this comment…

“You live in a county where we have these safest roads in the state. They [Levy] really do it right. They don’t want [trucks] overweight. They don’t want to cause any problems. The problem is, is that you’re living through this right now with the trucks, everything else. Odds are, in whatever time, they’ll restore the area, and it might even be glorious in 40 years from now.“

Residents in the room were not there to debate what the site might look like decades from now.

They were there because the decisions currently being made could affect their homes, roads, safety, and quality of life now and for years to come.

For many residents, the concern is not a theoretical future reclamation plan. The concern is what happens during decades of mining, hauling, road use, groundwater disturbance, and industrial activity in a rural residential area.

Where Things Stand

Based on the discussion with Road Commission staff, the key takeaways are:

The Road Commission did issue a permit for exploratory work to evaluate the road.
The Road Commission did not pay for that exploratory work.
The Road Commission said it does not currently have formal road improvement plans submitted for Ormond Road.
If the mine is approved locally, the Road Commission would review access, traffic, safety, and road improvement requirements.
Any major road upgrade or reclassification would involve multiple steps and would not happen immediately.

Why Public Comments Matter

Residents’ comments are now part of the public record.

The written comments submitted at the meeting show clear community opposition to reclassifying Ormond Road for mining-related use. Those comments matter because they document that residents are paying attention, asking questions, and opposing changes that could reshape the road and the surrounding community.

Oko Environmental will continue organizing records, reviewing documents, and helping residents understand what is happening as this process moves forward.

Residents who oppose the reclassification of Ormond Road should continue submitting written comments to the Road Commission for Oakland County and Springfield Township. Please consider copying or blind-copying Oko Environmental so we can help maintain a community record of public opposition.