Progress You Can Actually See

If you live in the Hemlock Hills subdivision, you might have noticed it already. The equipment. The dumpsters. The unmistakable signs that a long-standing problem is finally being addressed.

Demolition has officially started on the collapsed property on Ridgewood. I’ve received several texts this morning thanking me for “getting this done,” and I want to be very clear: the credit for closing this chapter belongs to the current Township Trustees, our Fiscal Officer, the Zoning Department, and the Fire Department. This work was already underway, and it is their steady follow-through that is bringing this issue to a close as 2025 ends, and we head into 2026.

Site Demolition Begins on Ridgewood at SR 306

This didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen by accident. It happened because the current Township Board, our Fiscal Officer, and our Zoning staff did the unglamorous, detail-heavy work that local government is actually built on: documenting conditions, following legal process, coordinating across departments, securing bids, and sticking with it even when the timeline was longer than anyone would have liked. The Fire Department’s involvement was also critical in declaring the property a safety hazard.

There were no press conferences. No dramatic speeches. Just steady, methodical work from summer through fall and into winter.

I also want residents to know that the township’s Zoning Department is out every day reviewing properties across the township. Some situations resolve quickly. Others require time, legal care, and patience. But the work is ongoing, and issues are not being ignored or forgotten.

If you have a concern about a property, the right move is to contact the Township Zoning Department so it can be reviewed and handled through the proper channels. You can also contact me directly, and I will help make sure it gets routed appropriately.

From a resident perspective, this matters. Properties like this don’t just affect one driveway or one lot. They impact safety, drainage, neighboring homes, and the overall sense of whether problems linger indefinitely or actually get resolved.

This situation required patience, legal care, fiscal responsibility, and a willingness to act once the path forward was clear. The Board, Fiscal Officer, Zoning staff, and Fire Department did exactly that this year.

As someone who values both good governance and quality of life, I want to say thank you. This is what responsible local leadership looks like: identifying a problem, staying within the law, protecting township finances, and seeing the job through.

It may not be flashy, but it’s effective.

And frankly, I’ll take effective every time.

More progress to come. And yes, it’s absolutely okay to appreciate the boring wins.