Dexter Village Council Approves Site Plan for Dapco Industries Expansion

A planned expansion of the Dapco Industries plant in Dexter got a greenlight from the Dexter Village Council on Monday night. The council unanimously approved a combined site plan for an 8,500-square-foot addition in the village’s industrial park.

Dapco plans to expand the west side of its building at 2500 Bishop Circle East, which will be used for new equipment to make parts for small engines.

Dapco Industries owner Ron Tupper thanked the council for approving a new site plan and requested that the village defer the timeline for an installation of a sidewalk along Dan Hoey Road until properties on either side of the business install a connecting sidewalk.

Tupper said if the village required Dapco to install the sidewalk now, it would change the scope of the company's expansion.

“We have invested a lot of money and are looking forward to more growth,” Tupper said.

The council set a public hearing for Nov. 28 to consider a 12-year tax abatement for the property, which is planning to add 10 new jobs in the near future.

In other action:

• State Rep. Mark Ouimet (R-Scio Township) addressed the council on Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed personal property tax reform plan. Snyder has suggested exploring whether Michigan can cut $1.2 billion in personal property taxes — the tax that businesses pay on office and machine equipment. When pressed for specifics on how the lost revenue dollars would be recouped, Ouimet said “that needs to come from the governor’s office.”  Ouimet said he needs to see the bill before supporting it.
• Paul Ganz and Mike Witkowski, representatives from DTE Energy, offered explanation as to why the village and surrounding areas have had so many power outages in recent weeks. Ganz offered an apology for the outages and assured the public that DTE is working on remedying the problems. “We have been working on these things for years,” Ganz said. “The grid needs upgrades.” Ganz said DTE will soon begin a $7 million project to construct two new substations, one in Dexter Township at Madden and North Territorial roads and another in Lima Township. According to Ganz, the project should be complete next year.