Local

Flint's former mayor building new cabin

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

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Cathy Shafran
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DAVISON TOWNSHIP (WJRT) -- (07/20/09)--The pace is officially slowing down for Flint's often-confrontational former Mayor Don Williamson.

Less than six months out of office, Williamson is building what he calls a "cabin for relaxation" in Davison Township and he's even low-key about controversy the cabin construction has stirred.

Williamson said Monday he's not planning on selling his large Flint home or moving out of state.

He said he was just a few days away from starting construction on what he called a "cabin" on the lake where he and his wife, Patsy Lou Williamson, could relax.

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"Well, it's a little, small, two-bedroom cabin (with a) two-car garage," Williamson said.

And how many square feet?

"3,300," Williamson said.

The cabin will sit on a peninsula with a view of Potter Lake from three sides of his home.

Over the past several weeks, he's been clearing old trees from the property -- part of 430 acres he has owned for more than a decade.

It's property that includes the Sugarbush golf course. But it was his request for a variance to build a little closer to the water and his plans on a sewer system for the property that had neighbors complaining.

"Well I wouldn't feel at home if they weren't," Williamson said.

"There are people suffering because of the sewer system," said concerned neighbor Jim Forro.

"They literally cannot sell their homes and they're even thinking about putting a septic tank in there."

What will Williamson do?

"We'll use a septic tank," he said. "We have all the permits."

A much calmer Williamson says he expects all the rules to be followed and no problems with the township or neighbors will be encountered as he moves ahead with his new cabin, a cottage he denies will be his retirement spot.

"This here is a 'leisure spot,'" he said. "I'm too young to retire you know that."

But is he still planning a run for the governor's seat? He says he'll have an announcement on that "shortly."