Water Damage Restoration in Burton, MI

BURTON, MI – The city of Burton has purchased the former Southmoor Golf Club property with plans to develop a public park on the 93-acre property.

“The possibilities here are endless,” Burton City Council member Steve Heffner said.

The council approved a purchase agreement with the property’s owner, DSB Golf LLC, during its Wednesday, April 21 meeting. In the weeks prior, city officials were looking to demolish the property, which has become an eyesore for some residents since it closed more than five years ago.

“We now will have possession of it, and we can determine how the appearance is,” Heffner said.

Related: Officials discussing potential demolition of Southmoor Golf Club in Burton

City officials agreed to purchase the property, located at 4312 Dort Highway in Burton, for $1.475 million, which is much less than the previous asking prices for the property.

The city will cover the majority of the cost of the property with a $1.275 million land acquisition grant it was awarded by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Burton Mayor Duane Haskins announced the city was selected for the grant in December.

The previous $2.6 million asking price for the property stalled the city’s efforts to purchase the property as officials found the price to be too high.

“I was really surprised that it all came to be the way it came to be,” Heffner said.

The city has already covered 25% of the total asking price for the property, said Council President Greg Fenner.

“I think we’re well within the amount of money to purchase the property,” he said. “I think we’re all somewhat satisfied that this is a safe investment, and it could turn out great for our future.”

Now that it owns the property, the city will be able to create a connection to the Iron Belle Trail, which currently passes neighboring communities, such as Grand Blanc Township and Davison Township.

“We’re one of the last portions to connect that trail,” Heffner said.

Additionally, city officials are considering relocating the Burton Senior Activity Center to the property, Heffner said. The senior center is currently located at 3410 S. Grand Traverse St.

However, it could take between 10 and 20 years for these plans to come to fruition.

“This isn’t going to be a short process,” Heffner said. “The city would just keep adding and adding to this as time goes on, but this will finally give our community a place of their own that we can go and have baseball tournaments and soccer tournaments and family picnics and just all sorts of stuff.”

Haskins will work with the city’s parks and recreation department to develop plans for the proposed park, and the city could potentially partner with local school districts for future projects there, Heffner said.

City officials plan to apply for additional grants to cover the cost of future improvements to the property.

“The majority of the things should be through grants,” Heffner said.

Haskins could not be reached for comment regarding the purchase of the property.

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LAINGSBURG, MI — Burton Bentley students loaded up on buses after checking in at the high school with no clue where prom would take place.

A secret destination was all part of the experience for the 2025 prom.

When the buses stopped, more than 80 students arrived at Bear Creek Farm in Laingsburg on Friday, May 2 to celebrate the 2025 prom in style.

The theme was “Enchanted Garden.”

The evening activities included dinner, dancing, crowning of king and queen, corn hole and a photo booth.

MLive photojournalist Ayrton Breckenridge was on the scene capturing portraits and moments from this night to remember. Check out all of the photos in the gallery above.

You must be a subscriber to view the photo gallery. Subscribers click the “Get photo” link to download high-resolution images right to their device for free as part of their subscription. To subscribe, click this link.

To see all of MLive’s prom coverage, click this link.

Read more on MLive.com:

Linden High School shines on red carpet at ‘Hollywood Glam’ prom

Goodrich celebrates 2025 prom night on Detroit Princess Riverboat

Man gains freedom with DNA evidence, help from public defender’s office

Crim program aims to build bonds between Black Flint residents, law enforcement

12 favorite photos from Lapeer’s “Vegas” theme prom

New muscles, strength and goals achieved: Crim grows training program for amputees

BURTON, MI – A new gas station could be coming to the former Elwood’s Restaurant and Pub property, which has sat vacant for more than six years.

Proposed by New Haven-based Bazco Enterprises, the gas station with a convenience store would be located at 1076 S. Belsay Road, the property which formerly housed Elwood’s and Bubba O’Malley’s.

The vacant property is situated in front of a self-storage facility, National Storage, and near a Mobil gas station by Interstate 69.

Planning commission members approved a site plan for the proposed development this week.

Commission President Kevin Burge told MLive-The Flint Journal that motorists in the area would have plenty of fueling options in the area with the addition.

“You should have your selection along there,” he said. “We’re gonna have six (gas stations) here in like two and a half, three miles.”

Related: New gas station with drive-through fast-food restaurant could be coming to Burton

The new development would be built to the southwest of the former Elwood’s Restaurant and Pub building, which would be demolished.

The restaurant closed permanently in December 2018 after being open for less than two years.

The same building also housed Bubba O’Malley’s, a pub and restaurant, for years prior to becoming Elwood’s.

There’d been talks of transforming the building into a medical marijuana facility, but those plans never came to fruition.

Approval of the site plan is contingent upon the approval of a variance allowing a portion of the gas station to be built on the property’s setback.

If approved, the gas station will feature four regular gas pumps and two diesel gas pumps under two canopies.

Additionally, there are plans to build charging stations for electric vehicles in the future.

“Probably about 20% of our stores today have electric charging stations, so this will be an ideal site considering it’s right off the freeway. It’s a major throughway,” Aly Bazzi of Bazco Enterprises said.

Since the canopies are being built on the property’s setback, the developer must apply for a variance through the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals.

It’s unclear when the board will consider the variance request.

The convenience store would be housed in a 5,583 square-foot building, which would also include a drive-thru where food is expected to be served in the future.

“Chillbox is our convenience store brand,” Bazzi said. “We’ve got 40 plus locations in southeastern Michigan. We are a family-owned business and very active in the communities we do business in.”

Bazzi noted Chillbox Convenient Stores hire locally and offer benefits for all employees.

It is still unclear what brand of gas the company plans to sell at the proposed station.

“We have not determined that, but obviously it’d be a premium brand,” Bazzi said. “We like to have premium products at all our stores.”

The company hopes to begin construction on the gas station by the end of summer or fall 2025 with plans to open by March or April 2026, weather permitting for the work, Bazzi said.

BURTON, MI – The vacant Rite Aid property on Lapeer Road will soon be transformed into a gas station with a convenience store.

The old Rite Aid building is located next to a Family Dollar store at the intersection of Lapeer and Belsay roads.

Related: Rite Aid closing stores across Michigan

The developers, Hader and Donavan Shango, will convert the old Rite Aid building into a 4,941 square-foot convenience store with three additional 2,000 square-foot leasable spaces, one of which includes a drive-through window.

“It’ll be on the north end because the size of the building is more than what they need,” Burton Planning Commission President Kevin Burge said of the convenience store. “All they’re gonna have to do is basically put up some walls, entrance doors, and front windows, and they’re good to go.”

The new gas station will feature four pumps with a total of eight nozzles, which will have canopies built over them.

It has yet to be determined which gas brand the new station will sell when it opens.

The planning commission approved plans for the proposed gas station and renovations at its May meeting.

Commissioners approved the plans, with the requirement that the developers replace 15 damaged shrubs and ensure six trees are placed along the property’s right of way.

“I can note that and make sure they replace anything that’s damaged,” Rick Swihart of Creekwood Architects said during the meeting while speaking on behalf of the developers.

Aside from the damaged bushes, Swihart said the property has been well-maintained since Rite-Aid closed permanently months ago.

“It was an easy site to convert,” he said. “There was a lot of room, a lot of extra parking on that site, so we were able to put the gas pumps in without any major problems and still have more than enough parking.

“It’s probably got one of the nicer landscape jobs of buildings that we have to go into to renovate.”

Developers plan to begin work on the gas station and renovation of the existing building as soon as possible, with the goal of being in operation within six months.

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re pretty lucky because when you drive around the county and you see Rite Aids, and they’re all closed,” Burge told MLive-The Flint Journal. “Some of them have been closed a lot longer than this one here, and they don’t have anything.

“We’re able to get somebody in the building right away.”

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BURTON, MI – The city of Burton has increased funding for its fire department to cover the cost of repairing Burton Fire Station No. 1, which flooded in February.

The flood was caused by a water main break, which led to a leak that lasted about 45 minutes.

“It was significant,” Burton Mayor Duane Haskins said at a previous city council meeting. “That left quite the mess, but the water is hooked back up to the station.”

The break wasn’t discovered for several days, Burton Controller Brandy Ruth said in a letter to Haskins in which she asked him to increase the fire department’s budget to compensate for the cost of repairs.

“I know it was a very devastating flood,” Council President Gregory Fenner said on Tuesday, April 29. “It was pouring in under the foundation.”

Council members recently approved using general fund dollars to increase the department’s reimbursement income funding from $2,000 to $114,000 and its funding for building maintenance and supplies from $45,000 to $160,000 to cover costs associated with the flood.

The fire station is insured, but the repairs and replacement of damaged equipment are expected to cost $112,000.

Fenner said an “extensive repair job” was needed at the station as a result of the break, noting that he believes repairs are still ongoing.

“They had to dig the whole floor up,” Fenner said. “The whole station was underwater.”

Firefighters who arrived at the station for their shifts in the aftermath of the water main break attempted to remove as much water as possible, but there was little they could do, Haskins said.

Following the water main break, the city had a structural engineer and a foundation engineer assess the damage to the station, including its concrete foundation, which have heaved and sunk up to a quarter inch in certain areas.

“The bottom got ruined,” Haskins said. “The tiles were all popping.”

Additionally, Fenner said he believes the station’s walls and kitchen were damaged in the flood and noted that the department was unable to park its trucks at the station for some time.

“It was that bad,” Fenner said.

The department’s trucks are now able to park at the station again as its floors have been repaired.

An approximately 400-square foot addition was built at Station No. 1 about a decade ago. Its construction was funded by a 20-year tax approved by local voters.

Related: Burton fire station groundbreaking called ‘momentous day’ by officials

The fire station is located at the intersection of Bristol Road and South Saginaw Street.

Haskins and Ruth could not be immediately reached for further comment. Burton Fire Chief Kirk Wilkinson declined a request for comment.