Prankster draws attention to local pothole problem

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - It was a very unusual sight near Mulligan and Ann in Bath Township Monday after somebody placed a fake palm tree in a giant pothole. News 10 spoke with nearby residents about the prank.

Donald Platte lives near the palm tree pothole. His neighbor jokingly placed the tree with a solar light in the crater to draw attention so perhaps somebody would get it fixed.

Platte says all too often people find themselves victim to the road monster.

“This morning I got up and looked out the window and there’s palm tree there with outdoor lights that rejuvenate during the daytime,” Platte said. “You could hear it inside the house when someone went through it.”

Jason Masterson moved to the area a couple of weeks ago. His family got to see the tire goblin at work.

“We were taking my two and a half year old son for his first walk. As we were walking by a truck hit it and made a noise and splashed some water and mud and stuff,” Masterson said. “My boy there, he’s been struggling for speech. But, for the first time he ever said, ‘big hole!’ as we were walking by it.”

Not everyone hates this roadway nuisance. Kevin Stinson says he appreciates the pothole because he believes it forces people to be safe.

Stinson said, “There’s speedbumps in Hawk Hollow which are the cart paths for the golf course. But there’s none on our road. So basically, once people get out of Hawk Hollow, it’s kind of a free for all just flying down the road. So, it at least slows people down. I’ve had my mailbox hit like four times.”

Neighbors say potholes just like this one, are not uncommon on this road.

“They patched a big spot, and then another spot went bad,” Platte said. “Then, another spot. Then, another spot went bad. I don’t know what’s going on, but every year we got a big pothole somewhere right there.”

Bath’s Road Committee Advisory Board Member Karen Hildebrandt she said in a statement, “The responsible party has contacted a contractor to fix the pothole a couple of times over the past couple of weeks. The party fixed it last year as well. But, unfortunately the fix lasted less than one year.”

News 10 asked who the responsible party is, but has received no response. The Bath Township Police have since removed the tropical attention grabber.

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