Follow Up: Hartland Township Pleased With Cooperation After Egg Drop Controversy

Cornerstone Church of Highland at after unexpected large crowds damaged them during an Easter egg helicopter drop.

And it has delivered, according to Hartland Township Manager James Wickman.

Wickman said the church was "very positive and responsive to our community" during a recent Township Board meeting. He also thanked the church as well as the schools for sitting down quickly after the event to learn from what went wrong. The church has said it planned for as many as 4,000 people, but between 10,000 to 15,000 showed up during the April event.

The large crowds snarled area roads and disappointed parents after some children left the field without an egg, especially when some adults started picking them up in a mad dash after the helicoper dropped its load of eggs. The large numbers of people also damaged the fields, which had been saturated by rains.

After numerous complaints, the church apologized on its Facebook page the day after Easter and later that week in the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, promising to address all concerns.

Wickman said in the future nonschool related activities might need to apply for a temporary land use permit from the township to ensure that traffic, porta-a-johns and other logistical issues are considered, although he added it might just be a informal process as well. School property is already routinely used for special nonschool events, such as the Farmers Market and youth athletics, and requiring a temporary land use permit every time might create other problems.

The goal, he said, is to help make these types of events a success. Having that many people — which equals the population of the township — was a boon for area businesses that officials wouldn't mind repeating.

"There's no doubt every restaurant seemed with every seat full that day and our businesses were supported, but if a similar event were to happen, we've certainly been able to identify some logistical concerns that we can take a look at," he said.