Orion Township’s engineering firm, Orchard, Hiltz and McCliment, has agreed to contribute $3,000 to help offset $32,978 in costs to rehabilitate the Clarkston Road safety path.
At their Oct. 3 meeting, the township board of trustees voted to proceed with work to modify the path and rehabilitate it, by adjusting a cross slope between Merritt and Hinford, build a railing and complete sidewalk repair and sidewalk striping and signage at Harry Paul.
The board heard from Jim Stevens of OHM, who told the board that OHM would contribute money for the road recapping cost, which comes after a section of path that was recently resurfaced will have to be torn out in order to make repairs.
‘The path has been in for 15 years,? Stevens said. ‘I assume at the time it was built, it was acceptable.?
At the previous board meeting of Sept. 19, board members debated whether or not the Clarkston path had been built to national standards.
At that meeting, the board voted to spend $3,000 to install an edge drain to a leaching basin along the recently resurfaced path, to combat drainage problems.
Besides drainage, the other items to be done included $23,044 to adjust the cross slope between Merritt and Hinford, and $5,603 to put a railing on the existing retaining wall at 236 Clarkston.
‘I feel like we’re being asked to reconsider what we did at the last meeting,? said trustee Matthew Gibb. ‘I have an idea, let’s dedicate all this money to Indianwood Road.
‘I thought we were clear last time’We’re addressing the drainage issue by approving $3,000,? he said.
Parks and recreation director Rock Blanchard said the $32,978 would come from the safety path maintenance fund, not from the construction fund.
‘This would not stop us from building another path,? he said.
‘It’s new maintenance,? treasurer Alice Young said. ‘The only money that was wasted was the $3,000 for the recap, and (OHM) is willing to pay for that.?
Trustee Michael Gingell said that he thought it was necessary to go ahead and do the work.
‘If you’re going to do something, you should do it right,? he said.
Gibb wanted to know if other areas of the township would be given less priority path maintenance-wise if the work on Clarkston was done.
Blanchard said no, and that the only other area of concern was Miller Road, which is a drainage issue.
‘That should be dealt with through means other than (the safety path fund),? he said. ‘I can’t think of any other (areas) tonight.?