After 25 years of on-and-off discussion and planning, Oxford Village is finally going to transform the East/Edison Alley project from a paper vision into an asphalt reality.
Last week, council approved the construction contract and financing method for the project.
The Lapeer-based Ron Bretz Excavating, Inc. will do the job for $239,934.
To fund project, the village will use $50,000 from the Downtown Development Authority budget and borrow the remaining $189,934 from the municipality’s sewer fund at an interest rate of 1.5 percent. The loan is to be paid off in 2023.
East/Edison Alley will consist of a 24-foot-wide, two-lane asphalt road, just east of M-24. It will begin at Ensley St., extend southward and end in a Y-shaped turnaround just past where the new Genisys Credit Union facility is being built.
The alley is designed to provide a way for vehicles to enter and exit the commercial/office-zoned properties along it and help spur economic development in that area.
‘We figure it’s about a 40-day period for construction,? said Rob Lavoie, president of the Pontiac-based Nowak & Fraus Engineers. ‘We really would want to be done by late October (or) the first part of November.?
Originally, Ron Bretz Excavating submitted a low bid of $327,102 to construct the alley.
But changes to the size and scope of the project were made, reducing the overall cost by $87,168.
Lavoie noted the Lapeer company agreed to keep its unit pricing the same, even though the project was downsized.
‘Generally, contractors, when they come up with their pricing, it’s based on the quantities of work involved in the job,? he explained to council. ‘So, when you reduce the quantities of work, typically, the unit prices go up. You pay more per square foot of side of sidewalk, more per square yard of asphalt.?
Not included in the $239,934 price is the cost to create a landscape screen to separate the alley from the backyards of residential properties along Pearl St. to the east.
The village’s planner, the Northville-based McKenna Associates, proposed a landscape plan for the alley that calls for planting 100 new trees on top of 4-foot-high berms at a cost of $11,300.
The plan includes 84 Wintergreen Arborvitaes ($75 each), nine Skyling Honey Locust trees ($325 each), four Allegheny Serviceberry trees ($275 each) and three Legacy Sugar Maples ($325 each).
Originally, some Pearl St. residents wanted a masonry wall built between their properties and the alley. But with an estimated pricetag of $68,000, the village deemed this option too expensive for its budget.
The proposed plan also calls for the removal of 21 existing trees.
Overall, Chris Khorey, the project manager from McKenna, said it results in ‘a net gain of 79 trees? for the alley.
Some Pearl St. residents expressed concerns over the potential tree removal.
As a result, council agreed to mark the trees that are proposed to remain and allow residents to have some input regarding which ones stay and which ones go.
‘I want to see what trees are going to be removed because I’m, quite frankly, shocked that it’s 21. But (they) might be scrub trees,? said Councilwoman Sue Bossardet.
Council is expected to make a decision regarding the landscape screen at its 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9 meeting.
Because the alley will be an official village street, council must eventually decide on a name for it.
Councilman Elgin Nichols suggested ‘Beemer Street? as a tribute to the late Brace Beemer, the Oxford resident who portrayed the Lone Ranger on national radio from 1941-54.
‘We should have the little mask on the sign,? he said.
Village Manager Joe Young suggested ‘Lone Ranger Way.?
‘How about we talk about names later ? when you two aren’t here,? quipped Councilwoman Maureen Helmuth.