Most officials believe the project will still happen, but a proposal to pave the current gravel section of Holcomb Road encountered some bumps last week.
By a 3-3 tie on Tuesday, July 15, the Independence Township Board failed to approve a cost-sharing proposal with the Road Commission for Oakland County and Springfield Township.
Supervisor Dale Stuart and trustees Daniel Travis and Daniel Kelly voted in favor of the agreement. Clerk Joan McCrary, Treasurer James Wenger and Trustee David Wagner voted no. Trustee Larry Rosso was absent.
Stuart later said the issue will likely return to the board agenda. Road commission representatives are hoping for a Sept. 5 bid date on a project involving about 1 mile in Springfield Township and about half a mile in Independence.
Of the estimated $3 million price tag, federal funds will cover about $2.5 million. The road commission will cover half the remainder, and the Independence Township share is expected to be about $137,000.
While generally in favor of the project, some trustees raised objections about the number of trees to be taken out to allow for the paving, a perceived lack of involvement from Clarkston Community Schools (since the paving will benefit traffic to and from Springfield Plains Elementary School) and the lack of review of plans by township engineers and planners.
Tom Blust, director of engineering for the road commission, said designers worked hard to minimize the number of trees to be removed.
“Our motto is, we need to be sensitive to environmental situations and community concerns, and to weigh those only against safety,” Blust said. “We will look for opportunities to save [trees], if we can. We think we’ve minimized it, but we’re certainly open to saving whatever we can.”
Nonetheless, the plan shows 236 trees to be removed from the right-of-way, 109 of those in Independence Township. Under board questioning, road commission officials said that number reflects only trees with a diameter of 6 inches or more. Smaller trees will likely be removed as well.
Trustees urged the commission to carefully monitor the number of trees taken out.
“We’ve had promises from others who have improved our roads and we didn’t get the promises realized, and actually took many more trees than we expected,” Travis said.
Although the school board has voted to donate some property to create a gentler curve at Bridge Lake Road near Springfield Plains Elementary, and to allow use of a catch basin on school property to help with drainage, some trustees still believe the school district is getting off easy.
“This road project has been strictly, primarily because of the school buses,” McCrary said. “There are many, many gravel roads that have more traffic and need more work and paving than Holcomb Road.”
Although he voted in favor, Travis agreed that the school district should help pay for the project.
“They cry poverty and education as opposed to infrastructure, when they create the demand for the infrastructure improvements from the township,” he said. “I cannot envision, based on their stand on prior issues, that they will come forth voluntarily.”
Blust said there have been other instances in which school districts have been included in the funding formula for public road improvements.
“The schools are an interesting animal, not only this district but throughout the county and I expect throughout the state,” he said.
Although there was previous discussion about Stuart writing a letter to the school district, he said it would have been “a waste of ink and paper.”
Since the July 15 meeting, Stuart said he has written a letter to the school administration seeking their participation in the funding, but he does not expect a favorable response.
Anita Banach, director of marketing and communications for the school district, said the earliest possible discussion of the issue would be the Aug. 11 school board meeting.
Although the commission has forwarded copies of the road plan to Stuart’s office, others on the board believe they and township engineers should have reviewed the proposed construction plans.
“We were left out of this process entirely,” McCrary said.
Treasurer James Wenger balked because the agenda indicated that the Holcomb Road project was a “discussion” item.
Stuart defended both the plan and the procedure, and urged the board to approve it.
“We have gotten as much information on this as we get in any other occasion. [The plans] are cumbersome; I don’t send copies to the entire board,” Stuart said.
“This is a great opportunity, I think, for us to get a segment of our township paved. It’s a way to have a cooperative share to get a $3 million project for $137,000.
“These figures are not a surprise,” he said. “It’s actually less than I expected it to be.”
“We’ve already bitten into the apple,” Travis said, noting the township has already paid $27,200 for pre-engineering on the project. “I hate to see a single tree removed, but that’s a fact of life. It’s going to be a safer road, and it’s going to save the county some money in maintenance.”
Blust said the Holcomb Road paving is important in the county’s regional plan for several reasons, including its role as a parallel route to I-75 and its potential as a “strong east-west link” to Davisburg Road and Dixie Highway.
McCrary later voiced additional concerns in that regard. She believes the additional east-west traffic would put additional burden on Bluegrass Drive, which connects Holcomb Road to M-15.
Blust said the commission had already faced some delays because of right-of-way property acquisition, but now they have submitted all required paperwork to the Michigan Department of Transportation.
If and when the local funding agreement is approved, Brust anticipates some utility work this fall. During the winter months, crews can place “good material” in places now considered to be “muck holes,” then actual paving can be accomplished next summer.
The Springfield Township Board of Trustees approved the funding agreement at their July 10 meeting.
Clerk Nancy Strole said the project has been under consideration off and on for about 20 years, especially because of problem areas during bad weather.
“It turns into a mess much of the time,” Strole said. “It’s one of those roads that, short of paving, there really is no solution.”
Supervisor Collin Walls had already consulted with road commission officials on the issue of tree conservation.
“We’re always concerned about that,” Strole said. “We push as hard as we can to save as many trees as we can.”