In a move that is being described as ‘proactive? by some residents in attendance at Monday night’s Orion Township Board of Trustees meeting, board members voted unanimously to approve the authorization of up to $100,000 to pay for the purchase of gravel in efforts to improve the condition of some gravel roads in the township.
The purchase of 19,200 linear feet of 21AA limestone/gravel will be spread on East Clarkston Road (from M-24 to Orion Road), North and South Conklin Road, Indian Lake Road (east of Conklin), Kern Road (portion north of bridge) and parts of Coats Road (between Indianwood and Stanton Roads).
The venture will be coordinated with the Road Commission, and is contingent on their assistance.
‘Eric Wilson, the road commissioner, said that they will spread it at no cost,? trustee Matthew Gibb said.
Before anything begins, some planning will have to occur between the township and the Road Commission.
‘Since we’ve authorized the funding, our engineer will start coordinating with the Road Commission on this project,? Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk said.
According to Dywasuk, a strategic plan meeting will occur and while no specific date has been set, he said that it would occur sometime by the end of April.
For residents who use and live off of these gravel roads, the assistance comes with a huge sigh of relief.
‘We all know that there are gravel roads in every corner of the township that need help. Conklin, Clarkston, Indian Lake Road, these are not unique,? said resident Carl Johnson, who lives in Paint Creek Ridge subdivision off of Clarkston Road. ‘I just want to very quickly express a heartfelt thanks to everybody on the board for being proactive on this issue.?
Richard Hein, a representative of White Oak subdivision, agrees.
‘First I have to applaud the township for really setting a precedent, and I hope it is a precedent that is a positive precedent that this board is actually taking action to help this community,? he said. ‘For myself, I really respect what you are trying to do.?
Some concerns were expressed that while the purchase of gravel will help the road condition, nothing long term will come out it as drainage problems continue to cause flooding that will wash out the roads? new gravel. The township board agrees that this is an issue that needs to be looked into.
Trustee John Steimel also expressed a concern about entering into the ‘road business.?
‘We have some roads that really need work,? he said. ‘I’m concerned that I am getting into the road business and if I am, how do I tell people that we said no to why we said no to them. We haven’t really set up any criteria. How do you decide??
‘I’m concerned about the process and I would almost feel more comfortable about it if we were just setting aside a certain amount of money to purchase materials for road maintenance and go with that and let the Road Commission decide what projects are most in need in the township, rather than us picking and choosing which projects within the township,? Steimel added.
Other board members agreed that Steimel made a valid point, but collaboratively felt that the road situation is dire enough that action needs to be taken.
‘We’re going to try this and see how it works,? Dywasuk said. ‘I think we are going to get some neighboring communities upset with us because we may have set a precedent with them, but I think first and foremost, everybody on this board is looking at health, safety and welfare and what can we do in our limited funds.?
‘If we get in a situation where a fire truck can’t get down or a police vehicle or a school bus gets trapped or whatever, I think this board has a certain amount of responsibility that we want to own up to and say at least we have done what we could. Ignoring it is not the solution,? he added.
Stay with The Lake Orion Review for continued coverage on the road conditions and information about the strategic planning session between Orion Township and the Road Commission.