The ability to take a walk or bike ride through Addison Township could soon become a whole lot safer as the Board of Trustees is looking to secure grant money for non-motorized pathways (NMPs).
Under the Michigan Green Communities Challenge, communities can apply for funds from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program if a governing body commits to adopt policies and programs for energy efficiency and conservation.
According to township Trustee John Boehmer, the idea would be constructing NMPs in order to connect the township.
‘Addison, in their Parks and Recreations master plan, have outlined a network that would run along Lakeville and Rochester roads, and venture more to the west, creating a loop,? he said.
He added that the point would be to connect some of the key areas of Addison Township, Leonard, Lakeville and Watershed Park.
‘Expansion of the network would increase the accessibility to the Watershed Preserve, while linking Lakeville and Leonard with what would be essentially be a NMP loop,? he said.
Boehmer noted that one of the reasons for the NMPs in Addison was that they provide a lot of value and a safe alternative to motorized transportation.
‘If you look at sustainability of any community, it’s an important aspect. It provides recreation and exercise and doesn’t make you so reliant on nonrenewable resources to get around. You can pull the community together and network key locations by providing that opportunity for people to go somewhere without having to get into a car,? he said.
Another key factor for having paths is pedestrian safety.
‘In a place like Addison where things are quite rural and people can drive on the roads at 50 miles-per-hour, not all drivers, unfortunately, are in-tune with the safety of others,? Boehmer added.
It would also provide children a safe route to get to school.
NMPs can be a network of sidewalks, a bike path or something like the Polly Ann Trail, according to Boehmer.
He indicated that the network has been on the township’s radar even since the parks and recreation committee first put forward the idea in 2007.
There is currently no set cost for how much is needed to build the pathways.
Even with all of the grant money available for these types of projects, Boehmer indicated that the board was ‘looking at innovative ways at this point? to install the NMPs at minimal cost to the township.
One way is to see if the Oakland County Road Commission would adjust how they pave Lakeville Road in the future.
‘Typically, Oakland County leaves a couple of feet on each side of the white line. Well, we are looking to shift more of that to one side of the road, providing a pathway. That’s a low cost way of doing it,? said Boehmer.
He noted that they could add some signs and striping to indicate that it is a NMP.
Another alternative would be to start from scratch and make a crushed limestone pathway along the side of the road, similar to the Polly Ann Trail.
However, Boehmer noted that it would be ‘definitely be more expensive.?
The board is currently reviewing what Boehmer presented and is going to discuss the matter in the future to reaffirm their decision before starting the grant writing process.