Oxford Village officials decided to take advantage of a deal from the county and get a portion of a major road resurfaced next year.

Last week, council voted 4-1 to approve a cost participation agreement with the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) whereby the village will pay $165,000 to have a 4,200-foot (0.8 mile) section of Lakeville Rd. – from the village’s eastern limits heading west – topped with 2 inches of new asphalt.

To pay for it, the village will use monies from its major street fund, plus $6,630 from the county’s Tri-Party Program. As part of the motion, the village is planning to negotiate with the county for additional outside funding if any is available.

The RCOC is planning to resurface approximately 5 miles of Lakeville Rd. from Rochester Rd. in Addison Township to the eastern village limits, just west of Lakeville Elementary School.

As part of this project, the road commission is also planning to resurface a 900-foot stretch of Lakeville Rd. inside the village by the Beaver Stair Co.

Because of this, the county asked village officials if they would like to have their portion of the road in between included at a reduced cost.

Basically, if the village were to resurface this stretch of road on its own, it would cost between $230,000 and $240,000, according to village Manager Joe Young.

But by making it part of the larger county project, the village is expected to save between $65,000 and $75,000 because the municipality won’t have to pay any design and construction engineering costs, Young explained.

“I think we should pave it while we have the chance and take advantage of the discount,” said Councilwoman Maureen Helmuth.

Village attorney Bob Davis cautioned council to bear in mind, the $165,000 cost is only an estimate and based on the agreement with the county, the amount the village owes is subject to change.

The agreement states, “The total actual local share will be determined . . . upon completion of state financial audits of the project and a final determination of the total federal funds used on the project. Final adjustments in the financial obligations of the parties hereto will be made upon completion of the required audits.”

“You may owe more than ($165,000) when the project’s over. You may owe less than that,” Davis said.

The entire project, including the 4,200-foot village portion, is expected to cost an estimated $1.6 million, according to RCOC Spokesman Craig Bryson.

Both the village’s engineering firm, the Pontiac-based Nowak & Fraus Engineers, and Don Brantley, superintendent of the Department of Public Works, recommended taking the county’s offer.

Young said repairing Lakeville Rd. has been on the village’s priority list since 2009.

But village President Sue Bossardet, who cast the lone vote against the project, questioned the wisdom of spending so much money on Lakeville Rd. when there are other village streets in much more desperate need of repair, such as the eastern and western portions of Burdick St.

Young suggested the municipality could issue bonds to repair Burdick St. and pay the debt off over time.

Bossardet said it’s “real easy” to say that, “but financially, I don’t know if we’re in a position to just keep bonding things.”

Councilman Erik Dolan also expressed some doubts because Lakeville Rd. is “not necessarily” used by a “preponderance” of village residents.

Had the county not offered this discount, Dolan said, “I wonder if the village would assign (resurfacing Lakeville Rd.) as its top priority for its road funds at this time.”

He likened the county deal to getting a coupon in the mail.

“You’re going to receive a discount for a product that you originally had no intention of buying whatsoever,” Dolan said.

Helmuth saw things differently.

“I don’t have a problem using a coupon,” she said. “I think we’ve got the coupon, the road needs to be done, I think we should take them up on their offer.”

She disagreed with Dolan as to how much use Lakeville Rd. gets. She noted that “every kid in the (school) district (rides) up and down Lakeville Rd. several times a day” because Lakeville Elementary and Oxford Middle School are located along it.

“I would say a lot (more) of our residents use Lakeville Rd. than use cemetery hill,” Helmuth said.

In 2014, the village paid almost $500,000 to rebuild a badly-deteriorated stretch of W. Burdick St., nicknamed cemetery hill, between Ashley Way and S. Waterstone Dr.

To Helmuth, by doing this, the municipality spent a significant chunk of money, on a stretch of road that “a majority of (village residents) don’t use on a daily basis.”

That portion of W. Burdick St. is travelled by many motorists who are simply passing through the village.

But village President Sue Bossardet, who cast the lone vote against the project, questioned the wisdom of spending so much money on Lakeville Rd. when there are other village streets in much more desperate need of repair, such as the eastern and western portions of Burdick St.

Village Manager Joe Young suggested the municipality could issue bonds to repair Burdick St. and pay the debt off over time.

Bossardet said it’s “real easy” to say that, “but financially, I don’t know if we’re in a position to just keep bonding things.”

Councilman Erik Dolan also expressed some doubts because Lakeville Rd. is “not necessarily” used by a “preponderance” of village residents.

Had the county not offered this discount, Dolan said, “I wonder if the village would assign (resurfacing Lakeville Rd.) as it’s top priority for its road funds at this time?”

He likened the county deal to receiving a coupon in the mail.

“You’re going to receive a discount for a product that you originally had no intention of buying whatsoever,” Dolan said.

Helmuth saw things differently.

“I don’t have a problem using a coupon,” she said. “I think we’ve got the coupon, the road needs to be done, I think we should take them up on their offer.”

She disagreed with Dolan as to how much use Lakeville Rd. gets. She noted that “every kid in the district (rides) up and down Lakeville Rd. several times a day” because Lakeville Elementary and Oxford Middle School are located along it.

“I would say a lot (more) of our residents use Lakeville Rd. than use cemetery hill,” Helmuth said.

In 2014, the village paid almost $500,000 to rebuild a badly-deteriorated, pothole-ridden stretch of W. Burdick St., nicknamed cemetery hill, between Ashley Way and S. Waterstone Dr.

To Helmuth, by doing this, the village spent a significant chunk of money, on a stretch of road that “a majority of (village residents) don’t use on a daily basis.”

That portion of W. Burdick St. is travelled by many motorists who are simply passing through the village.