A total of $380,000 in funding for the construction of two safety paths considered to be Oxford Township’s top priorities was unanimously approved by officials last week.
Officials voted to allocated $211,024 for the construction of a 1,550-foot asphalt path on the north side of W. Drahner Road extending from Chirco Drive to Christ the King Church.
They also voted to add $168,937 to the $447,968 the township’s receiving in federal stimulus funds to construct a 3,900-foot asphalt path on the north side of W. Drahner from Pontiac Rd. to Lapeer Road (M-24).
The township’s hoping to start construction of the paths within a couple of months.
‘It could be quicker, but you have to go through the whole bid process,? said township Treasurer Joe Ferrari.
All the easements from private property owners along W. Drahner have been obtained for the Chirco-to-Christ the King path. The township’s still in the process of finalizing the final two easements for the Pontiac-to-M-24 path.
‘They should all be ready to go pretty quick,? Ferrari said.
To help pay for the paths, the township’s taking the money out of it’s $2.5 million general fund balance, which, according to Trustee Michael Spisz, the municipality can easily afford to do.
‘The general fund (balance) has been growing at a rate of roughly about $500,000 a year since 2007,? he said.
Spisz noted just because the township’s allocating $380,000 to these two projects, doesn’t mean it’s all going to be spent.
‘We’re just transferring the monies at this point,? he said. ‘We haven’t agreed to spend the monies yet.?
Although the cost for the Pontiac-to-M-24 path is estimated to be $616,905 (including engineering), Ferrari said they’re hoping the construction bids will come in lower, so spending the entire $168,937 may not be necessary.
Officials are glad to see a pedestrian path is finally going to be constructed over the culvert which allows the Paint Creek to flow under W. Drahner Road.
The area’s long been considered a safety hazard for both children and adults because there’s not much room for pedestrians to cross without entering the heavily-travelled roadway at some point.
‘It’s just a very, very dangerous area. It’s going to get worse. It’s not going to get better,? said Trustee Sue Bellairs, referring to the increasing number of motorists and pedestrians who use W. Drahner Road as the area has grown.
The hilliness of that stretch of road only adds to the dangerous conditions.
‘It’s actually the worst part of West Drahner because it has two hills,? said Oxford resident Ryan Austin. ‘You always have kids going up and down those hills.?
Trustee Joe Bunting favored the township taking a ‘proactive approach? to correcting this safety problem rather than ‘wait until we have a kid (get) hit by a car.?
Ferrari noted the township is also looking at connecting the existing safety paths between Chirco and Pontiac roads.
A path starts at each road, but there’s a gap of about 1,000 feet that prevents them from meeting in the middle.