Safety paths were a big topic of discussion at last week’s Oxford Township Board meeting as decisions were made regarding maintenance and easements.

The board voted 7-0 to approve a one-page agreement with the township parks and recreation department to maintain the paths year-round.

During the spring, summer and fall, park employees will mow grass, trim trees, remove trash (including dead deer), be responsible for trail signage and perform miscellaneous repairs as directed.

In the winter, they will be responsible for clearing snow from the paths leading to Clear Lake and Lakeville elementary schools and Oxford High School as well as any other paths they’re “directed” to do “by the safety path committee chairperson or township supervisor.”

“We do everything . . . You name it, if (the township) calls us, we’re on it,” said Parks/Rec. Director Ron Davis.

Per the agreement, the township will be billed at the “current” hourly rate for parks and rec. employees. Right now, those rates are $38 per hour for seasonal workers and $47 per hour for full-time employees.

Davis noted those rates cover everything including wages, fuel, travel time, equipment (both existing and rentals), etc., so there will be no extra charges to the township.

To plow the snow, township officials voted 6-1 to approve the $21,827 purchase of a 2018 Polaris Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) from Chapman’s Sports Center, Inc. in Lapeer.

The parks and rec. department will be responsible for maintaining and storing the UTV.

“If they wreck it, they fix it (or) they buy a new one,” said Trustee Jack Curtis.

Township officials voted 5-2 to authorize Treasurer Joe Ferrari, chair of the safety path committee, to purchase four easements along the south side of Seymour Lake Rd., between Dunlap and Sanders roads, for a total of $17,442.

Ferrari told the board “we’ve come to an agreement” with three of the property owners, while negotiations with the fourth one continue.

Acquiring these easements will give the township all the property it needs to someday construct a safety path connecting Dunlap and Sanders roads.

“We don’t know (when it’s going to be built) because that’s going to be quite expensive. It’s probably something we’re going to have to save up for,” Ferrari told this reporter.

Supervisor Bill Dunn expressed opposition to spending this money right now because he wants to first get a better handle on the township’s current and future financial picture.

“I’d like to postpone all of our expenditures until we know exactly where we are . . . I think it’s our responsibility to figure out where we sit financially before we start kicking out (money),” he said.

“This is coming out of the safety path fund,” Ferrari explained.

“I don’t care,” replied Dunn.

Clerk Curtis Wright noted the safety path fund has a $50,000 fund balance to cover the easement purchase.

The only safety path-related item that was rejected by the board was a request for $100,000 to complete a list of 31 repairs to sections across the township.

Officials voted it down 4-3.

Issues include tree root damage, potholes, cracks, heaving asphalt and the need for ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Based on last year’s construction prices, township Engineer Jim Sharpe estimated the repairs would cost a total of $81,500. He reached out to the Oxford-based Birmingham Sealcoat, the company that performed last year’s repairs, and “they indicated that they would maintain the same unit prices.”

Sharpe deemed a budget of $100,000 to be “sufficient,” once contingency, engineering, inspection and construction administration costs are factored in.

To pay for the repairs, Ferrari proposed using $100,000 of the $246,338 currently designated as contingency money in the general fund.

“We’re not requesting any new monies,” he said. “It’s something sitting in the budget that’s unassigned.”

Dunn once again expressed his objection to spending money right now without having a complete understanding of the township’s financial situation.

He also pointed out that it “seems like” neighboring Orion Township gets “millions of dollars” in outside monies for its safety path network. “We never seem to get any grant money,” Dunn said.

The supervisor asked Ferrari if he’s pursuing any grants. “I’m not trying to pick on you, Joe, but you went to school to do this type of work,” Dunn said.

Ferrari said the main obstacle to obtaining grants has been securing the easements from private property owners that are necessary to construct new paths and connect existing ones.

“Nobody gives you any (grant) money unless you have the easements in place. That’s always the first step to everything,” he explained to this reporter.

“I could get money tomorrow to connect us to Orion Township, but there’s not the political will to do any condemnation (to acquire the necessary easements),” he told the board. “If there’s not political will to do that, we can’t connect to Orion. I could get money for that tomorrow.”

Condemnation, which is also known as eminent domain, involves a government taking private property for public use and compensating the owner for it.