Oxford Fire Chief Pete Scholz will seek permission from the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) to create a temporary route on Dayton St. for emergency vehicles during next year’s M-24 construction project.

That’s what the township board directed him to do in a 5-1 vote at last week’s meeting.

Scholz approached the board about temporarily removing the barrier that currently separates the two sides of Dayton St. so as to allow only first-responders to travel from the village to the township. Using Dayton St. as an alternative route would allow his units quicker and better access to the northern and western parts of the township, according to the chief.

Dayton St. extends from Pleasant St. in the village to Sandhurst St., which is part of the Waterstone development in the township. Drivers cannot travel from one end of Dayton St. to the other because, just west of Chari Ct., there is a guardrail and berm, along with some trees, signage and a large rock, that block the way.

At its May 14 meeting, the village council approved the chief’s request.

But, the township didn’t feel it could follow suit because unlike the village, it does not own any of its roads. The RCOC owns them.

“I think you’re at the wrong place,” said township Supervisor Bill Dunn to Scholz.

“We don’t own a street. We don’t want to own a street,” Dunn explained. “I don’t want liability for people going up and down a street I don’t own.”

During the meeting, Dunn confirmed with township attorney Gary Rentrop that the municipality “can’t give permission for someone to use somebody else’s property.”

“Townships cannot own roads. They’re owned by the county,” Rentrop said. “The county would be the party to provide consent.”

Rentrop noted the township could inform the road commission that it has no objections to the fire chief’s request.

“I don’t think that would carry with it any liability,” the attorney said.

Scholz wants the barrier to be temporarily removed because the M-24 reconstruction, which will stretch from Drahner Rd. to Gateway Dr., is going to severely limit the routes that ambulances and fire trucks can take when leaving Fire Station #1 at the corner of M-24 and Church St.

“By May 1, they will shut off all northbound traffic at Drahner Rd,” he said.

Northbound traffic will be detoured onto E. Drahner Rd., then directed to Oxford Lake Dr., Glaspie St., N. Oxford Rd. and finally Ray Rd., which will take motorists back to M-24.

Southbound traffic will continue to flow on M-24 throughout the project.

Both ways, Scholz said, “It will be one lane and one lane only,” which is going to create a lot of congestion given approximately 30,000 vehicles travel M-24 on a daily basis.

“Right now, we have two lanes of traffic going each direction, so picture what that’s going to be like putting it all into one lane,” the chief noted.

When the road work begins, Scholz said fire department vehicles won’t be able to turn right and head north “to serve roughly two-thirds of our township.”

Using Glaspie St., N. Oxford Rd. and Ray Rd. won’t be a good way to head north because as the detour route, it will be heavily congested.

If emergency vehicles go south on M-24, then take Burdick St. to S. Waterstone Dr. and Market St., then back to M-24, that could add anywhere “from 5 to 15 minutes” to response times, according to Scholz.

Scholz said heading south on M-24 would leave emergency vehicles “in line with the other 30,000 cars” and “stuck.”

During the project, the chief said there’s going to be a trench or ditch along M-24 that’s 3 to 8 feet deep while new storm and sanitary sewer lines are installed. Because of this , there will be “no place” for vehicles to “pull over” to allow emergency vehicles to pass.

It’s because of all this that Scholz told township officials it’s “vitally important” that fire vehicles be able to use Dayton St. to access Waterstone and other parts of the township.

The plan is for firefighters to take M-24 south, then head west on Davison St., north on Pleasant St. and west on Dayton St.

On a side note, Scholz wants to make sure the public understands the M-24 project is “going to be an inconvenience for the entire Oxford community, all 36 square miles.”

He said “every single resident” is going to be “affected,” so people have to “be prepared.”

“Learn how to get home a different way. Learn how to go to Meijer a different way,” Scholz said. “You will not be able to travel as you normally do now.”

Dunn thanked the chief for saying that because there seems to be a general lack of knowledge about this project on the public’s part.

“I can’t believe how many people to this day don’t know what’s going to happen here (in 2020),” the supervisor said. “It hasn’t sunk in yet and the more we can talk about it, the more we can prepare for it.”