Garfield Twp. Board Questions Road Contracts
By Paul Gingras

The Garfield Township Board of Trustees has echoed several other township boards by encouraging residents to attend a public hearing to promote expanding the Mackinac County Road Commission from three to five members. The hearing will be in the third-floor courtroom at the Mackinac County Courthouse in St. Ignace Thursday, April 19. The board discussed the matter at its meeting Monday, March 19.

The hearing will also include a discussion of whether Road Commission members will be elected by districts. Several townships have expressed the opinion that electing Road Commission members by districts could lead to better representation for townships on the western side of the county. Supervisor Cleo Smith encouraged residents who cannot attend to send written comments to the Mackinac County Board of Commissioners.

"They are the ones who will be making the decision," she explained.

Contracts for upcoming road work have been top concerns in Garfield and Portage townships in recent weeks. At Garfield's meeting, the board would not sign a contract with the Road Commission for an $89,796 project to improve 4,000 linear feet of Raski Road. The project outline includes subgrade strengthening, augmenting a crossing for agricultural vehicles, and adding a double chip seal surface. Board members cited older, less complex projects that cost less and agreed that more discussion with the Road Commission is needed before authorizing the work.

"I think it's too much money for what they're going to do," Mrs. Smith said.

A sticking point involved the potential improvement of an agricultural equipment crossing, which Mrs. Smith said would serve only one area farmer by allowing him to haul heavier loads of hay. He had not requested the work, she added, and Mrs. Smith was confident the farmer would agree with the board, if a member talked to him and explained that the crossing would unnecessarily drive up the price of improving the road.

The board was more receptive to improving two miles of Sandtown Road, west toward M- 117. Owing to federal funding available this year, the township would pay $15,000 of the $86,400 project, which would improve the road's aggregate surface and drainage.

The board already had agreed to the project in February, but received a revised agreement from the Road Commission in March that showed lower amounts budgeted for several aspects of the plan. In February, the project was estimated to cost $105,000, with the township paying the same $15,000. The price difference is approximately $20,000 between the two contracts.

The board signed the contract, concerned that waiting too long could mean the loss of federal funding, and because the township's portion of the cost would remain the same. Nevertheless, the change in the project's cost led board members to question whether the job would be of the same quality that the Road Commission had originally intended. The revised agreement also led to intensive questioning of the Road Commission's methods of determining the project's cost.

In other business, the township now has high speed Internet access at its town hall office. The long-awaited service is provided through AT&T for $34.99 a month. This will provide Internet access to one computer. The township is investigating the cost of providing access for more computers at the town hall office.

The goal is to provide access for the ambulance corps, township government, and fire department. One possibility under consideration is to house the computer in a locked cabinet at the town hall for access by medical and fire fighting workers. Township Clerk Linda Bennett said the locked cabinet would cost approximately $400. The board is also considering installing networking equipment to provide Internet access at the ambulance garage. After consulting with an area contractor, Debra Bennett said a ballpark estimate for such equipment would be $800.

The board appointed Greg Krause to the planning commission, ending Garfield Township's search for a seventh voting member. Mr. Krause replaces Deb Frazier, who resigned in February.

The state is still considering whether to provide funding to remove drifting sediment that is moving back into the Naubinway Marina area, Linda Bennett reported to the board after receiving correspondence from the state. Board members shared concerns that if the state waits another two years to provide funding to redredge the area, the drifting sediment will return and again make the marina inaccessible. The marina was dredged in 2004 to re-open access to the facility after drifting sediment had made it impossible to use. The board has been hoping to receive a grant from the Department of Natural Resources to improve the marina area.