Citing safety issues, aesthetics, and the need to prevent damage to roads, the Moran Township Board of Trustees voted in protest Wednesday, June 4, to pay the Mackinac County Road Commission $6,000 to have all county roadsides in the township mowed once this summer.

It is an expense the municipality has never assumed before and hopes not to pay again, board members noted. The decision was approved with the stipulation that, if road commission funds increase, the township is to be reimbursed.

At this point, "nobody is getting mowed unless they pay," said Trustee Mark Spencer, who is also a member of the local road committee.

Owing to reductions in revenue from the state gas tax, which helps pay road commission expenses, the commission was forced to choose between removing heavy sand build-up and mowing roadsides this summer. The sand was placed for driver traction during heavy winter storms that hit in April, Mr. Spencer said.

Sand at intersections is especially dangerous for motorcycles and bicycles, however, tall grass and saplings growing present problems of their own, he added. Tall vegetation may hide children playing near roadsides, and deer that often dart out and cause accidents.

This a public safety issue, board members said. Another concern is that maturing saplings and shrubs will produce root systems capable of damaging road beds.

This will not happen in one year, but "we don't want a trend to start," Mr. Spencer said, adding the Michigan Department of Transportation has also discontinued mowing.

Moran Township board members are concerned about setting a precedent by paying for mowing. By paying for mowing once, Supervisor Jim Durm said, the township may be forced to continue. If the road commission renews mowing operations in other townships, but requires Moran Township to pay for the service, residents will be unhappy.

Of Mackinac County's 11 townships, Moran Township has the second largest span of county roads, about 40 miles, Mr. Spencer said.

Unkempt roadsides are also unsightly, the board pointed out.

"This is where we live," said Township Treasurer Susan Dionne, and the board would like to keep the area looking good.

Mowing will not take place before the St. Ignace Car Show, at the end of June.

"It is too early in the season. We don't want to pay another $6,000 for a second mowing," Mr. Spencer told The St. Ignace News.

The cutting will be in July, he said.

Hiring a private contractor to mow would present legal problems because the county owns the roads, Mr. Spencer said, in response to public questioning.

Responding to the heaviest spring runoff in about five years, the board approved a $5,900 culvert project to divert water from the west to the east side of Old Portage Trail, pending a report by Mark Spencer, who is working with Griffin Beverage on a site plan for building a warehouse in the area.

The development would affect runoff significantly, Mr. Spencer said.

Over the years, residents have filled in areas of their property and stopped the natural flow of water along the road. This was finally prohibited in 2004, noted Trustee Lonnie Heuer.

This year, runoff filled the yard and nearly flooded the septic system of resident Kathy Kittell, who was present at the meeting to explain her concerns.

"I have been complaining [about the drainage problem] for 20 years. Mr. Spencer is finally addressing it," she said.

An engineer has examined the area and determined that a culvert will work, Mr. Spencer said, responding to questioning by Lee Ortman of Motion Auto, who has property on the road. Mr. Ortman suggested augmenting ditches on the west side of the road to work with the natural water flow. Doing so would be more difficult, costly, and require digging up fiber optic lines, Mr. Spencer said.

Griffin Beverage is planning to build a 20,000-square-foot warehouse. The board will work with Griffin and the road commission to ensure that the proposed culvert will be large enough to prevent water from backing up.

The culvert project is expected to be done in August. Griffin may not build until September, said Mr. Heuer, a member of the planning commission.