Residents worried about costs of road project

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — At its meeting on April 27, the Harrison Township Board of Trustees heard public comment about various special assessment districts proposed throughout the township.

The meeting hosted the first public hearing for a SAD on Pointe Rosa Street for the purpose of repaving the road.

“Ultimately, the final assessed cost is based on actual construction and related costs, but currently the estimated total project cost to residents is $441,424.00 or $13,376.48 per lot (33) and an estimated annual payment of $2,006.47,” items attached to the online agenda stated.

According to agenda items from March 23, residents of the street gathered the needed signatures of over 50% of the property owners to support the SAD.

At the April 27 meeting, the board chose to adopt resolution No. 3 for the district in a 6-0 vote. It allows the clerk to “prepare a proposed roll” which allocates how much each resident pays into the district. They also chose to approve resolution No. 4 in a 6-0 vote setting the second public hearing date for May 26.

Trustee Liza Brown was excused from the meeting.

Resident Joshua Hull said he is opposed to the project due to costs. He said he is a concrete professional.

“I just find that the price tag on this project is extremely overpriced,” Hull said.

He sought out his own quotes from two different asphalt paving companies and said the numbers came in around $70,000 a piece. He said with the project numbers added in, the cost would be somewhere in the $140,000 range.

“The assessment district, I feel like we did leave out a parcel,” Hull said. “The parcel at the end of Pointe Rosa probably should have been added in.”

He said he believes the petition should be passed around as well.

Many other residents at the meeting had objections to the price of the project. They were also concerned about the pathway for boaters, the timeline of the project, how narrow the road is and other things.

While many residents are opposed to the project, many also did say they agree the road does need to be repaved.

Township Supervisor Kenneth Verkest explained the cost. He said SADs are grassroots efforts and that it is not the result of the township telling the residents on Pointe Rosa to repave the road.

Some residents of Pointe Rosa stated the road is bad and asked why the township doesn’t fix it.

“Harrison Township is the only municipality that doesn’t levy a general fund millage. We have a fire millage. We have a police millage,” Verkest said. “This board doesn’t collect any property tax from you that I could use, or we could vote on to use to pay for your share of that road.”

Macomb County does have a grant program that pays for half of the price of paving, but Verkest said if they want to participate in the grant program, they have to set a SAD. Verkest also said Macomb County also states the project must include “substantial drainage improvements” if they want to apply for it.

“It should involve not only rebuilding of the road, but it should involve improvements to the drainage,” Verkest said.

State law says they are encouraged to estimate a higher cost.

“We give that number, put that out front,” Verkest said. “That’s our guess conservatively high. The actual amount of the assessment will be based on whatever the bid is.”

He later said in the meeting he agrees with residents that the price tag is too high.