Harrison Township board sets bridge budget

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — A project years in the making is one step closer to reality as the Harrison Township Board of Trustees set the budget for building a pedestrian bridge along Jefferson Avenue over the Clinton River Spillway.

Discussed at its Feb. 12 meeting, trustees approved a $650,000 budget in township costs with $500,000 coming from the general fund and $150,000 coming from the Downtown Development Authority’s fund. The funds are not expected to be spent until 2025 alongside more than $2.6 million in Transportation Alternatives Program and Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan grants. The total cost of the project is expected to be $3.5 million.

The bridge will give pedestrians a safer way to cross the spillway compared to the existing Jefferson Avenue bridge.

“The drains on that bridge are the width of a bike tire,” said Township Clerk Adam Wit. “I’ve been going across there and saw a little girl got her tire caught, and it’s lucky there wasn’t a car coming. This is an important investment.”

Asked why only $150,000 was used from the DDA fund, Verkest said the intent was to keep the fund solvent in the long run, in case other projects come up asking for DDA support.

“We probably have $300,000 in there now,” Township Supervisor Ken Verkest said. “We’ll use half, it will grow a little bit, it will grow a little bit next year, and we’ll still have a substantial six-figure amount that could be used in the future or leveraged in the event there’s a good reason to do so.”

While American Rescue Plan Act funds are not specifically being used on the bridge, the township previously moved its ARPA funds into the general fund. Verkest imagines ARPA funds are being split on the bridge and improving waterfront park, “but once you dump it into the general fund it’s all one big bucket of money.”

 

CDBG allocation
The township made its annual Community Development Block Grant allocation and grant application, assigning all its $17,500 to the township’s dial-a-ride program and applying for a $150,000 grant to line sewers along Marilac Street, Homeview Street and Edman Street.

CDBG allocation funds are typically used to support community nonprofits or local government programs.

“Normally we allocate (CDBG) money to our dial-a-ride, so any money we don’t allocate to dial-a-ride would have to come from the general fund to supplement it,” Wit said.

Five nonprofits requested $12,900 of the township’s CDGB funds. Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers was the only nonprofit to send someone to request funds during the CDGB public hearing on Feb. 12.

 

Early voting expansion
Trustees approved expanding the nine days of early in-person voting to all non-statewide elections, beginning with the May 7 election. Wit believes having the rules on early voting change with every election would confuse voters after promoting the early voting option to residents.

 

Special assessment update
Trustees passed a resolution showing an intent to issue bonds to pay for the pavement replacements along Cloverleaf Street and North Blom Drive.

Passing the resolution allows the township to work with its financial advisor to determine how the township will finance the project.