Dexter Township Greenlights Design Work for Parking Lot Rehabilitation

The Dexter Township Board of Trustees is moving forward with plans to rehabilitate the township parking lot this year.

The board voted 5-0 on Tuesday, with trustees Harley Rider and Libby Brushaber absent, to approve the engineering firm OHM's proposal for developing site construction plans at a lump sum fee of $12,990.

The fee will cover the collection of topical survey information to accomodate storm water runoff in the new lot; a site review of lighting and landscaping; a site plan to present to the Zoning Board of Appeals; a final plan to bid the project; and project administration.

The parking lot rehabilitation includes a handicap accessible ramp, lighting and pavement and landscaping, at an estimated cost of $135,000.

Trustee Carl Lesser said he disapproves of repairing the township parking lot while other streets in the township are in worse shape.

"I don't think the parking lot is sufficiently out of shape to worry about it right now," he said.

Township Supervisor Pat Kelly said the township has received numerous complaints from residents about poor lighting and the deteroriation of the lot.

"It is pretty perilous out there, especially when there's ice on the ground," trustee Vickie Kooyers said.

Trustee Steve Feinman said he would like to see the project completed as soon as possible.

"Deferred maintenance is causing the conditions of our roads across the state. The parking lot is in bad shape and we have an opportunity to catch the problem and fix it now," he said.

In June 2011, the board voted to defer work on the parking lot until the 2012 construction season after determing the project would not completed before winter. Kelly said the delay allowed the board to appropriately budget for the project this year.

"Construction jobs are picking back up and with them, the cost," Kelly said. "Every minute we wait could affect the final cost of our parking lot."

Because the township lot is used as a drop-off location for Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority bins, the township is negotiating a way to share some of the construction cost with the WWRA.