Army Bob: So now what can be done about Dorr Twp. roads?

Dorr Township last month voted down the millage to maintain and improve roads. Dorr voted the millage down by 64% to 36%, a very clear and sound defeat for the people who want to improve and maintain the road system.

The people have spoken — now what?

Will the roads in Dorr fall apart over night? No, they will not; funds are still available for maintenance, dust control and minor repairs, that’s the good news. The bad news is without a millage for maintenance, the funds will be depleted in a number of months. If Dorr has a normal spring and culverts and road beds are damaged at the “normal” rate, the township will run out of funds.

Not to worry, funds can be diverted from other areas to repair the damage. The very expensive standard the roads must be repaired to is not set by the Dorr government, it is set by Allegan County and state and federal government agencies.

A year passes and roads currently paved need to be repaired, pot holes filled, shoulders rebuilt, lines painted and the worst roadways badly needing resurfacing or at least sealing; now what? The emergency fund gets tapped and the good citizens in Dorr cross our fingers and hope nothing happens, but something always happens, and now what?

Twelve to sixteen months have passed, the road funds are spent, the emergency funds are spent, and the roads are getting worse without proper maintenance. A few of the township’s paved roads are getting much worse to drive on than the gravel roads; now what? No funds to purchase gravel, so even the gravel roads get steadily worse; now what?

Now comes the hard choices; what roads currently paved will be turned into gravel? If your paved road badly needs repair today it may become gravel in two or three years. With no funds to maintain the paved roads they will be safer as gravel than dangerously rough asphalt roads. The debate over dust control is now moot; dust control is so low on the priority list it’s a waste of time to even discuss it. First priority has to be which roads do we allow to deteriorate to keep the others open for school buses, fire and rescue?

Hard choices will need to be made; even if a millage is passed at the next logical opportunity. Dorr will run out of funds long before a millage would provide funds for roads. Taxes are paid at the end of the year and the process just may take two or more years before funds become available, and that is a best case scenario. Given the margin the road millage was defeated, by the good people of Dorr are not likely to approve a millage anytime soon.

The good folks of Dorr Township spoke and voted down the millage; that is done, it is history, and no good can come from bitching about it. It is what it is, and now is the time for the elected folks to develop a plan to manage the pending calamity: to say which roads remain passable, what is a priority one, two or three road? Priority one gets repaired to current standards, priority two remain passable, priority three will receive minimal or no township paid repair.

Failing to have a plan developed, coordinated and available for public input and approved before the spring floods of 2016 would be governmental malpractice. Hard choices must be made and most folks will not be happy with any plan that is developed; however, it must be done. We are approximately ten months away from the start of a very serious situation; the clock is ticking and the funds are being depleted with no relief in sight for years. The Dorr Township Board decided spending thousands on dust control this summer was a good idea; a way of thinking we must put behind us, dust control is a luxury Dorr can no longer afford.

Looking back, playing the blame game and pointing fingers, are all a waste of effort; those of us in Dorr must put all that behind us and prepare for the hard, unpleasant choices ahead of us.

An old Army adage is the five P’s; prior, planning, prevents poor performance; now is the time to plan, now is the time for the elected officials to stand up and make the hard decisions that need to be made. A viable plan must be in place before spring 2016. The roads are deteriorating and the clock is ticking.