The Leighton Township Board Thursday evening got an earful about the need for sidewalks in the Moline area.
Citizen Tom Miller said the number of pedestrians along Division and 12th Street has increased after the arrival of a Dollar General Store, but so has the amount of traffic at the same time. Furthermore, the state police has ordered speed limits to go up from 25 mph to 35 and 40, resulting in more dangers for walkers, many of whom travel to the park and to the library as well.
Supervisor Steve Wolbrink agreed, but said the cost of putting in sidewalks can be prohibitive and they are regarded by some officials as “lawsuit magnets.”
One member of the audience insisted, “There is increased traffic there and something needs to be done.”
Local officials said the sidewalks that do exist along 144th Avenue, 12th Street and on Division are aged, and there are many places a pedestrian would rather walk on the road.
In other business Thursday night, the Township Board:
- Officially set the salaries of the supervisor at $25,000 annually, both trustees at $4,600 and both the clerk and treasurer at $35,400.
- Agreed to pay the work order of $457,983 to the Allegan County Road Commission for reconstruction work this year on 137th Avenue to Division, 146th from 6th to 7th Street, and at small Green Lake subdivisions Wren, Nuthatch and Oakwood.
- Approved payment of $9,600 to Windemuller Electric for five new lights at the driveway and parking lot at township hall.
- Agreed to pay Potts Landscaping $3,900 plus legal fees for cleanup of the old Happy Camper business near the park and return $45,195 held in escrow to former owner Steve Austin. The township bought the site with American Rescue Plan Act funds and the old Moline Elementary School building with plans to expand the park for more recreation opportunities.
- Awarded the low bid of $31,060 from SWB for dust control for the coming spring and summer.
- Learned that the township in 2022 granted 116 building permits worth a total of $25,741,387.
Interesting that the purchase of the old Moline Elementary School and the need for sidewalks in the village of Moline appear in the same article. All five members of the Leighton Township Board voted to spend the ENTIRE $650,000 of American Rescue Plan Act dollars allocated to Leighton Township for the dilapidated (and unusable) old school building and a softball field. There’s definitely justifiable concerns about the safety of pedestrians walking along the village’s roadways. Methinks that the ARPA funds could have been spent much more wisely – don’t you??
Be glad they did not use it all for the Green Lake Elite!!