Leighton Township is looking for community volunteers to serve on a special road committee to help drum up support for funding building and paving local roads.
Township Treasurer Char Troost brought the issue up before the Township Board in its meeting Thursday night, noting the defeat of millage request in the August primary.
Township Clerk Mary Lou Niewenhuis cautioned, “It’s going to be difficult to get people to serve as volunteers without compensation.”
Yet neighboring Dorr Township a few years ago did just that in the wake of road millage defeats and since then has earned approval of a three-mill levy and has overseen paving 144th Avenue, 21st Street and several subdivision roads. The committee includes Township Treasurer Jim Martin and Planning Commission Vice Chairman Robert Traxler, but it is chaired by citizen Carolyn Sandel.
Troost pointed to the success of Salem Township, which under the late Supervisor Bob Jones came up with a five-mill annual levy that is still in place. Troost added she believes all roads in the township now are paved.
The treasurer said it costs about a half million dollars per mile for construction and almost $250,000 per mile for paving. Leighton collected $240,000 in road millage last year, but that means any mile-long road paving project would have to be delayed for five years.
Fire Chief Matt Weston said Second Street is one of the neediest roads, with 26 residences and many children living on a gravel road. He agreed with the idea of forming a road committee and outlining plans for projects every year that he believes would pickup a lot of public support for a millage.
Nieuwenhuis said she would put out a call for volunteers in the township newsletter and Troost has agreed to serve on the committee, but not as chairman.
Supervisor Steve Deer said he’d like to see five members serve and get deliberations under way as early as January.
Where did the ten dollars on license plates go? Where did the ten cents on gas go? Not for road repairs like we were told. Another lie from the top dogs!! Just another day in the life of the Peons.
Carolyn Sandel is the force behind the Dorr Citizens Road Committee. If Leighton Township can find a leader as competent and dedicated as Carolyn they can do this. It is a great idea as it takes the partisanship out of the process, the key is for the elected board to follow the recommendations of the Committee. If Leighton Township wants to do this the Board must pledge to accually follow the recommendations as most on the Dorr Board have done.