VBT releases the rest of engineering funds for Denton Rd. Bridge

The Van Buren Township Board of Trustees voted to release the rest of the funds set aside for engineering work on the Denton Road Bridge, at its regular meeting on Oct. 3.
Ron Akers, director of municipal services, said they had already released $100,000 and now the $317,707 is being released.
He said Wayne County engineering wants a resolution on the funds. He said funds have been OKed by the state and building construction will begin in 2024.
Consulting engineers Fishbeck said in a memo that at the May 2 meeting, the board released $100,000 to begin preliminary engineering work on the Denton Road Bridge. The township engineers have been progressing on the project and are coming close to this spending limit.
Fishbeck said Wayne County still has not provide the township with a contract for the work and have not provided an update on the status of the contract. In order to continue design work on the bridge and stay on the target timeline, the engineers need them to release the remaining funds of $317,700 for the remaining work.
Paul Kammer of Fishbeck said the funds would enable them to do work that wasn’t previously authorized, including Road Reconstruction and Detour Plan ($86,000) and the Type, Size, and Location Plans ($45,000).
Director Akers said the hydraulic and topographic surveys have been completed, along with the environmental assessment. He said divers didn’t find any fresh water mussels, as far as he knows, but the state has to confirm that.
He said they did find water willow on the causeway and that information will be finalized to determine impacts. He said engineers will have to work with DTE because of gasoline on the bridge.
Akers said they are moving toward construction beginning in 2024.
At the check-passing event at the bridge the day before, Van Buren Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara said they expect bids to go out in May and the present bridge to be taken down later that year.
He said divers would be out looking for fresh water mussels on Oct. 3 and if they don’t find any, work will proceed. If they find the mussels, they will have to move them which could take some time.
In other business at the half-hour meeting, the board:
• Approved all the 2023 amended and 2024 proposed township budgets as presented, following a public hearing during which there were no comments. The 2024 salary schedule was also approved. Total expenditures for the general fund budget are expected to be $24.2 million, down from $32.6 million in 2023. Total general fund fund balances are expected to be $13.7 million in 2024 (57% of general operating expenses), up from the 2023 total of $12.6 million ;
• Approved the selection of Praise Sign Company for the Community Center Signage project for $61,140, the low bid of four vendors. Supervisor McNamara said “Charter” will be dropped from the township’s name on the signs because only township officials know what that means;
• Approved the Fishbeck engineering hourly annual rate increase of 4% which will be in effect from now until June 2024. Supervisor McNamara said this is the fourth increase since 2017 and the increases are consistent with what other communities pay. He said Fishbeck is a very, very good engineering company and one of the best, or the best, in the state;
• Approved the 2024 Departmental Fee Schedule including the annual memberships for the new Community Center: individuals, $120; family, $240; seniors over 62 years old, $90; and senior matinee (open-3 p.m., Mon.-Fri.), $20. There also was a list of automatic billing memberships to be charged monthly. Non-VBT residents pay higher rates. Supervisor McNamara said he wanted the Community Center to be free at the beginning, but the rate to be charged is one-third less than other communities charge. The proposal to have an admittance fee for the museum was changed to suggest a $5 donation for adults and $3 for seniors and students. Also, the pavilion rental rate at Van Buren Park is being raised to match the Quirk pavilion and others; and
• Heard Director of Community Services Elizabeth Renaud thank Dave Booher of Van Buren Township for all his volunteer work at the museum. McNamara thanked him for everything he does. Booher said he has been scanning in pictures and doing other work in the museum archives.
Clerk Leon Wright and Trustees Kevin Martin and Don Boynton were absent and excused from the board meeting. The meeting was conducted with a bare quorum of four.