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IRON MOUNTAIN -- Sagola Township hopes to rebuild at least a portion of Turner Road in 2023, committing $112,000 with a match from the Dickinson County Road Commission.
In total, the $214,000 should be enough to resurface a 1/3-mile stretch from M-95 past the township's fire station, said James Harris, road commission managing director.
"It's what we're able to do for now," Harris told the Dickinson County Board on Monday, adding, "It's all bad."
More than $500,000 would be needed for a larger project and the road commission will continue to seek Michigan Department of Transportation assistance, Harris said, asking the county to submit a letter in support.
Fixes near the fire hall are especially important because rescue vehicles can only go "one mile an hour" through a difficult stretch, said Rand Hruska, assistant fire chief and a member of the STAR Ambulance service, which uses the station.
"That's cutting our response times," he told the county board.
Harris explained that Turner Road falls under a
weak category when it comes to seeking federal or state road aid, but the commission is doing what it can to see a project through even as paving costs rise. For this fall, a contractor might crush a section of the road back to aggregate as a temporary measure, depending on availability, he said.
Robin Begarowicz, township treasurer, said "any funding" from the county's budget would also be welcomed.
This summer, Sagola Township committed $100,000 in American Rescue Plan funds to a separate project on Herzog Road. The county board has redistributed $700,000 of its $4.9 million in federal ARP funds by allocating $100,000 to each of the county's seven townships. Sagola's direct population-based ARP share from the federal pandemic aid package was $112,623.
County Board Chairman Henry Wender encouraged township officials to continue efforts to secure funding.
In other action Monday, the board:
-- Approved spending $329,126 in ARP funds to install a new fire alarm/suppression system in the correctional center. The quote comes from Johnson Controls Inc., whose nearest office is in Marinette, Wis., and is subject to review for possible savings. "It's a significant amount of money," said Sheriff Scott Rutter, adding some current equipment dates to 1971.
-- Accepted a quote of $49,142 from Sydaptic Inc. of Waco, Texas, for installation of new detention locks and the rekeying of seven existing locks at the correctional center at a total cost of $49,142. The work will be ARP-funded.
-- In a 4-1 vote, approved a request from the Dickinson County Library to receive the 0.8988 mills authorized by voters for the 2022 winter property tax levy. A five-year renewal of up to 0.9 mills was approved by county voters in 2018, with a fractional Headlee Amendment inflation rollback taking effect in 2021. Commissioner Ann Martin, who has objected to some materials in the library's collection, voted no without comment.
-- Gave positive reviews of the weekend's Ford Airport Day events. Commissioner Barbara Kramer said the county airport is "really, really special," adding the facility's annual economic impact is estimated at $17 million. Community contributions helped EAA Chapter 439 provide B-25 Mitchell bomber rides to all 21 military veterans who requested one, according to Rutter.