Beautification and parks top village's 2011 priorities list

In a work session held late last month, the Wolverine Lake Village Council compiled a tentative list of goals it would like to roll out during the current calendar year.

Each council member brain stormed his or her ideas before coming to a full consensus as to which projects are logistically prudent. The list will be shared and deliberated in more detail at the council meeting scheduled for today, Wednesday, Feb. 9.

Compared to last year, the list is a welcome diversion from burdensome budgetary concerns.

“Last year the budget and the real estate outreach were our big items,” said Village Council President John Magee. “A lot of the last four years was emergency financial management. There were steps taken last year to make changes over the long term which lets us now step back a bit to make the village a better place to live.”

The council agreed that the top priority item on the list should be the beautification efforts around subdivisions and the village entryways.

“The signs are beaten up and we need to pay more attention to our subdivisions,” Magee said.

The village’s governing body would also like to invest in “pocket” parks by erecting playground equipment in the southern or eastern parts of the village that are farther from its main park, Clara Miller Park.

Last year, the council had to pull funding from the volunteer appreciation dinner due to budget constraints; therefore, another goal on the list is to reinstate the dinner. Mayor Pro Tem Ed Sienkiewicz has already stepped up to volunteer as chairperson for the event.

The council concurred that tree care and rights-of-way should be another focal point. Magee said they would like to survey and inventory village trees so they can prioritize which have deteriorated and which need replanting.

Continuing with the theme of maintaining a walkable community, pathways also made this year’s list, as they did last year.

“We want to make sure the planned South Commerce Pathway gets completed by Walled Lake Central High School,” Magee said.

He also noted that the Parks and Recreation Board will be conducting a survey to pinpoint the locale of the next pathway extension project.

In keeping with last year’s goal of implementing a real estate outreach program, the council will continue to stay apprised of its progress.

Finally, road endings in the village were determined to require attention and possible landscaping. The council selected the corner of Indiana and Angola Drive as the first road ending project.

“It’s a real positive that we are looking at items such as these,” Magee said. “Logistically we will be following up to determine costs of each project and hope to ascertain costs prior to the budget process.”

The council will continue discussions of the goals and may forward the ideas to other committees, village administration or volunteers at tonight’s meeting.