Funding a sticking point in plans for DDA sidewalk work

An article by Angela Niemi    No Comments

For over the past year, the Highland Township Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has been putting together a sidewalk plan proposal. On Wednesday, Feb. 8, the DDA went before the township Board of Trustees to once again present an overview of the proposed streetscape project and to answer any lingering questions the board may have with regards to installing sidewalks along Milford Road extending south from M-59 to Snook’s and Colasanti’s.

According to Highland Township Supervisor Triscia Pilchowski, one of the main sticking points was — and continues to be — funding.

“What I think the DDA has been seeking is the board’s approval to move forward for bonding for the project,” she said. “And the board clarified that we would prefer it if we have the engineering plans to be bid on and those numbers to work off of for what the project would cost before we approve the project for bonding.”

However, this puts the township and the DDA in a Catch-22 since the DDA would rather not invest money into getting the plans and soliciting bids without the township board’s support to go ahead with the project.

Pilchowski said she believes there still needs to be more discussion to decide the best approach for the project, but that with all the work that has gone into the endeavor there will be a “happy conclusion.”

“Everyone is open to discussing each point of view and trying to find common ground,” Pilchowski said. “I think it’s a matter of understanding costs and the economic situation right now, to decide if it is wise to go out and bond for a project in uncertain times. I think the DDA feels confident that they can and have presented a conservative budget for the future. But I think the board wants more assurances and more understanding. It’s about convincing the board that the revenue stream will be sufficient to cover the cost of the the bond, so it doesn’t fall back on the township to pay.”

Initial estimates place the cost of the sidewalk project at $1.2 million. According to Pilchowski, the DDA has approximately half those funds and wants to bond for the rest.

The DDA and township board plan to discuss the matter further at a joint meeting tonight, Wednesday, Feb. 15.

“Hopefully, we will come up with solution that allows for an improvement in the downtown district that I believe we all want to see,” Pilchowski said.