Township okays state highway maintenance pact

The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees on Monday, April 13, unanimously approved a contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to maintain the state highways in the township at a higher level than would normally occur. The two main state highways in Bloomfield Township are Woodward Avenue and Telegraph Road. The contract term is for three years, with two one-year extensions. Department of Public Works Director Tom Trice said the work includes such things as landscaping the medians and providing irrigated sections that require higher maintenance levels. For the last five years, Timberland Landscaping was awarded the contract, and they were once again the lowest bidder, he said. Requests for bids were sent out in February and the township only received two bids back. Per the contract, MDOT reimburses the township for mowing activities and contract administration up to a specific amount. Trice said that in past years, this has typically been approximately $65,000 to $70,000. This year MDOT has agreed to increase the reimbursement this year to approximately $80,000, as he said the pricing for the work had gone up 37 percent from the last contract. “If we don't do this, the only course of action would be to take out all the flower beds and sprinklers we've put in for the last 15 years,” said supervisor Leo Savoie, allowing them to revert back to grass.