Township adds two routes for safety path plan
By Dana Casadei
While three routes were proposed for consideration to be added to the 2024 Safety Path Master Plan, the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees voted on Monday, December 9, to only move forward with two of them, at least for now.
The approval given at their meeting does not officially approve the routes to be constructed, but authorized them to be added to the safety plan for future consideration.
Of the two paths approved to be added, both received enthusiastic support from almost everyone on the board.
“Thank you for bringing all that to us…I’m most enthusiastic about the Quarton Road collaboration,” said trustee Neal Barnett. “I’m all for increasing the collaboration we have with other communities, we haven’t been strong enough with that in the past.”
This particular path on Quarton Road would have Bloomfield Township working with the city of Birmingham, which approached the township about installing a contiguous safety path on the south side of Quarton Road, from N. Cranbrook to Woodward.
Bloomfield Township would contribute approximately 1,400 feet of safety path from N. Cranbrook to Chesterfield, with Birmingham’s portion being from Pilgrim to Woodward.
Corey Almas, township director of engineering & environmental services department, said that with this project they’re hoping to have this everything done under one bid, and have both Bloomfield Township and Birmingham use the same contractor to allow for minimum impact to residents.
Bloomfield Township’s estimated cost for this portion of the project is $661,000 and includes a five percent inflationary factor.
Trustees were also supportive of a proposed connector path to the existing safety paths on N. Telegraph and W. Maple, which currently dead ends into a parking lot and isn’t compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This is estimated to cost $334,300 with a 10 percent project inflationary factor.
Even though those two paths were considered for the safety path plan with high praise from the board, it was decided after much discussion that this wouldn’t be a good time to move forward with the third proposed path.
“I’m in favor of a safety path… this is a great idea in concept,” Almas said, noting this third concept, if created, would be the first safety path of its kind of Bloomfield Township.
This path would include approximately 1.3 miles of safety path on the outer side of the Wabeek Lake Drive loop, beginning on the northeast corner of W. Long Lake Road and Wabeek Lake Dr. E., traversing through the subdivision loop, and terminating 1,700 feet west on the northwest corner of W. Long Lake Road and Wabeek Lake.
Over 112 township residents signed a petition for consideration and inclusion of the safety path along Wabeek Drive East and West. This project also would not require an additional right-of-way, easements, or costly landscaping to the township, and was requested from residents from nine subdivisions, some of whom spoke openly about their encouragement for this at the meeting.
The cost for this project – almost $2.5 million – was one of two main reasons why the board ultimately decided to table this safety path for a later date. The other reason had more to do with gaining the approval from the residents themselves.
Out of the 35 properties that front the proposed safety path route, and therefore, would be directly impact by construction and implementation for this path, only 10, around 29 percent, had signed the petition to encourage this to move forward.
The paths themselves weren’t the only item about the safety path that was brought up during the trustees meeting, its fencing was as well.
Along the 78 miles of existing safety path, Bloomfield Township is responsible for maintaining approximately 81,000 square feet of retaining walls, and over 34,000 linear feet of fencing. Through the annual Retaining Wall Repair program, the EESD must evaluate and determine which locations along the safety path need to be repaired, removed, or replaced.
Currently, the safety path fencing consists of wooden split rail, upright black aluminum, and white vinyl split rail, each which come with their own problems.
The wooden split rail is aesthetic pleasing, but isn’t as durable as other fencing options, causing it to have been damaged, decaying, deteriorating, or in need of removal more easily since 2016. Those that have been removed have been replaced by upright black aluminum fencing, which is more durable and easier to maintain than both wood or vinyl, but has lead to an uptick in comments to the EESD and the Grounds Division of the Department of Public Works about its look. Its vertical slats cause a sight line impediment in some locations too, making it a safety concern because of the block views it can cause.
Negative comments about the black aluminum fencing haven’t only come from residents, but trustees as well, with Barnett being the most outspoken about his disdain for it.
“Once we make a decision – hopefully sooner rather than later – I’d like to see all the aluminum fencing removed,” he said. “I think they’re disgusting, they don’t fit in the community, they have no place being here. Besides the safety issue, aesthetically, they don’t belong here.”
With all this is mind, Almas presented to the board his team’s current recommendation for alternative fencing: an aluminum split 3-rail fence, something that will satisfy aesthetics, while being functional and durable too.
The cost would be approximately $10 more per linear foot than the upright black aluminum fencing.
No final decision was made about the fencing, nor was there planned to be. This presentation was for the board to be able to give Almas and his team some direction for what type of fencing they would like to see moving forward. Everyone agreed it won’t be the upright black aluminum though.
“Certainly, if the board finds something or sees something and wants to bring it to our attention to consider, that’s aesthetically pleasing, and also functions and is durable and long-lasting, we’re all ears,” Almas said.
Clerk Martin Brook said they were ready to take on that challenge.
