Politics & Government
Ore Creek Bridge Repairs Approved, McDonald's Receives Permit and Teen Center Makes Progress
Hartland Township approves work to begin on several area projects.
The Hartland Township board approved Tuesday night to begin construction on the Ore Creek bridge.
Several issues that were discussed in need of repair included the tipping bollards on the bridge, which are the short vertical posts on each corner of the bridge, and the repairing of certain areas of sidewalk and fencing.
Also, as part of the bridge project, there will be an installation of a streetlight at the cross walks from Spranger Fields to . Hartland Schools has agreed to split the cost of the light.
Find out what's happening in Hartlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
HRC Construction was awarded a contract to not exceed $82,695 for the work and the funds will be used from the METRO Act fund.
Trustee Matt Germane expressed concern over the high amount given in HRC bid for the project.
Find out what's happening in Hartlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“I’m not saying we shouldn’t use HRC,” Germane said. “I just think that this fee that they’re suggesting seems excessively high for the amount of work given.”
Public Works director Shannon Filarecki explained, however that the price was an estimate of the potential work involved since there were many unknown factors related to the bridge work.
“We’re really unsure of how long this will take,” she said. “The bollards are solid, they are solid concrete from top to bottom and that’s why it’s sinking. …There really is this unknown component of what’s going to happen when we pull this up from the ground.”
Filarkecki said that there is the potential for other issues to come up after the bollards have been lifted that may affect the sidewalk, fence, ground and parts of the bridge structure.
The township hopes to have the bridge construction completed before school resumes in September.
Teen Center Moves Forward
Renovation and construction work will soon begin on the , as the township approved a standard contract of $10,000 to start repair work. Trustee Matt Germane abstained from the vote to avoid a conflict of interest regarding his potential work with the center.
The former Hartland township hall is the location for the future teen center that members of the nonprofit group hope to have ready by September. The teen center will be free for Hartland students grades 7 through 12 and will offer a safe space with daily activites and adult supervision after school hours.
The construction will be done in phases according to HERO board member and Hartland trustee Matt Germane and includes such things as repairing the ceiling, doors and plumbing, installing security and a wireless network and painting of floors and walls.
HERO board president, Kay Fountain said during the township meeting that there were some areas of the building that she considered to be in “move-in” condition.
McDonald’s Permit Approved
The township board approved a permit for s to begin an expansion and exterior renovation, which will include adding awnings, trellises and a stone façade to the building.
Greg Lautzenheiser from L &A Architects says the renovations will be a “real nice asset” and is part of the re-branding and re-imaging of McDonald’s.
Lautzenheiser said he is hoping the work will begin on July 23.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.