Page 32 - Scene Magazine 45-07 July 2020

CalCo Admin Update
BY KELLI SCOTT
Calhoun County Administrator/Controller
to see a list of all projects within each township. I’ll use this column to give more of the big picture view of our efforts to fix the roads.
at https://www.calhouncountymi.gov/ emmett_township_construction_update/ index.php.
CCRD does not manage all roads
in the county. For instance, the City of Battle Creek is responsible for main- taining city streets, and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) manages the major state trunklines including M-66 and I-94, with some help from CCRD on a contractual basis. We also have an ongoing contract with MDOT to maintain I-69, I-194 (the pen- etrator) and certain other state-owned roads throughout the county. By state law, CCRD is specifically responsible for what are designated as the primary and local road systems, which are often the lettered and numbered roads (pri- mary) or residential roads in townships (local). And of course our funding from gas tax and registration fees is restricted for the roads we own.
The Emmett Township project is sep- arately funded from other planned work this summer, and the scope of work and phased timeline has been agreed upon within a contract between the County and the township. The County issued bonds at an all-time low rate of 1.8% to finance our 50% portion and will pay them back over time with operating funds.
At the time this story was written, the public is seeing contracted patch crews moving across the county, in
a blanketed township by township approach. Our employees also respond to road issues as reported. Did you know you can report potholes, or any road concern, to CCRD by simply clicking “Report a problem” on our website homepage, calhouncountymi. gov. Anyone can also report concerns or ask questions of CCRD by emailing rdinfo@calhouncountymi.gov.
2020 is the first year of the three- year Emmett Township Local Road Improvement Project, which township
Other projects this summer on both local and primary roads throughout the county will be funded through federal and state grants, and some with oper- ating funds as can be afforded depend- ing on availability after accounting
for winter maintenance and pothole patching. For several years we’ve been supplementing employee patching, tree work, and other maintenance activities with local contractors throughout the summer. This mix is really the only way we have a chance to keep up with the volume of needed maintenance and maximize the safety of motorists.
We ask for extra patience and understanding during 2020, which will mark an unprecedented year again for the County. This time it’s because we’re embarking on our largest road construc- tion project ever, in Emmett Township, while at the same time fighting to maintain other operations in the midst of COVID-19 and its negative impact on our funding, and our community.
The 2020 con- struction season
is well underway for the Calhoun County Road De- partment (CCRD). I encourage you to check out the County’s website
voters approved in 2019. This County has contracted for resurfacing of all 75 miles of local roads within Emmett, our largest township by far. Many of the roads are within subdivisions. There is a webpage within the CCRD website where we provide weekly updates with specific information about where and what work is taking place. Find that
Due to COVID-19 and to offset what we expect to be major shortfalls in the Road Department’s budget, this year’s construction list is shorter than average and limited in scope. We anticipate doing less HMA paving this year, although chip sealing will take place in nearly every township to ensure that we continue to maintain our roads appropri- ately. For the list of all construction this season, visit https://www.calhouncoun- tymi.gov/departments/road_department/ current_construction.php.
Road Construction Season is Underway
We’re Bouncing BACK!
benchmark
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