THE SUPERVISOR’S E UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
Kurt Kobiljak, Grosse Ile Township Supervisor
Wayne County Bridge
September 7, 2007
Board Study Session
The Township Board of Trustees will hold a Study Session on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. with Wayne County Officials to discuss the ongoing construction and remediation of the Grosse Ile Parkway Wayne County Bridge. The current status and time perimeters will be discussed with questions coming from the Township Board and residents.
Following this discussion, the Board will be briefed from three (3) commissions: Zoning Board of Appeals, Police Commission and Fire Commission will update the Board and the community on their activities and meetings. Take the time and effort to come and hear from these specific commissions and raise any questions or concerns to the commission chairman.
Wayne County Bridge Update
Township Manager Reaume, DPS Director Sedlock and myself had the chance to complete an onsite walking inspection of the Wayne County Bridge Construction on Monday, September 10, 2007. I was pleased with what I saw and the progression of the project. Per the review the following are some of the items which made the biggest impressions as follows:
The sidewalls are nearly complete. All but two sections have been completed. A railing will be bolted on top of the new walls. These walls will be slightly lower than the walls which were there previously. It is my understanding that there will indeed be a greater view of the Trenton Channel when going over the bridge. The sidewalk forms are being set and the painting of the under area of the sidewalk is also nearly complete. Steel decking has been delivered to the site. A portion of the old decking has been detached from the bridge and the necessary preparations are being made to allow the setting of the new decking. Workers were to begin setting the new decking soon. The deck replacement will start at the center of the bridge. Contractor informs they are on schedule at this time. The contractor has also informed us that they generally have 15-20 employees working per day, six days a week. Work is progressing and we are anticipating a reopening of the bridge on December 15.
Wayne County Bridge Closing to Boat Traffic
Wayne County has announced that the Wayne County Bridge will be closed to nautical traffic for three weeks beginning October 15, 2007 and will re-open on November 5, 2007.
US Coast Guard Authorities approved the temporary closure to aid in the construction process of the county operated bridge, scheduled to be finished on December 15, 2007. During the closure period, the swing-span portion will have new decking placed on it.
Images of America - Grosse Ile
The Grosse Ile Historical Society has produced a gem about Grosse Ile and its history. “Images of America – Grosse Ile” is available for purchase at the cost of $21.00. Borders Express on Eureka Road (Southgate Shopping Center 13667 Eureka Road Southgate) will be hosting a book-signing event on Saturday, September 29 at 2 p.m. Come meet the authors and get your signed copy of this wonderful book.
Grosse Ile PAT Booster Club
P.A.T. Booster Club Membership Drive is waiting to sign you up!! Parents and Teachers (P.A.T.) is a booster club that raises money through its membership drive for the elementary schools. P.A.T. Booster Club is proud to support our kids, our teachers, and our schools. We provide enrichment programs to supplement your child’s educational experience as well as elementary school wish list items which may not be provided for in the district’s annual budget.
Grosse Ile PAT Booster Club sponsors:
Parent’s Night at Meridian and Parke Lane in the Fall
Enrichment programming throughout the school year including guest authors and illustrators, symphony performances, science related programming, character and leadership building programs,
Arts Day (Pizza, Picasso, & Poets) in the Spring,
Holiday Gift Shop,
· Curriculum support,
Capital and Technology support,
Field Trip Funding,
Giving Tree Holiday Classroom Gift Program,
Summer Library Program.
Also, did you know the membership fee is tax deductible? What are you waiting for! Join P.A.T. today! Support our elementary age students! Any questions contact Co-Presidents Leslie Esordi or Krissy Kobiljak.
Farmer’s Market
The next Farmer’s Market will be held on Saturday, September 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with fall vegetables and fruits. The summer markets have been a great success and we are constantly expanding with new vendors and attractions. DDA wants you to visit Macomb Street and see all of the wonderful new items the many Macomb merchants have to offer for the upcoming fall and Halloween season. The market will be set up in the Township parking lot across the street from the GI Hardware store. Come to the market to enjoy all the flavors, smells and joys of fall!
Fall/Winter Channels is Here
Fall/Winter edition of the Grosse Ile Township Recreation Department “Channels” is now available at the Recreation Department. Check out all of the wonderful programs and activities available to Island residents during the upcoming fall and winter months. There is something for everyone from the smallest Islander to our Senior Islanders! If you need more information or just have a question, contact the Recreation Department at 675.2364. There is no better source of information for all recreation activities on Grosse Ile than Channels!!
Household Hazardous Waste and E-Cycling Day
The next Hazardous Waste Day will be on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at the Riverview Land Preserve (corner of King and Grange Roads) from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Electronic Equipment (computer monitor, hard drive, printers). Kitchen/bathroom (bug sprays, floor care products), garden and pool (pool chemicals), vehicle maintenance (transmission and brake fluids, motor oils), and household maintenance items (paints, varnish, batteries, light bulbs) will be accepted for recycling.
Open Space Fall Clean Up Service
Due to popular demand, the Open Space / Greenways Committee is sponsoring another Clean Up Service for all Grosse Ile Residents.
We will have four dumpsters located at the DPS yard on Groh Road on Saturday September 29th and Sunday September 30th. The hours will be from 9:00 am to 4:00pm on Saturday and Sunday.
This is an opportunity to clean out your garage or get rid of that brush pile.
We will also provide a space for items that can you no longer need that can be reused. For example, if you have a chair or desk that is in good shape and you don’t need it, bring it along, someone may have a use for it.
Due to environmental regulations we cannot accept any hazardous waste such as oils, paint or batteries. This service is limited to residents only. Contractors will not be allowed dispose of their refuse. Hope to see you next weekend!
Trash Hauler
Painter and Ruthenberg and Midwest Sanitation were forced to file for Chapter 11 reorganization recently. I have received many calls over the past several months that were related to our trash hauler. Some of the complaints include timely pick up on trash day, oils leaking from the refuse trucks, the trucks missing streets on trash days and trash cans in the roadways. For these and other reasons, at the September 10th Board of Trustees meeting, the Board passed a resolution to go out to bid and advertise for trash hauler services for our residents. The current contract with Painter and Ruthenberg expires in November and at that time I’ll be able to advise and update all residents on the status of the waster hauler bid services.
What’s the status of bridges in Southeast Michigan?
In a recent SEMCOG Regional Update, an article from the Winter 2007 issue of SEMcope was revisited due to the bridge tragedy in Minnesota:
“Simply, they (bridges) are old, getting older, and in desperate need of repair. In total, we have 3,560 bridges in our region. Unfortunately, 1,387 bridges are currently considered deficient and 50 percent are over 30 years old. It is estimated that by the year 2030, 2,880 bridges will be deficient and will need $7.2 billion to fix all of the bridges.
On the positive side, the number of deficient bridges has decreased by seven percent over the last four years. Since 2004, 316 bridges have been rehabilitated, reconstructed or replaced. However the reality remains that the money is just not there to address our deteriorating bridges. For obvious reasons, bridges need to be structurally safe and reliable. As a driver, you wouldn’t want to risk your life or the lives of your loved ones on an unsafe bridge. Without regular maintenance bridges fall into disrepair, may require closure, or may not support the extra weight of trucks and buses. When a bridge is weight restricted or closed, travelers are forced to seek alternative routes that can be miles out of the way. With each closed bridge, driver travel time, congestion and pollution increase. Perhaps most importantly bridge closures have a negative effect on response times for emergency services, such as fire and ambulance. In any emergency, you would want the fire truck or the ambulance to take the fastest route to your house wouldn’t you?”
According to the website set up by Wayne County on the Bridge Remediation Project, what follows is a response from Wayne County concerning bridge safety:
As bridge safety concerns have recently made national headlines, how safe is our bridge?
To put any fears at ease, it's important to first understand that it is difficult to compare our bridge to other bridges across the nation. No two bridges are alike. Bridge sizes, materials, design, usage, environment, and several other factors weigh on each individual bridge's structural stability.
Since there are so many variables between one bridge and the next, the most critical piece of data bridge engineers look at (in layman's terms) is "how's our bridge doing today, how was it yesterday, and how will it perform tomorrow". That is, we have to look at a number of factors over time to determine a trend.
At no time has our bridge been questionable in its structural condition for fear of a collapse. Instead, the trend observed for the Grosse Ile Bridge was one of ever increasing maintenance costs. Repairs to decking and other areas simply increased in frequency and scope.
In fact, one might even say it was more an accounting issue than one of engineering.
The bridge simply reached a point where it was more cost effective to rehabilitate it than to continue with increased repairs.
Open House Weekends – The Course is Open to the Public
Water’s Edge Golf Course Open House Weekends will be held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the month of September. The public can play the Water’s Edge course at guest rates. All are welcome. The course is in excellent condition – take the time to experience golf on the Island at affordable rates. Contact the Recreation Department for more details at 675.2364 and get out and try the course!
Township Comments
The following were some of the answers to the Supervisor’s comment question:
“What type of business would you like to see on Macomb Street?”
Here are a few of the responses we received:
Video Game Store
Hampton Road resident
Movie Theater
Parkway Road resident
Travel Agency
East River Road resident
Library
Meridian Road resident
Book Store
Salisbury Street resident
Cell phone store
Manchester Road resident
Mexican Restaurant
Ferry Road resident
Ice Cream Parlor
Thorofare Road resident
Upcoming Meetings
Board of Trustees Study Session with Wayne County and Commission and Committees– Monday, September 24, 2007 @ 7:00 p.m.
Airport Commerce Park Commission – Monday, October 15, 2007 @ 7:00 p.m.
Planning Commission – Monday, October 29, 2007 @7:30 p.m.
A Good Dad Saying
“Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else, it is something you do for yourself.”
This Week in History
On September 18, 1793, President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the
U.S. Capitol.
The Supervisor will hold office hours to meet with residents each Wednesday and Friday afternoon, and any Monday that a Board Meeting is scheduled. To make an appointment with the Supervisor, please contact Administrative Assistant Carol Knopp at 734.676.4422, ext. 210.
Anyone wishing to receive the monthly Supervisor�s E Updates, please send an email address to: KurtK@grosseile.com
Watch for E ALERTS for Breaking E News and on the township website or tune to AM 1700 Grosse Ile Community Information Radio.
Any questions or comments regarding the information provided in this E Update, or other questions related to the Township, please feel free to contact Supervisor Kobiljak at KurtK@grosseile.com or at his Township Office 734-676-4422 Ext. 215
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