Village street work set to begin this summer

Division Street, prepped for paving last fall.

It’s no secret that there are some pretty badly deteriorated streets in the Village of Manchester.

Over the years, village administration has kept a list of streets, prioritized by condition. The list is updated annually. Those in the worst condition are placed on the list for repair and replacement.

Local street funds have suffered in Manchester, like in most communities in recent years, due to a decrease in taxable values, as well as a decrease in state shared revenue, caused initially by the economic downturn 10-15 years ago. Additionally, rebuilding the Main Street Bridge took most of the street funding for a couple of years. Things are looking up for street repair though with a county millage, good for the coming three years, bringing in an additional $26,000 per year and about $40,000 coming in from the state due to increased registration fees and gas tax. This is more than Manchester has received in the past several years from outside sources and is in addition to annual local budgeting for streets which usually hovers around $65,000. As taxable values have gradually increased, and as the village looks to solidify its asset management in the coming fiscal years, it is once again time to turn attention to the condition of the local streets.

Last fall, four streets were selected for mill and refill repair–Torrey, Division, Duncan, and Auburn. This work, at a cost of $133,000, was completed in late September 2017.

At last Monday’s Village Council meeting, Village Manager Jeff Wallace presented a proposal to repair streets in three different neighborhoods of the village. East Main Street from Hibbard to the shared use trail; East Duncan Street from Hibbard to Division; Beaufort Street from Main to Vernon (and continuing on Vernon from Beaufort to Riverside); Territorial between Macomb and Washington Streets; Madison, between Macomb and Washington Streets; and Mound/Riverbend from Ann Arbor Street to Clarkson. Wallace estimated that pending budget approval, these streets, which are among the poorest condition currently, could be repaired for a comparable amount in 2018.

“We can actually do about twice as much this year as last year,” Wallace said. “We are trying to schedule contractors around our summer events. We would like to get the East Main project, especially, done before school begins in September.”

Watch out for the orange barrels around the village this summer!

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.