By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Plans for parking improvements at the Green Oak Township hall are moving forward.

A presentation from the township engineer was made during a recent virtual meeting of the Board of Trustees, who has been working on a design to expand the parking lot at the township hall on Silver Lake Road. There are 47 existing parking spaces but a few areas were identified that could be expanded. It was stated the north parking lot would be completely removed and re-graded to accommodate two additional handicap spaces and expand the general area. There would be four traditional spaces and two new handicap spaces added across from the main entrance to the township hall. It was noted that engineers managed to squeeze in three additional spaces across from the existing handicap spaces and there would be an extensive expansion on the southeast part of the parking lot. That would bring the total to 79 spaces, six of which would be accessible for people with disabilities.

It was stated that making the front area of the township hall handicap accessible was among the biggest selling points on the plan. Treasurer Susan Daugherty commented the best thing they did was to add handicap spaces up front, which she said was definitely more accessible for residents and a good move. She said it also gives people dropping off equipment the ability to navigate the front entrance area. Daugherty commented further that there definitely wasn’t enough parking during big events and the new spaces on the east side will not only help for employee parking but also give residents a little bit more room.

The preliminary estimate for construction was $241,446 based on recent bids in the industry, which doesn’t include any landscaping or lighting. Funds for landscaping and the planting of trees and shrubs would come from the township tree mitigation fund. Supervisor Mark St. Charles commented they have parking lot lights now and to some degree, he thinks less is more, especially with the surrounding residential area. At this point, he preferred to hold off and explore other lighting options including possibly solar. There was also talk about initiating conversations with MDOT to try and light the Park and Ride across from the township hall, which was brought forward by Clerk Michael Sedlak.

Sedlak commented that the recent election proved that they definitely needed more spaces, noting they had two absentee counting boards plus employees and voters. He said most people had to utilize the Park and Ride lot across the street, resulting in them crossing the road during busy times at morning and night. Sedlak noted they’ve used light trailers in the past and favored trying to convince the appropriate party to light that parking lot somehow. The board and engineers agreed it was a good idea and the timing would probably be beneficial as MDOT is currently planning the expansion of its US-23 Flex Route project through the township.

The current dumpster would remain where located but an enclosure is proposed that would also feature landscaping around the area. There was some talk of moving it but it was ultimately decided other areas didn’t really make sense and it has been working pretty well in the current area but just needs to be cleaned up and screened.

The board favored the plans as presented and approved sending them to the Planning Commission for the site plan review process. The tentative schedule would be bidding for summer construction and the project would be staged because the township hall has to remain open during construction. It was stated there will be some disruption during the work for staff and residents but all efforts would be made to keep the schedule as tight as possible.