By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

A new pathway in Hartland Township will help make pedestrian traffic between the high school and a popular park safer for all.

Township officials are seeking to construct an 8-foot wide sidewalk on the north side of Dunham Road to Hidden Creek Drive. This is the second phase of Hartland’s proposed connection to Settlers Park from Hartland High School. A memo from Public Works Director Michael Luce to the Board of Trustees says that this connection will make that section of the Township much more accessible by walking or biking, essentially connecting the park to the Village.

At the Board’s final meeting of 2021, Township Manager Bob West said they got a price for design services from the engineering firm they normally do business with, but they believe they can do better. That original quote which came from Hubbell, Roth, and Clark Inc. was for $29,740. West said he and Luce believe that is higher than it should be, and have solicited some new quotes, with a verbal confirmation of one being two-thirds the price of HRC’s.

West called this a “unique anomaly” and asked the Board to approve giving Luce authorization to execute a design contract for an amount not to exceed HRC’s quote. The township manager said it was important to get this done and not wait until their next meeting in 2022, because this is valuable time for engineering if they want to be shovel-ready for construction in the spring. The Board of Trustees approved the request.