By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

The City of Fenton is putting together a plan to make major improvements to their streets.

Last November, Fenton voters overwhelmingly passed a millage proposal that would help improve nearly all of their neighborhood streets that were rated as “poor” in an engineering study that had been conducted earlier in 2021. Mayor Sue Osborn, at the time, thanked voters for their trust, saying that the state of their streets has been the number one compliant heard from residents for some time.

Earlier this week, City Manager Lynn Markland presented the draft plan to City Council, for what he wrote in a memo, will be the most significant investment in infrastructure that has been made in the City in many years. It is believed that this $30-million investment over the next 10 years will serve the City for many decades to come.

The Draft Local Street Plan, or DSLP, is a 3-year local street program that is still a work-in-progress and can change. The idea in the plan presented to Council earlier this week began with work on the numbered streets, 1st through 6th, in year 1.

The second year would be more robust and include water main replacements and upgrades. A current backlog in the permitting process with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy helped lead City officials to pushing that aspect of the project into year 2. The City has applied for a roughly $2-million grant to help with the water main, proposing to use $1-million of their own American Rescue Plan Act funds and $2.6-million in bonds.

Bond resolutions are scheduled to be a part of the City Council’s Work Session agenda on Monday.