Cascade Charter Township approves expanded sidewalk repairs in village area

Cascade Charter Township trustees approved a motion to proceed with an expanded sidewalk-repair program in the village area after staff reported limited contractor bids and recommended completing the full scope.

Staff member Eric summarized last year’s work — a roughly $90,000–$100,000 effort that replaced piecemeal, deteriorated flags — and said the township budgeted $50,000 for continuing repairs this year. Eric told trustees about about 400 linear feet of sidewalk in the targeted Old 28th Street stretch that met a two-inch trip-hazard threshold and described common failure causes such as root heave, subsidence and older, undersized slabs. “If it’s done correctly, it should be there for for number of decades,” Eric said.

Trustees discussed scope and cost control: Eric said the Friendship Park pathway element would cost about $8,000 and could be funded separately by the DDA, while engineering and per-section costs could add roughly $5,000. He said only one contractor submitted a bid this cycle and that bid was about 15% over his estimate, but staff recommended proceeding. Trustees asked whether new work will meet ADA standards; Eric said new sidewalks will be surveyed and built to ADA requirements.

A trustee moved to approve the full scope (referred to at the meeting as “option 3”) and the motion was seconded; the board approved the motion by voice vote with no opposition recorded in the transcript. Staff said the DDA could provide additional funds if trustees chose to expand the project beyond the $50,000 budget.

The board did not record a roll-call tally in the meeting transcript. Staff said the project can be scaled if needed and that staff would return with contract details and scheduling information.