Marion Township officials had good news for residents on road, but bad news for those on another.

The Marion Township Board of Trustees discussed their primary roads project for 2018 at their last regular meeting. Township Supervisor Bob Hanvey said they were a year ahead of schedule with improvements coming to West Coon Lake Road. All they were waiting on was for their engineer’s recommendation on just how far they should go with the project and how deep of an overlay they need. County Farm Road to Triangle Lake was identified as the worst part, but Hanvey thought the whole stretch going down to D-19 could use varying degrees of help. The Board authorized the Supervisor to turn in the request to the Road Commission as by the engineer’s recommendation. It was tougher news for residents on Cedar Lake Road, however. Many had attended the Board’s February 8th meeting asking for the process for designating Cedar Lake as a primary road and getting it paved to begin.

Since that meeting, Hanvey, Treasurer Tammy Beal, and Trustee Les Andersen met with Road Commission Managing Director Mike Craine. The trio was informed that even if Cedar Lake was designated primary, it probably wouldn’t be eligible for cost sharing. The cost sharing is available for maintaining primary roads, not paving them. For the township to do it on its own, they would need an estimated $2-2.3 million budgeted. Andersen called it a “knife in the gut,” and even if the township had money for the project, it wouldn’t happen until at least 2020. (MK)