The four remaining members of the Leelanau County Road Commission held their first meeting since Road Commissioner John Popa passed away Sept. 5.
Popa passed in Munson Hospice House surrounded by his loved ones from health complications caused by injuries in an Aug. 13 accident, where his UTV was struck by a passing vehicle.
The road commissioners observed a moment of silence for Popa, who had served as a road commissioner for three terms. In a road commission Facebook post dedicated to Popa, he’s remembered as a pillar of the organization who served for over 20 years.
Road Commission Manager Brendan Mullane said that the county board of commissioners has begun the process of appointing someone to fill the remainder of Popa’s six-yearterm as road commissioner, which is set to expire Dec. 31, 2026.
The road commissioners adopted a new local road costsharing policy, clarifying that the road commission’s contributions are limited to a maximum of a 50% match. Furthermore, since the availability of matching funds can vary widely from year to year due to outside factors, the actual match may be less than 50% of the total project cost.
To help “promote proactive planning by the townships and allocate an equitable share of available funds,” the road commission set a schedule showing what percent of their available funds for local road improvements would go to each township, based on their populations and local road mileage.
Mullane also said these changes were partially in response to the misconception that the road commission must provide a 50% match for cost share projects if any given township comes up with their match.
Per this schedule, the road commission will allocate 10% of its local road improvement funds to Bingham, 8% to Centerville, 7% to Cleveland, 16% to Elmwood, 6% to Empire, 4% to Glen Arbor, 10% to Kasson, 10% to Leelanau Township, 10% to Leland, 6% to Solon, and 13% to Suttons Bay. The road commission reserves the right to deviate from this schedule as it deems necessary.
As mentioned above, the amount of funds available for local road improvements is variable. Mullane told the newspaper that on average, $150,000 is budgeted for improvements each year. This is enough to fund just one or two cost share agreements per construction season.
Mullane said that he expects less funds to be available next year, as the road commission plans to use these funds to match Rural Task Force dollars earmarked for County Road 626 improvements.
In May, for example, the road commission entered into a costshare agreement with Cleveland Township for work on Traverse Lake Road. The estimated cost of the project was $314,217, with the township contributing 60% of the costs and the road commission providing the remaining 40% of the costs.
Mullane said that for larger road improvement projects, townships may need to request cost-share agreements in “small bites” over several years. Using the Traverse Lake Road project as an example again, the township and road commission entered a cost share agreement for another portion of the project in 2023.
There could be a third cost share agreement for the final portion of Traverse Lake Road next year, but Mullane says that would require heavy coordination with the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail extension, which is planned to cross the road next year. In either case, a larger local road improvement project is being completed across multiple seasons and cost share agreements.
According to the new policy, any township requesting a costsharing allocation must make a formal request to the road commission by Nov. 1 the year prior to the desired project is planned. If a township does not commit its allocation by Nov. 1 or fails to move forward with their project, their allocation will be divided up amongst the other townships.
The road commission also: - Accepted a bid for 120 carbide cutting edges for the winter 2024-2025 season from Truck and Trailer Specialties in the amount of $34,698.
- Approved a new personal protection equipment reimbursement policy, in which the road commission will cover the purchase of safety boots, gloves, high visibility gear, and other equipment for all eligble employees up to $400.
