By Sara L. Smith
VIEW Staff Writer

GRAND BLANC TWP. — It appears the path to a current repaving project for Williamsburg Farms is anything but smooth.

Residents of Williamsburg Farms showed up at the Grand Blanc Township Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 11 to express their dismay at the current state of a repaving project in their neighborhood, saying they fail to see how the project will ever be finished on time.

“I don’t see any way it’s going to get done,” said resident Roger Baldwin. “I’ve tried to call the road commission. I would like some assurances.”

Many delays have contributed to the project’s slowed-up pace, with much of the work still left to do, despite the fact that the repaving effort was originally scheduled to wrap up by Oct. 15. Work began early this summer.
Now, making that deadline appears unlikely according to some residents, including Baldwin.

Baldwin indicated that he spoke to workmen on the project and has attempted to contact the Genesee County Road Commission in an effort to ascertain just what exactly is causing the holdup. So far, he said, a reasonable answer hasn’t come.

Certain streets, particularly Old Saybrooke, appear to be causing major headaches for road crews, who are now officially behind schedule in their bid to complete road projects for the Williamsburg Farms subdivision.

The project is a joint partnership between the township, the residents of Williamsburg Farms and the Genesee County Road Commission.

Township officials approved a measure to get the repaving project under way last May. The plan calls for milling and repaving of the subdivision’s main roads and streets.

Williamsburg Farms was built in the 1970s and the roads are now in very poor condition.

The call to repave the subdivision’s streets came at the request of the subdivision’s residents, who initiated the action by petitioning the GCRC to repave the area in 2005.

Roadwork was divided into three phases, with Phase I completed last year. The project costs an estimated $3.3 million for both later phases, with $1.5 million earmarked for Phase II and $1.8 million designated for Phase III.

The partnership required a monetary contribution from each of the three partners.

Residents were required to kick in $822,000 for Phase II, with the township’s share amounting to $274,000 and the road commission’s contribution adding up to $219,000.

Residents are contributing $1.1 million toward the completion of the Phase III repaving project, while the township is paying $381,000 and the road commission $304,000.

While some minor flooding earlier this summer had delayed the project somewhat, that issue had since been resolved.

However, the project may not make its originally scheduled deadline of Oct. 15, should it continue at its current pace, added Baldwin.

He indicated that a great deal of work to be done remains.

“When I signed the petition, this isn’t what I signed on for,” he said. “Are they going to finish on time?”
He added that many neighbors are irate about the project’s slow pace.

Township officials indicated that the project may still finish close to its original estimate, albeit one month late, since a drop date to get the work completed is actually Nov. 15 — although residents were promised the work should be complete by mid-October.

“They have until Nov. 15 to finish the work because the asphalt won’t set up after that time,” said Jeff Zittel, township supervisor.

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