Residents of S. Lake Street in Leland between Reynolds and Cedar streets learned last week that the Leland Township Board has decided not to improve the road.

On a 4-1 vote at the April 22 special board meeting, with supervisor Harry Larkin opposed, the board approved a motion by trustee Nick Lederle and supported by clerk Jane Keen, to forgo repairs on Lake Street from Cedar to Reynolds. Lederle, who with his wife Suzanne lives on Lake Street, said the project was not supported by him and most residents who live on the street.

Objections to the proposed $50,000 improvement were first voiced by Keen and some Lake Street residents at the board’s regular meeting on April 14.

At the April 14 meeting, county Road Commission manager Herb Cradduck said the base under Lake Street is mainly marl, an organic soil that consists of clay and lime and which can also contain sea shells. Marl absorbs moisture but doesn’t drain well. Cradduck said.

“Since it doesn’t drain well, it stays very soft and never gets really hard, which makes it a poor base for a road,” said commission engineer James C. Johnson on Friday.

Cradduck said there is about four to five feet of marl under S. Lake Street and in the surrounding area. Lake Street doesn’t receive a lot of traffic, except during the summer when seasonal residences are open and people are using the public beach at the end of Reynolds and Cedar streets.

Johnson said the Road Commission has received complaints from township residents about Lake Street for years, especially after sewer pipe was laid in the early 1990s. The excavation caused depressions to appear where Lake Street intersects with Thompson, South and Pine streets.

The proposed project would required extensive excavation work to remove the marl, and replace it with a fill that drains better. The road itself would have been raised about nine inches so water would run off.

Keen said at the board’s April 14 meeting that she wouldn’t like to see S. Lake Street lose its residential-friendly character. Lake Street residents objected to the two feet of gravel that would be applied to the street’s shoulders as well.

In other business during the special joint meeting, members of the township board, Planning Commission and Sewer Commission discussed the township’s new master plan. At the heart of the discussion was how the new plan should address sewer use now and in the future.

The three groups agreed to leave the proposed wording as it now reads: “Encourage Leland Township sewer system upgrades, and explore system expansions. Promote alternative systems and septic system inspections to protect water quality of lakes. Coordinate future sewer planning with the Sewer Commission, Planning Commission and the Land Use Plan.”
Sewer Commission chair Wayne Wunderlich said the township conducted a comprehensive sewer needs study in 1990. While it is 18 years old, many of the issues brought up then still exist today, and the Planning Commission should use it as reference for future updates. He also agreed the sewer and planning commissions do need to work together to address growth issues.

The Planning Commission’s next meeting will be May 27 at 7 p.m. at the township office in Lake Leelanau.