City Commission supports inter-local pathway from Deerfield to Broomfield
The City of Mount Pleasant is joining multiple stakeholders in funding the creation of a pathway along West Campus Drive.
Mount Pleasant City Commission voted to contribute $25,000 to build a lighted pathway south of Central Michigan University at its July 22 meeting in City Hall.
City Manager Nancy Ridley said city staff has met with representatives from multiple entities, including Union Township, CMU, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, Mid-Michigan Pathways and the Isabella County Road Commission to create a paved and lighted walking path that stretches from Deerfield Road to Broomfield Road.
The pathway will be 8 feet wide with CMU's standard lighting. The university agreed to maintain the paths once they are constructed.
After research, the group of representatives identified two main areas that could use a lighted pathway: Area A connects Deerfield Road to an existing path along Denison Drive, and Area B follows West Campus Drive from Denison to Broomfield.
Area B will be constructed first, and is estimated to cost roughly $299,000 total. Union Township is contributing $60,000, CMU is contributing $39,000 and Union Township received $150,000 from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.
Construction could begin as early as this fall, Ridley said, but because the total funding so far doesn't quite cover the project, the municipalities will not release the grants until funding is secured. CMU said it might try to add the pathway to another existing construction project to save time and money.
"I'm very glad to see this project going forward," Commissioner Kathleen Ling said. "It's been in the works for three or four years. The request for a lighted pathway came primarily from students who were concerned about the death that happened on Crawford Road. Having this path was one of the primary goals that they had."
