Public Works

There is an informational meeting being held by MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation) today at the Hannah Community Center from 4-7pm. This will be an open house format meeting where people can ask questions and get information regarding the construction on Michigan and Grand River next summer. (The construction will span from approximitely the 496 interchange to Park Lake and will include some substantial, albiet short-lived, closures on Grand River in front of campus). Everyone is invited to attend.

The university is planning some pretty substantial road work of its own next summer as well. On that see this website.

A week ago, we reported that many East Lansing residents were upset with the weeds that had beset their parkways and lawn borders following sidewalk reconstruction by Sandborn Construction, the company with which the City had contracted. Today East Lansing residents received a letter from the City indicating that "the contractor has submitted a plan of action fo rthe areas that were disturbed".

The City’s summer sidewalk reconstruction program has left some residents with a bloom of unwanted weeds and a good deal of frustration. In many locales, sidewalk reconstruction necessitated replanting of lawn borders and parkways. The contractor, Sandborn Construction, appears to have used a seed mix or a topsoil that was high on weed seed. In some replanted areas, ragweed as tall as three feet high has emerged. There is also significant amounts of jumbo-sized crabgrass showing in many replanted areas.

In response to complaints, the City of East Lansing sent a letter in early July to affected residents indicating that the City has “contacted Sandborn Construction to review the restoration areas and give the City a plan of action to correct some of the areas.” (See the letter here.) The City told property owners that "Residents can ensure strong grass growth, while keeping weeds to a minimum, by periodically watering these areas to keep the ground moist. Although the contractor is responsible for the restored areas, we have found that those residents who supplement the contractor's efforts by watering every couple days experience much better grass growth with significantly fewer weeds."

ELi has since contacted the City for more information. Our questions, sent on August 24 to Lori Baetz, were answered on August 30 by Todd Sneathen, Director of Public Works (who has also previously provided useful information about parkways).