Rebuilding Deerfield Road a ‘priority’ for Union Township officials this summer

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The crumbling stretch of Deerfield Road south of campus could be rebuilt as early as this summer.

Union Township’s top request is the grinding and repaving of Deerfield Road as part of this spring’s 2-percent Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe disbursement of funds received from Class III Electronic Games of Chance.

The request for $234,878 has yet to be approved by the tribe.

“I think we need to address that place very quickly,” said Union Township Treasurer Pam Stovak.

The plan is to rip up the road, redo the base and re-pave it, said Township Manager Brian Smith.

The Isabella County Road Commission has yet to approve the project, but Smith said the township hopes to begin construction sometime in the summer.

“Because the road is in bad shape, it is our priority,” Smith said.

Alycea Maki lives on Deerfield Road and said everyone who lives there complains of the road conditions.

The Ishpeming senior said she’s glad to know when construction begins, workers won’t just be filling in the road.

“You have to drive so slowly out there,” she said. “You pretty much have to come to a stop in order to drive through.”

Ron Graham, a bus driver for the Isabella County Transportation Commission, said he drives through Lexington Ridge Apartments’ parking lots to avoid much of the damage.

“It makes it uncomfortable for passengers,” he said.

Brine contract

A brine contract with Michigan Chloride Sales was approved by the township board Wednesday.

Brine is applied to dirt roads to keep the dust levels down and to help bind the roads together. The cost of three treatments to dirt roads in Union Township will be $2,000 per application.

“Our product doesn’t come from oil products like many other brine products do,” said Pete Miller, president of Michigan Chloride Sales. “Ours is from a mineral well deep in the ground.”

Brad Harkness, sales and chloride operations manager for MCS, said while the product is more expensive, it lasts longer than brine from oil products.

He said out of the 25 years he’s worked with the company he has only had to pay for one tree and one shrub because of damage from the brine.

“Now that we know it’s not from oil products, I’m not as concerned as I was before about damage to the environment,” said township Trustee Phil Mikus.