Alert Reader

In response to a recent planning commission report, “Curb Enthusiasm,’ Alex Herryman, a member of the Village of Benzonia board, wrote the following.

To the Editor,

How does one achieve curb connectivity and crosswalks, you ask?

Benzonia has this problem all over the place. Technically, you can’t cross from Academy Park west (the “church yard”) to Academy Park east (the ballfields) because there is no crosswalk. And technically you can’t cross from the former township hall to the parking on the side of Academy Park west, even though a hundred people a day do it without a crosswalk or signage! Where crosswalks go is mostly determined by MDOT, and you can read about the selection and evaluation process in their “Guidance for the Installation of Pedestrian Crosswalks on Michigan State Trunkline Highways.”

After you read that, consider that the best advice I’ve heard about this came from a smart city planner, who said, “Here’s what you do: make a plan.”

It’s called a “streetscape design book” or “streetscape plan.” You can google them up. A designer (not just an engineer) looks at your streets and figures out where people would want to go, and says smart things like, There should be a streetlight here, there should be a bench there, etc., and also picks out the style of those things (yes, there are whole catalogs of what’s called “site furniture,” which is light poles and trash cans—everything you’d see on the street).

Towns have to do this every 50 years or so because the businesses change and where people want to go changes. Beulah did it; that’s how they have those nice cement light poles and the brick in the sidewalks. Charlevoix did it about 10 years ago—they really went for planters and decorative stuff. Benzonia is doing it in 2026/27. It costs about $15,000 to $20,000 for the designer, who will then give you a book of instructions and pictures and sometimes a cost estimate. And then you bid it to a construction engineer (depending on the fanciness of the site furniture, starting around $150,000 and up). Streetscape upgrades are VERY grant-fundable because they score high in ADA compliance.

So, get “streetscape planning” in your next Capital Improvement Plan, get the design book in hand, be ready to pair it up with a project where there will be other disruptions to the street, and keep an eye on MEDC grants or state appropriations opportunities.

Party on, quad cities!
Alex Herryman

Coincidentally, on March 6 I did receive (I’m the Village Title VI coordinator—miraculously I didn’t have to go through the rich vetting process to secure this position) an email from Orlando Curry at MDOT regarding a grant opportunity from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA):

“FTA is making competitive funding available through the Fiscal Year 2025 and 2026 budgets to transit agencies for financing capital projects to repair, improve, modify, retrofit, or relocate infrastructure of stations or facilities to make all public areas of the station more convenient for families as well as Americans with disabilities, including those using strollers and wheelchairs.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) focuses on several priority considerations for funding, including:

• Benefits for Families and Communities: how a project will improve the accessibility of transportation for families with young children, including those with strollers, and will improve access to jobs, healthcare facilities, recreational activities, and commercial activity.
• Wayfinding Improvements: how a project will include universal wayfinding tools and signage to support individuals with disabilities (including persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with sensory disabilities, and who use wheelchairs), such as: plain language instructions using large print and simplified language; directional pathways and floor markings; synchronized visual and audio announcements; and real-time information displays that are easy to interpret and located throughout passenger waiting areas.
• Reduce Project Costs and Improve Project Delivery (capital projects only): how a project prioritizes efficiency and speed in project implementation, including strategies that provide longer work windows that allow time for concentrated and consistent work that shortens the project schedule and reduces costs.”

And there followed links with instructions for applying. I’m wondering if maybe a Benzie Bus stop on M22 in an area where we want a crosswalk could fit us into this grant application somehow; or maybe in the future. Anyway, I forwarded the email on to the clerk.

Did you read something here that has moved you to put pen to paper or thumbs to phone? Send responses via email to emilyvotruba@yahoo.com. Letters may be edited, possibly collaboratively with you, for length and clarity.