With little to no debate, the Sanilac County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, approving a resolution supporting the use of DNR land to create an access road for the Amish community.
It was initially brought up at their June 27 meeting with commissioners and Parks & Recreation expressing their support for its approval. Several Amish communities live in the village surrounding Cass City and must travel along M-53 to access goods or services. This had led to many horse-and-carriage/vehicle accidents, resulting in injury or a loss of life. According to the resolution, an access road will be created from Greenland Road to the Cass River. Commissioners further supported plans for a bridge to access the Cass River to Kelly Road.
“I can’t even begin to imagine how much better this will be . . . for the Amish community [and everybody else] to get those buggies off some of those busy roads. It’ll be safer and better for everybody,” District 1 Commissioner Jon Block said.
Finance and construction will be undertaken by the Amish, however, maintenance costs are being looked into. A certified copy of the resolution will be sent to the Department of Natural Resources, State Representative Greg Alexander, Tuscola County’s Board of Commissioners, and State Senator Dan Lauwers.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners approved authorization for the State Historic Preservation to begin site reviews for Peck’s Memorial Park playground project, along with a National Environmental Policy Act assessment of $6,600.
The next Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 16, at 1 p.m. at the Sanilac County Courthouse.
