Children’s Park pedestrian bridge to be replaced sometime down the road

By Jim Newell
Review Editor
LAKE ORION — After more than two-and-a-half years there finally appears to be progress toward replacing the dilapidated Meeks Park pedestrian bridge over Paint Creek.
The Lake Orion Village Council on Monday approved 7-0 a redesign recommendation from its engineers.
The council also approved a change order that will save the village more than $4,000 on the total cost of the bridge replacement, bringing the new total to $105,265.11 for labor and materials.
In August 2020, the village purchased a pedestrian bridge from Independence Township for $20,000. The deal included the 40-foot-long bridge, two approaches, the concrete footings and delivery, former village Manager Joe Young said at the time.
The bridge and its components have been sitting on the banks of Paint Creek on a residential street since its purchase.
“I know it’s an important project and we’ve waited a long time for this,” said council President Jerry Narsh. “We’ve read our briefs and I think that we all agree that we need to get this done.”
Under the recommended construction change from Carol Thurber of Nowak & Fraus Engineers, the village will use the existing 40-foot-long section to replace the Meeks Park bridge. That section had originally been intended to replace the Children’s Park pedestrian bridge, with the two approaches and a new middle portion of a bridge intended to replace the Meeks Park bridge.
Village Manager Darwin McClary requested that the council “postpone action on this item” until its March 27 meeting so that the engineer could “explain why it’s important to make changes on the design” but the council members felt they needed to move forward on the project.
“The bridge is quite dangerous now and we’ve been waiting a long time. I don’t see as we can put any input into the engineering,” said Councilmember Michael Lamb, who made the motion to approve the engineer’s design recommendation..
“I support it. It’s been three-plus years in the making and (it’s) time to get it done,” said Councilmember Ken Van Portfliet.
“You have a dangerous condition out there. It’s not safe. Technically, it should probably be closed but I won’t go there,” said village resident Cory Johnston during public comment.
The engineer recommended that the village “go back to the original design of using the longer section that spans the entire section that spans the creek and using the two end sections for a future Children’s Park bridge project,” McClary said.
At its Dec. 12, 2022 meeting, the council approved a contract with JSS Macomb LLC for $109, 513. The change order approved on Monday reduces the cost of the contract to the village by $4,248.50 for a revised total contract amount of $105,265.11.
Thurber, in a Feb. 17, 2023 letter to McClary, said the village could not use the 40-foot bridge section to replace the Children’s Park because “a span length of 50-foot is likely necessary at this crossing point. Under these conditions, the prefabricated bridge from Independence Township is not long enough to be reused at Children’s Park.”
The council agreed to purchase the re-configured steel beams and place in reserve the steel and existing bridge deck approach sections for a future Children’s Park Bridge replacement.
The council approved the necessary budget amendments and approved a first payment installment of $25,136.10 to JSS Macomb LLC to continue with the steel work for the new section of bridge.