By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Zeeland Township officials have approved having engineering work done on a new bike trail that is scheduled to be built next year.
The Township Board Feb. 17 approved retaining the firm of Prein & Newhof to develop engineering plans for the trail that would run east along Quincy Street from 88th Avenue to 72nd Avenue, and on 72nd from Quincy to Ransom Street in the Beaverdam area.
“If we proceed with (construction), it does meet a longtime … desire to connect our bike trail system to Beaverdam,” Township Manager Josh Eggleston said.
While Prein & Newhof will bill the township monthly for its services on a time-and-material basis, it’s expected that the final price tag for the engineering work could reach $400,000, according to a company letter to the township dated Feb. 5.
The Township Board last August included the bike trail project in its capital improvement plan for both this year and next. The township budgeted $500,000 this year and $1,695,000 next year out of its general fund for the project, according to the CIP document.
The project plan gives engineers the flexibility of relocating the path along Ransom if there are issues with easements or power lines along Quincy. Doing so could cut about a half-mile from the trail and in turn cut down on construction costs, Eggleston said.
The scope of the Prein & Newhof work will include an environmental review, soil borings, permitting with regulatory agencies such as the Ottawa County Road Commission and county Water Resources Commission, and development of construction plans and cost estimates for building the path, according to the company’s letter.
“This is more than engineering,” Township Treasurer Melissa Veldheer said. “They are engineering, they are bidding, they are construction administration, from beginning to end. It’s a one-stop shop.”
Zeeland Record
Zeeland Township officials have approved having engineering work done on a new bike trail that is scheduled to be built next year.
The Township Board Feb. 17 approved retaining the firm of Prein & Newhof to develop engineering plans for the trail that would run east along Quincy Street from 88th Avenue to 72nd Avenue, and on 72nd from Quincy to Ransom Street in the Beaverdam area.
“If we proceed with (construction), it does meet a longtime … desire to connect our bike trail system to Beaverdam,” Township Manager Josh Eggleston said.
While Prein & Newhof will bill the township monthly for its services on a time-and-material basis, it’s expected that the final price tag for the engineering work could reach $400,000, according to a company letter to the township dated Feb. 5.
The Township Board last August included the bike trail project in its capital improvement plan for both this year and next. The township budgeted $500,000 this year and $1,695,000 next year out of its general fund for the project, according to the CIP document.
The project plan gives engineers the flexibility of relocating the path along Ransom if there are issues with easements or power lines along Quincy. Doing so could cut about a half-mile from the trail and in turn cut down on construction costs, Eggleston said.
The scope of the Prein & Newhof work will include an environmental review, soil borings, permitting with regulatory agencies such as the Ottawa County Road Commission and county Water Resources Commission, and development of construction plans and cost estimates for building the path, according to the company’s letter.
“This is more than engineering,” Township Treasurer Melissa Veldheer said. “They are engineering, they are bidding, they are construction administration, from beginning to end. It’s a one-stop shop.”
