Appropriations Requests for : Pittsfield Charter Township

1. Cosponsoring legislators:

No Cosponsors

Recipient Information

2. Intended legislatively directed spending item recipient:

Pittsfield Charter Township

3. Physical address of legislatively directed spending item recipient and the intended location of the project or activity:

6201 W. Michigan Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48108

4. The recipient's employer identification number:

381737680

Funding Details

5. Requested amount of the legislatively directed spending item:

$500,000.00

6. What is the purpose and how does the legislatively directed spending item provide a public benefit that is an appropriate use of taxpayer money?

Pittsfield Charter Township is requesting $500,000 in funding to install sixty-six (66) LED streetlights along Packard Road between Golfside Avenue and Carpenter Road. A 2025 Road Safety Audit of Carpenter and Packard Roads, completed by WSP engineering and funded by SEMCOG, recommended that the Township take action to improve lighting conditions along Packard. Currently, lighting along this section of Packard Road is limited to intersections only. The safety risks posed by poor visibility are more likely to impact vulnerable road users, as Packard Road provides the primary access route to Carpenter Elementary School, and is frequently utilized by cyclists commuting between the Cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. The 2025 SEMCOG Road Safety Audit (RSA) considered the conditions of this portion of Packard Road, with recommendations ranked according to their priority. Improved lighting along the corridor was ranked as a high-priority item by the RSA team, in combination with other recommendations such as adjusting signal timings, increasing pedestrian crossing times, and incorporating Packard Road into the Carpenter Elementary School Zone as defined by the Michigan Vehicle Code. The latter set of recommendations are primarily low-cost items on which the Township is collaborating with the Washtenaw County Road Commission to implement as quickly as practicable. While the lighting improvement project poses fewer administrative hurdles than a typical road infrastructure project (e.g., fewer easement acquisitions, lesser impact on traffic, fewer design/engineering considerations, etc.), this project does carry with it a significant cost burden. In this way, streetlight installation is shovel-ready, but for the gap in funding. We believe state funding for this project is particularly appropriate because of Packard Road’s importance to multiple communities and nearly every category of road user. This portion of Packard, specifically, simultaneously serves as a transitionary route between the City of Ann Arbor and the City of Ypsilanti, as well as a critical access point for Carpenter Elementary School (to mention nothing of the businesses and residences that also line the corridor). Improved lighting conditions along this route will improve safety conditions for everyday commuters from at least three communities, as well as the multitudes of students, families, cyclists, and transit-users who similarly access the corridor daily.

7. Has the legislatively directed spending item previously received or been awarded any of the following types of funding in the past 5 years?

No previous funding received

8. Estimated time frame for completion of the legislatively directed spending item project:

The estimated time frame for completion is by the end of fiscal year 2028.

Additional Information For Nonprofit Corporations

9. Is the recipient a nonprofit corporation?

No

Certification By Sponsoring Legislator

• "I certify that my immediate family members, legislative staff members, and I have no direct or indirect pecuniary interest in the requested legislatively directed spending item."
• "I certify that the intended recipient of this legislatively directed spending item is not a for-profit entity."
• "I certify that the information in this form is true to the best of my knowledge."

Senator Jeff Irwin