Scio Township supports Dexter in its connecting communities effort

Scio Township supports the city of Dexter's effort in submitting a Connecting Communities grant application.

If successful, the grant would help pay for a pathway segment that would cross Mill Creek and go through a portion of land located in Scio Township.

At its Sept. 14 meeting, the Scio Township Board approved a resolution to officially put its support behind the application.

Township supervisor Will Hathaway said a “portion of the pathway segment crosses Scio Township, but more importantly, the B2B (Border-to-Border Trail) pathway is an important resource for everyone who lives in this area. It is in our common interest to expand the network of pedestrian pathways to provide safe, sustainable options for people to get around without relying on automobiles.”

“I was pleased to work with Justin (Justin Breyer, Dexter City Manager) and line up support for the city of Dexter's grant application,” Hathaway said. “I'd expect that the city of Dexter would feel similarly supportive of the township's efforts to create more pedestrian pathways.”

The city of Dexter is intending on applying for a Connecting Communities Grant for a segment of trail connecting the cities of Dexter and Chelsea. This trail segment will serve as a section of the Iron-Belle Trail and the Washtenaw County B2B Trail.

According to the township resolution, the current proposed estimate to perform preliminary project engineering is $211,500 and the city of Dexter intends to apply for additional grant funding through the Huron-Waterloo Pathways Initiative and Ralph C. Wilson Foundation for the current phase of the project.

Scio Township intends to one day connect into this trail segment.