Alpine Township Officials Learn About Walkability

Dan Burden

Alpine Township officials, board and commission  members, along with county and state employees received somewhat of a treat today as they had the opportunity to spend more than half a day with a world renowned expert on walkability and sidewalk.  Dan Burden is the nation’s most recognized authority on walkability, bicycle & pedestrian programs, street corridor & intersection design, traffic flow & calming, road diets, and other planning elements that affect roadway environments. Dan is also sought after by the health community, promoting neighborhoods, villages, and cities that are designed for more active, interactive and healthy living. He has 37 years of experience in developing, promoting and evaluating alternative transportation facilities, traffic calming practices and sustainable community design.

Alpine Township Planner Sue Thomas responded to an offer made by the Michigan Department of Transportation to have Dan Burden do a community walkability study and Alpine Township was one of seven Michigan communities selected.  Board and Planning Commission members, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Parks and Recreation Committee teamed up with representatives of the Kent County Road Commission and the Michigan Department of Transportation to get a close look at the good, the bad and the ugly about walkability and accessibility in the area of Alpine Avenue (M-37) and Lamoreaux Drive.

The group of about 20 persons met at 8:00 a.m. at Art Van's Furniture for orientation and were greeted by store director Pete Renkes with coffee and refreshments.  They then went on a walking tour of the area with Dan Burden pointing out various design flaws and opportunities to make the area more pedestrian friendly.

When finished, the group went back to Art Van Furniture where an early lunch was provided by the store.  At noon, they were joined by other community members for a slide presentation by Dan Burden.  He summarized the lessons learned in the morning and shared success stories from road improvements made in other communities throughout the country.

Special thanks go to Sue Thomas, Dan Burden and Art Van Store Director Pete Renkes for making this event such a pleasant experience.



Art Van Store Director Pete Renkes

Lunch was provided courtesy of Art Van Furniture

Mike O'Malley, Sue Thomas and Dan Burden



The rain was kind enough to hold off

Tim Haagsma, Jean Wahlfield, Bill Schweitzer, Ron Cordes



Dan Burden wrapping it up

Reporting Potholes in Alpine Township

The above illustrations provided by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) explain how potholes are created.   As temperatures are returning to above freezing, we can anticipate potholes in many of our roads. The severity of the potholes vary with the winter weather.  

You can report potholes found on Alpine Township roads directly to the Kent County Road Commission at 616-242-6950 or to Alpine Township Supervisor Alex Arends at 616-784-1262, or e-mail him at a.arends@alpinetwp.org.  For potholes on interstates and state highways, you can fill out a form on MDOT's website or call 888-296-4546

 Last year, the Road Commission did an effective job in repairing potholes, particularly those that caused serious danger. Please keep in mind that Alpine Township is not the only community served by the Road Commission.   Many of the potholes receive only a temporary fix because the cost of  hot asphalt is prohibitive until later in the year.

If you wish to blow off some steam, you also have the option to report the pothole on line to an organization called DriveMI.  Potholes can be reported right from this site but it is unsure if this site is monitored by the road commission.  But at least you can feel better.  WZZM reported earlier that since Valentines Day, over 650 potholes have been reported to this site, with 40 from Kent County alone. 

The Michigan Transportation Team (MTT) recently announced an online petition drive for citizens who are tired of driving on pothole-riddled streets. Although the petition is non-binding and will not change the law, the names of petition signers will be presented to state policymakers to demonstrate the level of support in Michigan for investing in our state’s infrastructure.