Plugging Manchester, Michigan into a series of unscientific small-town observations, it's clear the village is the perfect Dairy Queen kind of burg. Manchester's intimate (pop. 2,234, per a 2009 American Community Survey estimate), but not too bitty-sized populace supports a 19th-century downtown, a millpond, potential filmmaking activity (HBO recently scouted it for a mini-series based on the book
Undaunted Courage), and, of course, a '50s-era DQ. In short, it's the kind of community which the street-side ice cream syndicate seems to find irresistible.
"We are pleased that we are a quaint small town because back in the 1960s the village did make an effort to preserve its Italianate downtown architecture and not have strip malls and the classic fast food restaurants, those types of things, come into downtown," says Ray Berg, president of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce.
While its vintage air evokes time at a stand-still,
Manchester is now the focus of a streetscape project, similar to those already underway by its Washtenaw County brethren – Ypsilanti's being the latest example.
As an add-on to this year's rebuilding of M-52, a new downtown streetscape is tentatively set to be laid in 2012. The project will cost approximately $750,000 and is funded through a transportation enhancement grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation, says Village Manager Jeff Wallace. Upgrades include new streetlights, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, trash receptacles, three or four seating areas with benches and shrubbery, and brick paver accents. Officials are also working with Consumers Energy and a couple of manufacturers on new streetlighting options, Wallace adds. "We're leaning towards LED [lighting]."
The village has also received a commitment letter from Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation to contribute funding towards a two-mile walk and bike path that will bridge the Manchester Millpond and run along the village-owned abandoned rail bed through the heart of Manchester. Cost estimates run about $800,000, Berg says. Preliminary engineering, design work, final approval, and the addressing of public comments from village residents is next at hand.
"The key thing is that we're not going to be utilizing village tax revenues for it," he notes. "The village basically contributes the land that it owns, and then from thereon project teams will pull together funding from a variety of sources that sponsor shared-use paths." Possibilities include a grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, and community fundraising, Berg says. He anticipates the path work could start in 2012.
Source: Ray Berg, president of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce;
Jeff Wallace, Manchester village managerWriter: Tanya Muzumdar
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