Hartland in Hindsight #14- A Vision for the Village

Of all the accomplishments and updates undertaken by Hartland Township in the past decade, our historic village renovation may have been the most overdue. Residents saw many changes to the village streetscape in 2016-2017, but the biggest undertaking of this project was not visible to the eye. 

With a drain infrastructure put in place in 1916, our 100-year old system was riddled with problems. In many places, large storm drains fed into smaller pipes, causing backups, flooding and drainage issues. A map of the framework existed only in piecemeal records spanning the previous century and didn’t account for the many unauthorized self-hookups on the system. Modern engineering compliance and design had never been a consideration in this antiquated system.

The village drainage issue was first discovered in the 1950s, and although it was monitored and always on the Township’s radar, there was one major hurdle: a project of such magnitude would require considerable funding. 

“The project had been proposed in the past,” explains Hartland Township’s Public Works Director Bob West. “Not only did a plan of this size need the assistance of the local Drain Commission and Road Commission, but more importantly it needed resident support and funding.”

And so the Township went to work. They knew what needed to be done and they rallied the Hartland community to work together to find a solution. The result was a 100% resident driven “Safer Roads Plan” that was ultimately approved and funded by the citizens of Hartland.

Funding in place, the drain “Band-Aids” of the past were replaced with a completely modernized drain system. With the village now standing on a strong, properly drained foundation, the streetscape could finally be addressed.  

“The historic Village of Hartland is a unique place,” says Township Supervisor Bill Fountain. “Our main commerce area is not in the village, but towards our highways. Because of this, the Village remains quaint and quite peaceful. Our goal was to preserve our small-town feel, while sprucing things up a bit, making it a more welcoming place to visit or take a walk.”

The project was completed in late 2017 with updated sidewalks, angle parking, and curbs. And as updates to the streetscape continue in the years ahead, we rest assured knowing we are now making improvements on a firm foundation.