MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - The Meridian Township Board held a special meeting to discuss their upcoming plans for 2021 on Monday, November 23rd over Zoom. This was also the very first meeting that Meridian Township's new Clerk, Deborah Guthrie, attended in her new position.

Moving further, the Township is planning to provide “unparalleled service and safety” throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is about customer service and safety,” said Township Manager Frank Walsh.

The Board also wants to continue to expand its progress in solar development by $300,000.

Expanding opportunities for diversity, equity and inclusion continues to be a main goal moving into 2021. While 2020 saw major improvements, Walsh said that there is still much more work be done.

2020 saw lots of improvements in developing the new Downtown Okemos and Haslett. Now, the Meridian Township Board plans to expand those efforts. The main goal is to see vertical construction start in these locations as a marker of progress.

The road enhancement program is going into its second year. This new phase in the development process means improving local roads by a minimum of 15 miles. To keep up with maintaining the local roads, the PASER rating for 2021 should be a 5.18. However, the engineers working on this project are projecting a PASER rating of 5.37.

A new goal the Board has made is to develop a new and comprehensive plan to allow the Township to allow affordable broadband access to all.

With the pandemic, one of the goals from the previous year got pushed aside to make room for greater priorities. This goal was the MSU to Lake Lansing Pathway. This next year, the Board plans to follow through with completing phases 1 and 2 of this plan.

Another plan that was pushed aside was the Welcome to Meridian Township signage proposals. In 2021, the Township hopes to add more updated and aesthetically pleasing signs to further set the Township's brand.

A new plan is to implement programs that will help local businesses throughout the rest of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The final plan for 2021 is to upgrade the final design of the Meridian Township website. This will further provide overall functionality and give a new and updated look for site visitors.