MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Meridian Township hopes to close a gap in 2016 on an existing pathway from the intersection of Mount Hope Road and Maumee Drive to Okemos Road.

At the March 15 Township Board meeting, the pathway master plan was discussed by Assistant Township Manager/Director of Public Works & Engineering Derek Perry. Perry brought the pathway master plan to the Township Board's attention as he said it hasn't been brought to its attention in nearly three years.

"We have the pathway millage expiring here at the end of the year," Perry said. "The goal is to get this in front of as many folks as possible so they can weigh in and have an opinion on it."

While Perry discussed the pathway master plan at the March 15 meeting to bring awareness to the plan, in general the pathway master plan is presented to the board so they are aware of any potential changes to the master plan, Chief Engineer of Meridian Township Younes Ishraidi said.

"We bring the master plan back to the Township Board to advise them of the potential changes that we'd like to see, additions that we think should be included in the master plan", Ishraidi said.

Meridian Township Project Engineer Nyal Nunn said the pathway millage is important because it pays for more than just the actual construction itself of the pathway.

"It's the township pathway millage, which goes to fund the pathway system, that's both construction and maintenance, as well as staffing for those purposes," Nunn said.

It's not yet known when construction will start on extending the pathway as necessary materials still need to be secured in order to move forward, Nunn said. However, it is one of the township's main goals for 2016.

One of the major projects that was completed in 2015 was the green pathway bridge over the Red Cedar River.