COMPLETION OF THE LANSING ROAD Lighting Project was celebrated in Perry Township on Wednesday afternoon, July 24. Twenty years in the making, 37 lights mounted on steel poles now shine down the commercial corridor on Lansing Road in Perry Township, just east of the city of Perry.
A special sign, located directly across from Elsesser’s Auto Repair, was dedicated to the memory of Perry Township Supervisor Sid Grinnell. Grinnell passed away in December 2017, but had been an enormous supporter of the lighting project.
Grinnell was born in Morrice, one of 12 children, and graduated from Morrice High School. He served Perry Township as a trustee for two years before taking on the mantel of supervisor. Grinnell believed in promoting economic development for the township and saw how valuable lighting the Lansing Road corridor could be in the long run – the thought being that the lights will encourage future commercial and industrial development in the area.
An impressively large number of family members were in attendance to celebrate Grinnell’s work, along with the work of the Perry Township board, including his wife, Mavis, who was presented with a bouquet of sunflowers.
Perry Township Supervisor/DDA board member Mark Fulks was on hand as an event organizer, offering some thoughtful words on Grinnell’s contribution to the project and expressing his gratitude to the road commission and Consumers Energy in expediting the work. The project cost under $79,000 and is essentially “rent-free” for the township, since they will now only be responsible for replacing the light bulbs.
Joining the large crowd on Wednesday afternoon, just after the Sheriff’s Office had temporarily closed that stretch of road, were members of Perry Township DDA, Sheriff Brian BeGole, Commissioners Cindy Garber and John Plowman, SEDP President/CEO Justin Horvath, members of the Shiawassee Road Commission, along with other affiliated group and family members.
(Independent Photo/Karen Mead-Elford)
