Chesterfield Township neighbors say their road is falling apart -- and they have to pay to fix it

CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Residents on Brumar Street in Chesterfield Township say their neighborhood road has become nearly undrivable, and the county agency responsible for maintaining it says a real fix will cost homeowners money.

The street, located near 23 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue, is riddled with crater-like potholes.

The Macomb County Department of Roads says crews patched the road as recently as April 22, but neighbors say those repairs barely scratch the surface.

“To send two kids out with a pickup truck and two shovels, and they are just throwing patches in randomly, is not going to fix the problem,” said Bob Clogg, who has lived on Brumar Street for 30 years. “They don’t even fill the deepest holes. They only fill random holes.”

‘No one wants to take responsibility’

Residents say they have gone in circles trying to get someone to take ownership of the problem.

“We have called the county, they tell us it’s the roads. We call the roads, they tell us it’s the county,” said neighbor Catie Szlachtowicz. “So, no one wants to take responsibility for it and help us get it fixed.”

Szlachtowicz says the road is so bad that she cannot walk her daughter or her dogs down the street with a stroller.

“We moved out of the country to have this type of neighborhood,” Szlachtowicz said. “I want all the kids to enjoy it, and we just can’t right now.”

Larry Benoit has lived on Brumar Street for 65 years and says he has been trying to get the road fixed for the past five years.

“This is the worst I’ve ever, ever seen it,” Benoit said. “When it rains, the water pours right down my driveway and fills my garage up.”

Benoit owns a classic Road Runner, but says the condition of the road keeps it parked.

“They don’t maintain it. They haven’t maintained it in 30 years,” said Benoit.

County: Subdivision roads require resident funding

According to the Macomb County Department of Roads, Brumar Street is classified as a subdivision road.

Under Michigan state law, road agencies are required to obtain matching funds from townships or other sources before paving or reconstructing residential roads.

In a statement, MCDR said: “Based on the condition of the road and the number of service requests received, the road most likely requires work beyond maintenance measures.”

The county offers two cost-sharing programs for subdivision roads, the Subdivision Reconstruction program and the Subdivision Preservation program, both of which require an application and involve funding contributions.

The process needs to start with the local government. In this case, that would be Chesterfield Township.

Neighbors tried to fix it themselves — county said no

Warren Hood, who has lived on the street for 50 years, says the road’s drainage has gotten dramatically worse over the decades.

“When we first moved in here, the road was concaved, and the water ran off the road into the ditches and out,” Hood said. “Now, it’s a basin. The water stays in the middle of the road.”

A few years ago, Benoit said neighbors offered to purchase asphalt millings and repair the road themselves. The county told them they could not do that.

They also attempted to gather enough signatures to establish a special assessment district, but the effort fell short of the required support.

“Half the street has the problem, the other half doesn’t,” Hood said. “It’s hard to get everyone on the same page and help foot the bill.”

Now, residents say they are out of options and looking to the county for a real solution.

“With the taxes we pay around here, we shouldn’t have to pay for this,” Benoit said.

“We are not complainers,” Hood said. “We have been here for a lot of years, but we are just watching two scoops and the back of a shovel on these holes, and that’s not going to cut it on this road.”

Steps to Pave Your Road in Macomb County:

1. Contact Your Township Offices: Notify them that you are interested in having your road paved. Townships administer the SAD process.
2. Request a Project Estimate: Property owners can request an informal cost estimate from the MCDR to establish the project cost.
3. Submit a Petition for an SAD: A petition signed by owners representing 51% of the road frontage within the designated area must be submitted to the township to begin the process.
4. Township Approval: The township board reviews the petition and decides on approving the SAD for the project

More information on MCDR’s community programs is available here.