Traverse City Record-Eagle

Grand Traverse County

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  • Jan-Michael Stump

    CITY COMMISSION
February 4, 2010

Bzdok: Engineer interfered with 2nd opinion

BY ART BUKOWSKI

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Mayor questions Eighth St. redesign plans

TRAVERSE CITY -- City Engineer Tim Lodge not only disregarded the city's master plan when he crafted a reconstruction plan for Eighth Street, he also interfered with a second opinion on the project, Mayor Chris Bzdok contends.

Last month, Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation Trails Inc., contacted local engineering firm Gosling Czubak to commission a "concept drawing" of the section set to be reconstructed.

Gosling said bike paths could be included in the reconstruction, provided certain sections of the road are widened, TART director Bob Otwell said.

But Gosling eventually told the city it may be too late to make project changes, Otwell said.

That decision came not long after Lodge placed a call to Gosling officials, and Bzdok contends Lodge's call inappropriately interfered with the second opinion.

"We tried to get a second opinion, but that process was influenced," Bzdok wrote in his Internet blog. "My suggestion is we ask the city manager to get a new second opinion, and to direct the city engineer not to interfere."

Gosling president Tim Roache didn't return a call for comment. Lodge said he contacted Gosling to inquire about the nature of their work for TART, and he denied impacting the outcome.

"I think I acted in a professional and ethical manner ... I certainly did not interfere," he said.

City Commissioner Jim Carruthers said he's "very much supportive" of Bzdok's suggestion to seek another outside opinion, especially in light of Lodge's call to Gosling.

He also agrees discussion in recent years suggests bike paths and walkways are highly desired in the area.

"We're getting boatloads of e-mails ... all in support of considering pedestrian and bicycle safety on Eighth Street," he said.

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