MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - The Meridian Township Environmental Commission approved two proposals as part of the green infrastructure grants for schools.

In total, there were three project submissions, one from Haslett and two from Okemos.

“We went through and we rated these all on a point scale and they all came out very well,” said Environmental Commission vice chair, Rose Vadnais.

One proposal, for a rain garden project, submitted by Okemos High School would resolve a storm water issue. However, it was denied after it was reviewed by an engineer that said the plan wouldn’t work.

Haslett Middle School submitted a $3,000 project proposal for an outdoor classroom and Montessori Radmoor submitted a $4,746 two-part proposal for a pathway and green house restoration.

“Rangers kicked in an extra thousand dollars, that leaves us with a balance of $3,254,” said Vadnais.

The commission approved the two project proposals and decided to reserve the balance for cost overruns with the potential for the remainder of the grant to be used for an additional project down the road.

“We did think it was probably helpful to have some money in reserve because either of the projects might, once they get into the more specifics, might actually need more additional funding,” said Environmental Commission Chair, John Sarver.

Members of the commission supported reserving the balance due to material prices rising from COVID-19 plant shutdowns and the current demand for project materials.

Moving forward, Vadnais will be the contact person for the Okemos project and LeRoy Harvey will be the contact person for Haslett.