NILES CHARTER TOWNSHIP — Niles Charter Township Trustee Herschel Hoese’s sigh could be heard around the township’s meeting room at 320 Bell Road Monday evening as he voted “yes” to a budget amendment to finance repaving Adams Road from the state line to Ontario Road.

His sigh was not spurred by the repaving itself, but because the price tag for the contracted work came in more than $30,000 above the estimated price, prompting the trustees to move money from the fund balance to the general fund. The project will cost the county $108,140 in total.

The board approved the budget amendment unanimously, and each member appeared to agree the road needed to be repaved and leveled to avoid damage caused by potholes.

If the trustees did not approve the budget amendment, the repaving would have likely fallen through, and the township would have missed an opportunity to have their funds matched by Berrien County.

“I appreciate you guys’ work,” said Dennis Fields, a resident on Adams Road who said he represented his neighbors. “I know how difficult it is, and what you guys got to squeeze the juice out of.”

Other updates in the township were also approved.

Treasurer Jim Ringler was approved to use a $5,500 township trust fund to voluntarily clean up Beeson Mausoleum, located at 1503 Bond St. The fund is tied to the mausoleum.

Ringler said he expects to weed out its gutter, remove mold, power wash and, if necessary, coordinate masonry work. He said he expects the project to not exceed $1,500, as the mausoleum’s interior is in good shape.

“It needs help bad, or you’re going to lose it,” Hoese said before adding a “yes” to the unanimous vote.

A $1,290 bid by Welsh and Sons Electric, of Niles Charter Township, to install and remove electric-related objects was the next item approved.

The Niles-based company will remove old lights and install new lights at the township hall and around the pickleball courts behind it.

New circuit breakers will be installed at the parks building on Bond Street.

The board then approved the name of a new private road in the township, Dreher Drive. The street was previously approved by other government entities to be put in place.

Finally, Supervisor Jim Stover set a public hearing for special assessments for 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16, one hour before the regular board meeting.

Among the special assessments for discussion will likely be the repaving of Evergreen Road, a side street about 1,300 feet long.

Like the Adams Road construction, Evergreen Road’s repairs could be partially funded by the county if approved. The road may also need to be funded by residents of its six households.

Three Evergreen Road residents attended the meeting to find out what their bills might be. While the board must confirm what percentage of the costs the residents must bear, initial estimates placed them at about $4,000 per household over a 10-year period.

The residents in attendance said that cost was less than they expected, and they thought they could get the road’s households to agree to pay. For road repairs to be considered, residents representing 51 percent of Evergreen’s frontage must sign a petition.

Ringler said he did not like residents paying $4,000 for road repairs, but he noted that residents previously paid higher percentages of road costs. The township does not have a budget specifically set aside for roads.

Road funding issues were reiterated by Berrien County Commissioner Jim Curran, who represents the township and spoke to the board as a meeting guest. He talked about a 10-year asset management plan the township worked on.

“As we all know, there’s not enough money to go around, and the road department won’t do those roads unless you guys put money up,” he said. “That’s why when I saw there were no plans at all for the next two years, that’s when you guys [have to] sit down with the road department and plan that out.”

Comcast also provided an update at the meeting, but through a written document. It noted that “Nicktoons HD,” “Smithsonian Channel HD” and “TeenNick HD” would be included in the Xfinity TV service lineup for the township, while “Turner Classic Movies” would no longer be.