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The Burnside Township Board approved the action at its meeting last Monday night.

Supervisor Lonnie Hayes said the deadline is June 1 for municipalities to apply for federal funding to fix bridges in the year 2011.

The township is looking at a total cost of $60,892 as its share for the three projects.

The three bridge projects include:

n Marsh Road over the Elm Creek Drain. Built in 1932, the span is 23 feet long and 28 feet wide and posted at 5 tons maximum. Noted the bridge will be inspected each year instead of every two years due to its condition. Estimated project cost is $608,600 with the township picking up $18,258 of the tab after allocations from federal aid and county bridge funding.

n Index Road over the South Branch of the Cass River Drain.

Built in 1965, the bridge is 51 feet long, 24 feet wide and posted at 20 tons maximum. Noted all of the I-beams show deterioration; four of the eight I-beams are corroded at bearing points; checks every year instead of every two years; and the span will likely be closed in five to eight years.

Estimated cost is $718,080 with Burnside Township paying $21,542.

n Gosline Road over the South Branch of the Cass River Drain.

Also built in 1965, the span too is 51 feet long and 24 feet wide and posted at 15 tons maximum. Noted the I-beams are failing and most likely will be closed in five to eight years. Estimated cost is $703,080 with the township paying $21,092.

To pay for the badly needed bridge repair, Hayes said one proposal would be for the township board to take $20,000 out of the road fund over the next three years for the over $60,000 bridge projects.

"That way we wouldn't have to come up with the money all at once," he said.

In other business, the board:

Decided to keep board members' salaries at the same rate for the coming year. The wages include Hayes at $8,040, Clerk Barb Stimson at $12,000, Treasurer Charlotte Babb at $9,600 plus per parcel for summer tax collection, and trustees Louis Martus and Larry Longworth at $1,680.

Approved hiring Construction Code Authority in Lapeer as the township's zoning administrator. The former zoning administrator, Bill Spencer, faced a conflict of interest since he also was sitting on the township planning commission.