Lincoln Township is going to help the village of Stevensville pay for a sidewalk project.

At a meeting Tuesday, the Lincoln Township Board of Trustees agreed to pay half of the grant match that the village will have to pay to install a sidewalk along Demorrow Road. Lincoln Township Supervisor Dick Stauffer told us that road is a border road between the village and the township.

“The sidewalk is technically in the village because Demorrow, although it’s a dividing line between the township and the village, the boundary line of the road is not the centerline of the road, it’s the eastern boundary of the road,” Stauffer saidl. “So the sidewalk has to be in the road right of way, and the road right of way is owned by the village.”

The village is seeking a $400,000 grant for the project, which would require a 20% match. Stauffer suggested to trustees the township pay half of that 20%, or about $40,000. He told us that’s only fair, given that township residents would benefit from the sidewalk.

The board of trustees voted to pay the 20% required by the village’s grant, although some members wanted to be sure it’s legal to pay for sidewalk work on a road owned by another municipality. Stauffer said the township attorney has found that it is.

The plan is to install a sidewalk along Demorrow from the Stevensville village limits to John Beers Road.