MANCHESTER — Manchester Township is on its way back to normal.

Township Clerk Neal Gjersvik said road and road ditch repairs in conjunction with Federal Emergency Management Agency money have just been completed from storm damage in both 2013 and from this past June.

Gjersvik said when the gravel roads in the township flood, gravel, corn stakes from the fields and other debris wash out the roads and obstruct ditches. Water left standing on the roads can lead to potholes and obstructed ditches keeps water from draining and hinders the clearing off roads in the winter.

Thanks to tax money that the township receives from having wind turbines, they were also able to purchase and pay off a new motor grader. Gjersvik said a new grader is usually around $250,000, and that the township has been saving up for the last eight to 10 years to purchase one. Graders help form a crown on gravel roads in the summer so that excess water will drain into the ditches, and is then used to help clear snow off in the winter.

“It’s a machine that will really be used 365 days a year,” said Gjersvik.

He said during his time  with the township board, he has been directly involved with four or five small project awards from FEMA that help with repair and maintenance in the area. Gjersvik’s been on the board since 2000, when he started as a supervisor. He was also a chairman at different times, before becoming the township clerk in 2010.