COVER PHOTO: City Clerk Leanne Clausen has been recovering over the past several months and though she’s still in a wqheelchair, she says she’ll be back at work starting next week.
Now that the four-street resurfacing and paving project has been completed, city officials are turning some attention to a common necessity for all municipalities — removing lead from water pipes.
City Engineer Mickey Bittner of Wightman & Associates pointed out at Monday night’s City Council meeting that the Michigan Department of Environment., Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) requires lead removal from water pipes by the year 2040. He estimated the total cost at $2.4 million.
“That’s an expense for nearly every city and water system,” he said to council members.
Bittner said that right now 605 water services in the city have been identified for lead and galvanized pipes. It costs an average of $4,400 per residence to have the work done.
The engineer said that water services were provided for 57 homes during the street project on Elm, Mill, Park and Church streets in the northwest section of town.
He added that newer residential subdivisions don’t seem to need lead pipe removal, but the older structures, particularly those in the downtown business district have a high level of lead in pipes that will be removed and replaced by copper units.
Though the work on the four streets essentially is done, Brenner Construction, the contractor, still needs to finish cleanup at the mini-park at the corner of North Main and Dahlia streets, where dirt was hauled to make it available at a site close to the project.
Bittner said contract modifications resulted in the return of about $35,000.
He said city officials this week will meet with representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to explore options for funding to help pay with the long-term project. The city’s sewer treatment plant is plagued by plenty of rags and flushable wipes that aren’t flushable, clogging up the system. Bittner said the city will use a “rake and chain” method to eliminate the clogs.
In other business at Monday night’s meeting, the City Council:
- Approved the meeting schedule for the calendar year 2025. It will remain the first and third Mondays of each month, except for the Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day in October and Martin Luther King’s birthday in January. The moves from Labor Day and MLK Day will be to Tuesday, the move in October will be from Oct. 10 to 20.
- Elected Joe Kramer to another two-year term as mayor pro ten. Councilwoman Grace Sefranik moved to elect Councilman Steve Stepek, but he declined because Kramer is much more available during weekdays.
- Collectively signed a letter addressed to the State Legislature asking for restoration of state revenue sharing to local municipalites, Mayor Jeffifer Antel told her colleagues, “We haven’t gotten our full funding (from the state) for years now.”
• Recognized Councilman Abe Garcia for his two years of service on the Planning Commission and six years as a city councilman. He is stepping down this month, but has accepted an appointment to the Board of Review.
