Notes lots of emergency issues that need fixing
By Barb Pert Templeton
The construction for the Safe Drinking Water Project in Marine City has been presenting lots of issues for both residents and workers.
While dirt, dust and the water pressure are annoying residents, DPW employes are finding many additional, unexpected repairs have to be done in order to proceed.
Keeping that in mind the city commission voted to give City Manager Michael Reaves the authority to hire contractors to fix the emergency needs that have been popping up and return to the commission with the costs at their next meeting on May 15.
At the May 1 meeting Reaves gave the commission an update on the Watermain Construction & SAW (Stormwater, Asset Management and Wastewater) Project-Phase I including getting estimates to repair damaged goods.
Construction wise the city is several months into Phase One and they’ve gotten through a lot of the water main installation pieces and the tie-ins, Reaves said.
“We are running into daily issues in terms of striking sanitary pipes, storm sewers, destroying water tie-ins, finding piping that’s not on the plans but digging and finding something there,” Reaves said. “It’s kind of typical when you have a city with an aging infrastructure and some of that stuff wasn’t written down or were changed on the fly.”
He said leaking valves and leaking fire hydrants can be seen throughout the city and he’s informed the commission about the problems they’re having with the valves and the ability to control the water flow. Reaves said when cutting into the valves they work to keep the water pressure steady and at times that can mean going blocks to find the right valve to turn down the water in order to cut into the pipes.
Construction for the Safe Drinking Water Project began in the city in January.
They’re also using open fire hydrants, keeping water running which is another method to throttle down the water pressure to cut into the pipes. In addition, emergency valves will be placed in various places throughout the city that weren’t part of the original project but to keep peace with the project it has to be done, Reaves said.
“The poor roadways are continuing, I know you received complaints from your constituents and we receive them daily,” Reaves said, noting that part of the project requires that the roads be grated and potholes on the roads be filled and repaired so it has to be done.
Next steps in the process
Right now, Reaves has been gathering quotes in order to have contractors hired to fix things they’ve found along the way. Some issues include collapsed sewer lines and storm manholes that have been washed away or caved in during excavation of the areas.
The contractor has deadlines for the work per the original contract and trying to stretch the schedule to get all the repairs done in order to meet the contract deadline is becoming a challenge.
Reaves said the city will not have enough time to wait until the next regular commission meeting to approve contracts.
“The point I’m at is that I’m going to have some quotes coming in that we’re going to need an immediate turnaround – approval, adjustment or denial – and some action taken in order to facilitate getting the repairs needed so that they can pave, they are ready to pave certain sections of the streets right now,” Reaves said.
“I apologize to you but there’s no easy way to do this, I’m doing this on the fly as I try to keep the project moving forward. We knew it would be messy, it’s still a little messy, but that’s the only way I know to keep it going and also take care of the associated problems.”
Marine City Manager Michael Reaves
There’s also additional SAW work at the north end of the city that must be addressed along with a subdivision off of West Road. He said they are running into manpower issues with the DPW.
Reaves said the city’s only choice is to use Michigan Pipe to bore into those pipes and they only have 50% visibility and the standard is 80%. In addition, some of the piping is extremely deep and way beyond the city’s capabilities.
“Some of these are 18 feet down and we don’t have the equipment nor are our people trained to go into spaces like that,” Reaves said.
“I apologize to you but there’s no easy way to do this, I’m doing this on the fly as I try to keep the project moving forward,” Reaves continued. “We knew it would be messy, it’s still a little messy, but it’s the only way I know to keep it going and also take care of the associated problems.”
City Attorney Robert Davis recommended the commission authorize Reaves to make the contractor decisions and then bring those amounts back to the next commission meeting so everyone knows what’s being spent.
Commissioners comment on issue
During commissioner privilege several commissioners commented on the project.
Commissioner Sean O’Brien said the water project is going to be a long and grueling project and the city is in it with the community.
“If you see our workers out there be kind and patient with them, they are doing a very hard job,” O’Brien said. “And if you are experiencing issues related to this project, big or small, please call the city, we are here to help you out.”
“I just want to thank the DPW workers for all the hard work in the mess out there,” Commissioner Rita Roehrig said.
Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Hendrick said she wanted to thank them too and she’s seen some of the frustration first hand.
“Those guys are doing everything they can with this and it’s hard,” Hendrick said, noting that she’s got the dirt and the dust right in front of her home too and it is a difficult process to go through. “You just have to be patient they’ll eventually get it done and we’ll have a nice clean paved street. The end result is going to be good and it’s just difficult going through the process.”
Regular updates on the water project are presented on the city’s website at marinecity.gov.
