An $8.5 million state grant will help extend and enhance sanitary sewer services in Erie Township and help ready the township for future industrial development. Sewer construction work is underway.
On July 28, the Michigan Strategic Fund awarded Erie Township a Michigan Ready Sites grant for sewer infrastructure work in the township, including at the LAC site, a 143.25-acre piece of property at Sterns Road and Dixie Highway in Erie and Bedford townships. The site is currently for sale for industrial development.
The Michigan Ready Sites program helps communities and developers prepare properties for future investment.
“The ($8.5 million) funding will be used to extend and enhance sanitary sewer service to the LAC site and multiple adjacent properties along the project corridor that currently lack sewer access, providing the final utility necessary to fully serve over 500 acres of potential industrial and commercial land north of Sterns Road,” according to a news release from Michigan Strategic Fund.
“The $8.5 million grant would be used primarily for design and construction costs of the section of the (sewer) extension from Sterns Road to the south side of downtown Erie, which will activate the industrial land. The future phases of the project, the sections serving downtown Erie up to Mason Eagle Drive (location of Mason Consolidated Schools), will be funded separately,” Michigan Strategic Fund said in the news release.
The total cost of the Erie sewer project is estimated at $20.76 million, Michigan Strategic Fund said.
Mike Grodi, Erie Township supervisor, said the Monroe County Board of Commissioners awarded $3.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the project in 2025.
“The remaining funding balance is still being sought. We have multiple avenues we are going down to seek funding for project completion,” Grodi told The Monroe News.
Tim Csurgo, chief deputy drain commissioner for the Monroe County Drain Commission, said sewer work started last year and is continuing.
Csurgo said the construction work is not greatly impacting drivers.
“It’s been pretty seamless. The roads have not been closed. (Drivers will see) construction equipment working on the side of the road,” Csurgo said.
Grodi spoke about project’s $8.5 million grant funding at the Aug. 4 Monroe County Board of Commissioners meeting.
“We were pleased last week to receive $8.5 million from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. to focus on the sewer expansion down South Dixie,” Grodi said. “I’m here to personally thank this board for allocation of $3.5 million of ARPA funding to that project. Without that funding, I don’t think we would have gotten consideration for this (state grant) money. I’m hoping to leverage this $8.5 million to ultimately get (sewer services) to Erie Mason High School, which has been the target of both Bedford Township and the Erie Township Board since we entered into our agreement two years ago. This is not just good for Erie Township, Bedford Township or Mason Schools, this is great for Monroe County and southeast Michigan. This will promote Monroe County, hopefully attract big businesses to come in, create jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity for our community.”
“That’s great news for the county, more economic development. Thank you for your hard work in that,” Commissioner Brian Lamour told Grodi at the meeting.Mike Bosanac, county administrator and chief financial officer, also spoke at the meeting about the grant.
“(With this $8.5 million), we could be approaching $40 million dollars of infrastructure investments in our county in select areas. While there may not be development tomorrow, we’re setting the stage for development in the years to come,” Bosanac said.
What’s the LAC site?
The site is listed for sale at $4,297,500, which is $30,000 an acre. The property is zoned industrial.
In 2022, the site underwent a comprehensive Tier 1 due diligence review through the Verified Industrial Properties program, including a detailed site condition analysis, comprehensive information on utility providers and capacity and a comprehensive report on site details.
In 2024, Monroe County Business Alliance received $82,310 in grant funding from Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s Strategic Site Readiness Program to help prepare the property for future development.
“The funds will be used for a range of reports and surveys to be conducted on the site,” Shawn Strube, vice president of economic development for the Monroe County Business Alliance, said in 2024. “The grant continues to improve the attractiveness of the site for potential businesses that may not choose Monroe County otherwise.”
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Additional funding received for Erie Twp.’s nearly $21M sewer project
Reporting by Suzanne Nolan Wisler, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
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By Suzanne Nolan Wisler, The Monroe News | USA TODAY Network
