BY SCOTT SULLIVAN EDITOR
So little money, so many needs. Douglas City Council, not alone facing said situation, has prioritized a Main Street water main and Felkers water, road and sewer issues tops amongeight projects members have discussed addressing in its next year’s budget.
Felkers subdivision, south of West Center Street and east of Lakeshore Drive just inland from Lake Michigan, and the main on Main were identified at a Jan. 17 council workshop as having “1” ranking on a scale of 5, with low being most important, utility needs moving forward.
The city is weighing how to disburse a 2-year $140,779 American Rescue Plan “windfall” allotted it through Michigan’s Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund.
Council voted Jan. 17 to apply those funds to the revenue loss category and $1.5 million spent during this fiscal year for major road projects, in effect moving money from one pocket to another.
Doing so allows for a higher general fund balance that can be spent on future infrastructure projects not subject to ARPA grant restrictions on time and eligible uses. It also buys time for council to hear from constituents, assess neighborhoods’ willingness to participate in special assessment districts to share costs of their projects, and have engineers do research.
Felkers has multiple utility issues Douglas has begun to resolve with a new water main on Whittier and First streets. Neighbors complain that between the city and Allegan County Drain Commission, Lakeshore Drive property owners have been allowed to elevate new home constructions, adding to runoff problems inland.
Still needed in Felkers, per city engineers, are to continue water main extension at First and May Streets, a storm sewer and sanitary sewer extension, and to resurface streets.
The water main at Main, Washington and Gerber streets needs relocating into the public right-of-way, engineers continued. Otherwise Douglas faces liability concerns.
Areas given low- to mid- range ratings for infrastructure urgency needs were:
• Crest Street, where a home was built over a sanitary sewer force main that a home was built over, which engineers say may require a special assessment. The main will have to be moved at a cost estimated between $50,000 and $100,000.
• Fremont Street, at which Labarre Street has a water main break, with a 4-inch cast iron pipe and 2-inch line running down the road that every home feeds off. The main needs updating.
A 3 rating went to the Van Dragt Dam south of Wiley Road, for which no emergency plan is in place if it fails. Engineers believe the county drain commission should be involved, as three county drains flow into the dam area.
Given 5 ratings, perhaps least urgent but still concerning, were:
• Parkside Lane, which has a longstanding issue with the privately-owned lift station not built to standards. Its electric panel needs to be upgraded for continuity of service.
• Hidden Waters, which proposed to include a water system that ran to Enterprise Drive. Following Kalamazoo Lake Sewer & Water Authority review, it was determined this was not the case and there is no looping to the water, thus decreasing the water quality. The private road is owned by a third-party individual and is eroding. The work’s estimated cost is between $200,000 and $300,000.
• Water Street has had storm water improvements made, however more needs doing regarding outfall on South and Randolph streets, plus added curb and gutter to manage runoff and erosion control on its west side.
See your project on there. Now may be an opportune time to sound out neighbors’ support and communicate that to city staff.