VBT board approves $46,300 to fix water leak over Edison Rd. bridge

A small leak in a 16” water line over the deteriorating Edison Road bridge was found last August and Van Buren Township got four bids for its repair.
At the Feb. 6 meeting of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees, a contract for $46,300 with recognized low-bidder Ongrade Contracting was approved to repair the water main and to install a valve, paid for from the Sewer Fund.
Kevin Lawrence, director of Water and Sewer, said the valve would be used so not as many people will be put out of service while they make the repair.
He said the water main runs from Hannan Road to Haggerty, serving residences and going behind a business and over the old Edison Road bridge.
Director Lawrence said in the past there have been several repairs made to the cast iron water main on the bridge and the installation of the 16-inch valve would isolate the area with minimum service disruption with future repairs.
Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara said there also is a gas line on the deteriorating bridge and the township should talk to DTE about the gas line and Director Lawrence said he would do so.
“Someday, we’ll have to deal with the bridge,” Supervisor McNamara said.
He said the bridge is very old and he has seen a picture of Model A’s driving over that bridge. It has been out of service for traffic for many years, following the construction of the nearby bridge over the Huron River on Huron River Drive.
In other business at the 47-minute meeting, the board:
• Heard a report from Downtown Development Authority Merrie Coburn on DDA projects and funding pursuits. She said they are looking at a 2025 construction season for the widening of Belleville Road;
• Approved special land use for Kimberly Younglas to change an existing Day Care, Family Home to a Day Care, Group Home at Busy Bee Home Daycare, 13657 Country Walk Blvd. Treasurer Sharry Budd, who is board liaison to the planning commission which recommended the approval, said day cares are an important need in the state and the township welcomes her expansion to take care of more children;
• Approved Fishbeck Associates to provide a Wastewater Master Plan Study for Van Buren Township’s sanitary system in the amount of $198,500 to be paid from the Sewer Fund. Director Lawrence said among other things they will track township sewage going into the city of Belleville. Fishbeck said this will be a seven-month study starting April 1. It will use 17 temporary flow meters plus rain gauges to see how much rain gets into the system. The township already has a five-year study, but is not detailed enough. McNamara said there is land in the north part of the township that needs sewer service to be developed for large manufacturers and the township has to see how much sewage it can accept and which one of the four sewer services serving the township can accept the flow. A draft of the study will be to the township by May of next year;
• Approved the budget amendments to increase the Director of Recreation pay to $75,000 and the Recreation Programmer to $68,841 as discussed in last fall’s budget hearing;
• Approved the supervisor’s reappointments of Delores Hogan, Helen Wylie, Mary Korgal, Patricia Sobecki, and Patricia Tumas to the Senior Endowment Committee with terms to expire Feb. 6, 2026;
• Approved the Stormwater Maintenance Agreement with DTE Electric at 42061 Ecorse Rd.;
• Approved the renewal of the Daniel Consulting Agreement for two years at a cost of $4,000 per month for lobbying the State of Michigan on behalf of the township for grant-funding opportunities, being available for strategy sessions, working with the township on other governmental issues, and other matters. The core team consists of David Katz, Jill Alper, and Allaire Swart ;
• Approved the 2023 Blight Control and Demolition Management Program Activities as performed by the township’s planning consultant at the direction of the VFT Planning and Economic Development Department. The report included four demolitons, 14 rehabilitated structures, and 28 active projects, including the upcoming demolition of the blighted motel at 11605 Haggerty Rd.;
• Approved the Senior Endowment Committee Bylaws, updating the meeting schedule and updating the title of Senior Director to Senior Programmer, as determined in the Jan. 9 Senior Endowment Committee meeting; and
• Heard Clerk Leon Wright explain the Feb. 27 election starts Feb. 17 under the new Early Voting law. He said this is different than Absentee Voting, which is still in place. He said with Early Voting the voter can come into the township hall and vote on a voting machine. This is accepted as a final vote. It can’t be changed like the Absentee Voting procedure where if you make a mistake you can cancel the vote and get a new ballot and vote again, he said.