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By Kai Taylor, MCP Contributor and Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
SCOTTVILLE – In 2023, the opportunity arose for the City of Scottville to receive a grant from the State of Michigan to replace some of its aging water mains. Two years later, that opportunity is finally becoming a reality.
The city has been awarded $8.7 million from a Drinking Water State Revolving Grant (DWSRF) obtained from Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
City Manager Clarence Goodlein said the project is expected to begin in about two weeks with a projected completion date of September 2026.
Water mains to be replaced include those under portions of State Street (US 10), Elm Street, Crowley Street, Blain Street, Paul Street, Broadway Avenue, James Street, Columbia Avenue, Gay Street, Beryl Street, and Maple Street. Additionally, new mains that would complete loops are planned for East Second Street and East Fifth Street.
About 10 years ago, water mains were replaced on Main Street and several of the west-bound streets along Main Street.
The project was scaled back slightly due to construction bids coming in higher than anticipated and also due to the cost of upgrades that would have been necessary to some streets for a detour. As a result, the State Street project will only go east to Columbia Avenue rather than to Bean Road.
Goodlein said he was disappointed the project will not cover the repaving of an entire street, just the portions that are being torn apart. He said the city is not in a financial position to cover those costs. However, parts of the streets will get repaved. Additionally, State Street will be repaved, a project that will be overseen by the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Goodlein has experience in this field, supervising a $5.6 million waste water treatment plant in Flushing that finished up last year.
“We replaced what can best be described as agitators and septic tanks, as well as processing points with the plant,” Goodlein explained.
Like in any city, Scottville’s water mains have not escaped the wear and tear of time.
“You have to provide some sort of schedule to replace those pipes, because over time, those pipes will leak,” Goodlein said, adding that many of the city’s water lines are probably 100 years old or more.
The water main project. The only change is the project has been scaled back on State Steet, now ending at Columbia Avenue rather than Bean Road.
The environment and geography of Michigan does not help with this problem. Michigan’s erratic weather only adds to this challenge, as constant ground shifts caused by temperature changes can further damage the pipes.
The $8.7 state grant does not require any matching funds from the city, which may seem like a rare stroke of luck, but was actually considered in detail by the state of Michigan. The state of Michigan looks at multiple factors when deciding how much money to give and what percent the city has to pay back.
“The state will look at what the median income is in a community. They look at how much, how many miles of water may you have. I mean, there’s a number of different factors that go into that, you know that decision making process,” Goodlein said. Scottville qualified under all of this criteria, and emerged with an amazing outcome.
“Sometimes it’s a 50% match, sometimes it’s 30%, and sometimes it’s 20%. It depends on what type of grant it is, but the state in this case actually funded the entire amount. So they just said, ‘We’re going to give you $8 million, you don’t have to put up any money at all’”.
Still, the process itself won’t be without challenges. The construction itself will take awhile, and result in the temporary closure of a lot of roads in Scottville.
“That process does not happen very quickly,” Goodlein said.
“It’s a tedious and long process, and they tear up a lot of roads and streets.”
On top of the traffic and re-paving the roads, there is also the matter of locating the pipes themselves underground. While cities typically rely on blueprints or maps that show where the pipes are located, they’re not always accurate.
“You always have to remember that the documents may not indicate where the pipes really are,” Goodlein said. “They may have designed initially to put the pipes, let’s say, here, and then what they did was, they opened that area and there was a problem, and they couldn’t put the pipe there. So what they did was, they moved it six feet this way, or 10 feet this way”. This somewhat misleading information that the construction team is going off of could lead to numerous delays in the process.
As for the future of the town of Scottville, the improvements made on the water mains will set them up for years to come. The project will only focus on replacing the water lines in the most deteriorated condition, so the city will need to continue investing in repairs over time.
Goodlein said the city will need to work with an engineer and develop a local streets repair plan, setting aside funds each year. By doing so, the city will also qualify for more state grant opportunities.
“We have many streets that need to be completely rebuilt,” Goodlein said. “This includes not just the surface but also catch basins and storm sewers as well.
“I am recommending that the City Commission focus on the local streets that get a considerable amount of traffic and rebuild them first. The people who live on those streets have been waiting for years.”
“The city will have to earmark money from the proceeds and payments from individuals in the city for the replacement of those other water lines”, Goodlein said.
Editor’s Note: The City of Scottville purchases its water from the City of Ludington, which establishes rates. Fees pay for the purchased water and also pay off debt from previous infrastructure projects, mainly a sewer project that took place over 20 years ago, and are also used to pay for new construction. Water and sewer fees are placed into an enterprise fund, which is a self-supporting fund that does not utilize other tax dollars.
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