The Pinckney Village Council is moving forward with some changes to a large sewer upgrade project.

Council held a special meeting Monday night, the bulk of which was spent discussing a sewer project that has been ongoing and is not yet completed due to unanticipated soil issues. The original completion date was December but that has been extended out to June. It’s said to be in a complicated area off South Howell Street at Mower Road with a lot of water on the existing site. Work includes upgrading and replacing some elements of the sewer system such as a pump house, dry well and wet well. New pumps are expected to last for the next 40 years. The project is being funded through a low cost federal loan.

Contractors and representatives from the Village’s engineering firm attended the meeting and presented two different options to address the soil issues – noting the property is located between two creeks and at low elevation. Council voted to move forward with the more costly option at $350,000 as it was deemed the most likely to actually work and address issues long term. Some had reservations as there is no 100% guarantee while others expressed a desire to just get the project done and over with.

Village President Linda Lavey says they need to salvage the project and get it done and chose to proceed with the option that has a better chance of working to overcome the soil problems. She tells WHMI things were going according to plan until they ran into silt instead of sand, which brings everything to a halt when trying to de-water the site. Lavey says they have a sound plan but it’s expensive and outside of the scope of the loan so Council will have to come up with additional funding for the changes. Lavey added they also had to construct a special screening building because flushable wipes are not actually flushable and municipalities all over are having problems so residents need to throw them in the trash. She says the screening system had to be included in the upgrade project at an additional cost just to deal with that issue and is a big part of why they’re doing the project and asks residents throw them in the trash.

Trustees Brian Matson and Shawn Tibus were absent Monday night. A change order will need to be drafted and approved, likely at the regular Council meeting next week. (JM)