Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A sidewalk drainage improvement project has been approved in Genoa Township.

The Board of Trustees approved the project at its meeting last week.

The Township has been working to find a solution to a drainage issue involving the retaining wall and sidewalk located on the south side of Grand River, across from Champion Buick. A portion of the sidewalk in the area that experiences sedimentation caused by run-off generated at the top of the hill off of Scottwood Drive.

The township said of particular concern are two drainage outlets that discharge stormwater in concentrated locations at the top of the slope - causing erosion and sedimentation. The area is also difficult to access and requires significant manual labor to remove the material.

Supervisor Bill Rogers told WHMI there’s a small subdivision up above, with a straight hill that drains down to the walkway. He said a long time ago, it appears some homes had pipe put in to address flooding on their properties – which is now creating problems since the sidewalk was put in. Rogers said the run-off basically creates a “slip-n-slide” on the sidewalk, which isn’t good. At least every season, he said the have to go out and clean up all the mud and fund that work annually. Rogers said they want to address the issues and create a more permanent fix for the drainage issues.

The Township, engineers, the Livingston County Road Commission, and others have all been working to resolve the issue.

The plan from the township engineer involves the installation of catch basins and sumps to collect the water and then discharge it under the sidewalk using a drain on the Grand River side of the retaining wall.

The plan was reviewed and approved by the Road Commission. It has also started the process of making drainage improvements along Scottwood Drive to help improve drainage and reduce the impacts of run-off. A memo states the Road Commission also agreed to help ensure that future stormwater discharges to the top of the hill are not allowed.

The Board of Trustees approved a proposal from Cooper’s Turf Management for the drainage system improvements at a cost not to exceed $18,900. Although the costs for the repair were said to be considerable, staff noted it’s a permanent solution to eliminate the annual clean-up cost and reduce liability.

Dates for the work are to be determined. Rogers said if the weather holds and they get lucky, work could possibly be done this year or next spring.