Construction moves along with water and sewer system upgrades

by Angie Asam, Staff Writer

Construction crews have been busy in Rogers City as $3,771,000 in sewer and $3,098,000 in water system improvements have began. McArthur Construction began clearing right of way off Cedar Street to Evergreen, west of U.S.-23 last week, cleared the area and prepared the site of the new water tower to be constructed this fall and actually began assembling some piping to go in the ground. After encountering water problems, a lot of standing water on Cedar Street crews jumped over to Park Drive to work on clearing the site for the new water storage tank while they waited for parts needed to continue work on the Evergreen right of way. The first step for crews is to get the work done in that right of way before constructing a new lift station at that intersection and tearing up all of Cedar Street to complete the improvements up there.

Once crews finish Cedar Street it will be repaved and they will move to work on Evergreen, Tamarack, Balsam and Spruce Streets. The reason Cedar Street was chosen as the first area was because it is the deepest sewer line to account for the heavy truck traffic and because the road was in the worst repair. In getting the project done and repaved before the winter hits, the city plows will no longer get damaged by the cracking and crumbling asphalt along the roadway and as the road will be widened along with the project trucks will have a better route up there. The water problem was not a big shock to crews, as they knew from the soil borings done in that area that they were going to encounter water, bad soil and a lot of clay. McArthur was responsible for clearing the site for the new 400,000-gallon water storage tank as well as placing a new main along the ditch between South Seventh and South Sixth Streets. Accordin

g to city manager Mark Slown most of that work was completed.

The tank will replace the 83-year-old $150,000 tank that exists on Doris Lane. The new tank is needed because it is suggested that enough water be stored in the tank to make it through one day of usage should a problem arise. The new tank will be 10 feet taller than the existing one and will increase water pressure and fire flow. Chicago Bridge and Iron will be responsible for the foundation and construction of the new tower, work that Slown believes will be completed this fall, all except for the painting which may need to wait until spring.

MERIDIAN CONSTRUCTION of Alpena has been busy working at the wastewater treatment plant as well as they have had to construct decks over inside storage tanks to do repairs and improvements to the inside of the facility as well as doing some work on the exterior of the building. Slown feels that all of the projects are moving along well and crews have been busy trying to get some work in before the weather turns.

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