Politics & Government
Unsightly Pump Station Fix Could Cost Fenton Nearly $100,000
Property owners are upset with aesthetics of the Briarwood sewer pump station.
A small pump station turned into big problem for one Fenton couple and the price tag to fix it could be near $100,000.
When workers were installing the improvements to a on Briarwood Street two years ago, Fenton resident Elizabeth Lum-Budry said she was told it would be a small structure and the family wouldn't notice it. But the structure turned out to be larger than many thought it would be and Lum-Budry felt it affected the property values and aesthetics of their home.
Fenton City Council has approved the expenditure of up to $90,099, to improve the look of the The cost estimate for the work in May was $52,000, said an Aug. 22 letter from the engineering firm for the project.
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Fenton officials asked the engineering firm of Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. (HRC) to develop a plan to place the lift station control panel underground and move the vent pipes to a better location, Public Works Director Daniel Czarnecki said in an Aug. 24 report to City Manager Lynn Markland. Although the amount for the project is more than expected, there's money in the sewer fund to cover it, Czarnecki said.
Michael Darga, from HRC, said the walls for the lift station control panel need to be 12 inches thick, instead of six as originally planned. It's due to the fact the structure is close to the edge of the road, he said. In addition, the structure's bottom needs to be lowered from what was originally planned. These issues make it a larger structure.
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Councilwoman Pat Lockwood asked about drawings to show what it will look like when it's finished. The issue the first time was, the lift station wasn't what people expected.
Councilman Ben Smith said he's very disappointed about how HRC went about it, and that the underground portion wasn't addressed the first time.
Electrex Industrial Services, of Harrison Township, submitted the low bid of $90,099, Darga said in his Aug. 22 letter to Czarnecki. The highest bid was $136,900. Council selected Electrex for the project, 5-0. Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl King and Councilman Les Bland were absent.
Landscaping will be addressed as the city moves forward with the project, Czarnecki said. Administration will see what is acceptable to the homeowners.
