Updates on the ongoing Northport sewer project and plans to construct municipal sewer in Cedar were provided to the County Road Commission while meeting as the county Board of Public Works (BPW) Tuesday.

Village of Northport trustee Barbara VonVoigtlander, Leelanau Township Supervisor James Neve, and Northport administrative coordinator Greg King appeared before the BPW during its regular quarterly meeting in Leland.

VonVoigtlander spoke on three topics relating to the Northport/Leelanau Township sewer project: construction, legal issues, and “other” related issues.

She reported that construction is on schedule for all three contractors – DeVere Constriction for the wastewater treatment plant, Dunigan Bros. Inc., for the gravity lines, and InfraSource Underground Services, Inc., for the low-pressure system.

“There have been no significant problems to date,” VonVoigtlander said.

Legal issues are more complicating, however. A lawsuit filed by the Leelanau Forum, a Leelanau Township environmental group, that appealed the state issuance of a groundwater discharge permit for the system has been dismissed at the request of the petitioner, VonVoigtlander said.

Two Circuit Court cases — one seeking a court determination as to whether destruction of existing septic tanks is a “taking,” and another over environmental issues — are pending and scheduled to be heard in June. Fifty property owners have appealed the special assessment on their property to the state Tax Tribunal. Two have been withdrawn, with the remainder to be heard sometime next summer.

VonVoigtlander said the Northport/Leelanau Township Sewer Authority meets on a monthly basis and is currently focused on GIS (geographical information service) mapping of existing sewer lines.

“They (the authority) will be addressing standards and qualifications for contractors to perform the hook-ups in the near future,” she said.

Payments are coming in and Doug Coates of Gosling-Czubak Associates has been contracted to review them and other issues on behalf of the BPW.

The Leelanau Township Foundation’s deadline for applications for those in need of financial assistance for hook-up fees was Monday. More than 80 requests for applications have been picked up and about 40 had been completed and returned for consideration.

In other business, the BPW formally heard for the first time of plans for a municipal sewer system for the unincorporated village of Cedar. Solon Township has approved plans for a low-pressure system to serve 51 businesses and residences.

After state grants, the cost of the system is estimated at $650,000, which would be financed through the State Revolving Fund with the backing of the county BPW.

Brett Gourdie of Gourdie-Fraser was in attendance at the meeting, along with Solon Township Supervisor Ron (Carl) Williams, trustee Robert Dezelski, and township attorney Dave Bieganowski.

The cost to those within the special assessment district is estimated at $12,110. The cost per month for debt service and maintenance per REU (residential equivalent unit) is estimated at $92.

Gourdie provided a project timetable for the BPW that listed benchmark dates for funding through the SRF. Preliminary design on the project will begin Nov. 1, with a Dec. 31 deadline to apply for a groundwater discharge permit.

Final design plans are due to the Department of Environmental Quality by May 1, and on June 20 bid specifications will be announced.

The BPW isn’t scheduled to meet again until its first quarterly meeting of the new year in January.