The Northport/Leelanau Township Utilities Authority will work with a Traverse City-based firm to negotiate a contract to operate its sewer system.

DRY, WARMER weather this week presented
perfect conditions to resume work on
construction of the sewer in Northport.
The excavation work pictured was taking
place on Nagonaba Street Monday
afternoon.

The authority, during a special meeting Tuesday night, agreed to negotiate a contract with CH2M Hill/OMI.

“We expect to hold a special meeting Friday morning to talk about those areas we want to cover in negotiations,”

said Village Trustee Barbara VonVoitlander, a member of the utility authority.

OMI, which is the contracted operator of the Leland Township and Village of Suttons Bay sewer systems, submitted the highest of three bids considered by both the utility authority and the Board of Public Works earlier this week.

The BPW took no action on the bids, but agreed that any of the parties submitting bids were considered up to the task.

OMI submitted a bid of $170,000 for one year of operations. Wade-Trim bid $124,000 and Gourdie-Fraser's was $80,000.

Early next week, VonVoitlander said that representatives of the authority and OMI are expected to meet to work toward an agreement.

No mention was made at Monday’s special meeting of workers picketing at the entrance of the sewer treatment facility, which is now under construction.

VonVoitlander said there was no work stoppage at the construction site where carpenters for DeVere Construction of Alpena were picketing.

“They have some unhappiness with DeVere, but it hasn’t impacted our project,” VonVoitlander said.