Mailed packets in district describe 'hook-up' process.

An update on the Northport sewer project and a report on the Leland Township sewer were given Tuesday to the county Board of Public Works (BPW).

"The (Northport) project is on schedule, within budget and with all the necessary easements in place," Leelanau Township Supervisor Jim Neve told the board.

The easements were among last items on a list of issues that needed to be resolved before the Northport/Leelanau Township sewer project goes on line as scheduled Aug. 18. (See story in Sec. 2, Pg. 3.)

Packets were mailed this week to those within the sewer district describing the “hook up” process, a list of approved contractors and the specifications that must be observed.

“We have enough contractors (available) to get the job done,” Neve said.

Homeowners within the sewer district have until November to connect to the system.

BPW members also received a written report on the project from Doug Coates of Gosling-Czubak, which was hired to oversee project construction. He wrote that the majority of pipe has been installed within the district and that work is continuing along South Shore Drive and M-22 south. Restoration and paving of roadways has been active and will continue through July. Start-up of the main pump station is expected within the next two weeks.

“Substantial completion is scheduled for July 31, with final acceptance by Aug. 15,” Coates’ written report stated.

Dunigan Brothers, the contractor for that portion of the project, requested a 30-day extension to complete work, but it was denied.

All pressure mains have been installed with the exception of an area near M-22, where plans were modified. Most of the current work effort involves installation of individual grinder pumps for service. Installation of a main line lift station is scheduled to begin next week.

“It is my impression that Fleis & Vandenbrink is dedicating significant time to observing the installation of the individual grinder pumps,” the report stated. “This concentrated effort is well placed, as this component of the system is often the most troublesome during system start-up.”

Construction is nearing completion on the wastewater treatment plant. All concrete structures, buildings, and site piping have been constructed, and the majority of mechanical process equipment has been installed. Equipment start-up and testing will take plan this month.

Infiltration trenches have been constructed, and engineers are proposing a “performance test” to confirm they function as designed. The old lagoons formerly used by the Leelanau Memorial Health Center have been abandoned and are being converted into the rapid infiltration basins.

“We should be treating waste as soon as Aug. 18,” Neve said.

In other business during the quarterly meeting, the BPW heard a verbal report from Leland Township Supervisor Harry Larkin on the status of the township utility debt service, which will be paid off in 2010. Larkin said township property owners are being surveyed to measure the demand for additional sewer service.

“If every home within the (sewer) district were built out, we’d be 85 REU (Residential Equivalent Units) short,” Larkin said. “There are no plans to expand the current district … People on east and south of (north) Lake Leelanau are asking about service.”

The sewer currently serves the core residential districts in Leland and Lake Leelanau, though waterfront properties are not included in the current sewer district.

As of May 23, Larkin said the township received approval from the state Department of Environmental Quality to increase its discharge of treated effluent from 25,400,000 gallons per year to 38,700,000.

“The survey is of all around … to determine interest,” he said.

Nicholas Lederle, who is challenging Larkin in the August Primary, provided the BPW with a historical report on the township sewer on behalf of Steve Mikowski, who had a schedule conflict.

“The proper procedure is a petition by the people — not initiated by the government itself,” Lederle said.