Erie Township seeks $8 million of a $12 million sewer extension to connect schools and communities to municipal sewer

Representative Brooke told the committee Erie Township is seeking assistance for a roughly $12 million project to extend sewer from Bedford Township six miles to a district that includes Erie Public Schools and surrounding neighborhoods. Nut graf: Supporters said the extension would remove aging on-site sewage systems connected to the school and many homes, reduce septic overflows into Lake Erie and allow residential and industrial growth; proponents reported just over $4 million in committed funds and requested the remaining $8 million to move construction forward. Brooke said the project would serve 1,200 students plus staff at Erie Public Schools, replace a 60-year-old on-site plant at the school, and address leaching septic fields that contribute to algae bloom problems in Lake Erie. She said Bedford Township and several local partners have committed funds including county and ARPA money and that engineering funding has been partly funded by the Michigan infrastructure council. Committee members asked about timing and phases; Brooke said construction was expected to start this year with phased work (lift station plus multiple segments) and that ARPA match deadlines (spending by the end of 2026) make timely state assistance important. Ending: No formal committee action was recorded at the hearing; proponents said they expect to put pipe in the ground this year if additional funding is secured.