Canton Township trustees approve HydroCorp contract extension, park facility upgrades and multiple equipment purchases

The Canton Township Board of Trustees on Jan. 28 approved a package of contracts and purchase orders that township officials said are intended to maintain water‑system safety, support operations and expand sustainability programs.

The board voted to extend a professional services contract with HydroCorp Incorporated for the township’s residential cross‑connection control inspections, awarded a $1,313,928.29 purchase order for improvements to the Heritage Park maintenance facility, approved multiple vehicle purchases for public safety and public works, and authorized spending to expand a food‑waste compost pilot and to accept a state out‑of‑school learning grant.

The approvals were taken by voice vote during the board’s general calendar. All motions listed below received a majority voice vote and were announced as passing.

The most consequential technical action was approval of a three‑year contract extension with HydroCorp to continue the residential cross‑connection control program, presented to the board as required by state regulators. "The program is inspection irrigation systems," Director Norwood explained when trustees asked about the program’s purpose. "So your irrigation system on your residential property has a backflow preventer on the outside of your home…these inspections will ensure that that's actually functioning," Norwood said, adding the inspections protect the municipal water supply from potential backflow.

Why it matters: township staff said the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) requires municipalities to operate effective cross‑connection control programs and to submit annual reports. Township officials told trustees only two companies statewide perform the residential inspection work and that HydroCorp already performs Canton’s commercial…