Oakland County committee advances financing for sewer and water upgrades in Evergreen Farmington and Pontiac

The Oakland County Economic Development & Infrastructure Committee voted to advance financing for two infrastructure projects: a full faith-and-credit pledge for improvements to the Evergreen Farmington sanitary drain drainage district and a notice of intent to issue bonds to fund a water-main replacement project in the city of Pontiac.

The Evergreen Farmington item, presented by Van Lewis, assistant chief engineer at the Water Resource Commissioner’s Office, asks the county to pledge its full faith and credit so the project may proceed under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). Lewis described five work locations across the drainage district, including Melrose, the Gleewa meter site, a siphon, Leelhie improvements and Walled Lake Pump Station No. 1. The committee approved the motion, moved by Commissioner Miller and supported by Commissioner Taylor; the tally recorded was six yes, zero no. The motion authorizes bonding to allow construction and SRF financing to proceed.

Eric McLaughlin of Dickinson Wright and Laura Bassett, bond counsel to the water resources commissioner, were present for legal and bond‑counsel details. Steven from MSCI, the committee’s financial adviser, told commissioners the SRF financing is a 20‑year issue at roughly a 2.5% subsidized rate through the state program. He said this SRF loan does not include principal forgiveness for this project.

The Pontiac water‑main project was presented as a notice of intent to issue bonds for a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) loan. The project would replace about 15,700 feet of eight‑inch main and roughly 508 water services primarily north of the city between Cesar Chavez and Saginaw Street; project staff noted that known lead service lines encountered during construction will be replaced and that unknowns could increase counts. Eric McLaughlin and project staff said the work has not yet been bid and will go through the county’s procurement process. The committee voted to recommend forwarding the notice of intent; the tally recorded was seven yes, zero no.

Nut graf: The actions advance two county requests for low‑cost state revolving fund financing to repair aging water and sewer infrastructure, a priority for limiting sanitary sewer overflows and replacing old water mains — including lead service lines — in Pontiac and portions of Farmington Hills, Southfield, Bloomfield Township and West Bloomfield.

Committee members asked about contractor procurement, assessment impacts on local communities, timing and whether the loans include forgiveness. Lewis and the financial adviser said the Evergreen Farmington project is intended to satisfy an administrative consent order and reduce sanitary sewer overflows; they said the SRF loan is a low‑interest loan with no forgiveness for this particular award. Project staff said assessments are targeted to the drainage district and that communities have been informed through the drainage district process.

The committee recorded formal approvals to move both financing steps forward but did not finalize contracts or contractor selections at the meeting. Next steps include county procurement for construction contractors, completion of design and appraisal work, and closing of SRF financing according to the state program timeline.