Committee advances dozens of contracts: DWSD stormwater, demolition, sidewalk and transit contracts set for formal approval

At its June 16 meeting, the Detroit City Council Public Health & Safety Standing Committee reviewed and advanced a broad slate of city contracts and procurement actions spanning emergency demolition, stormwater planning, sidewalk replacements and transit maintenance.

Chief items included a DWSD contract (contract 6007080) to provide stormwater infrastructure management services funded by CIP dollars. DWSD staff said the contract totals $18,000,000, covers work through May 31, 2030, and supports compliance with a state‑issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit; staff said the contract would focus work in the Upper Rouge tributary and near East Side neighborhoods and noted a separate resolution of necessity will be needed where property transfers or condemnations are required.

The committee approved emergency demolition item 7.1 and discussed contract 3083818 (6.2) related to emergency demolitions; OCP and contracting staff said the company has begun the tax‑clearance process but it was not complete, so the committee agreed to return 6.2 in three weeks before final payment. The committee agreed to bring 6.1 (request for rehabilitation outcomes data on dangerous buildings) back in one week.

Other approvals and actions included time extensions and amendments for ARPA‑funded projects (7.3 and 7.4), an extension and additional funds for environmental due‑diligence (corrected increase amount $17,500, total $819,572), approval of training and certification contracts for demolition field staff (7.5) and movement of sidewalk replacement contracts (7.6) to formal with a notation that OCP confirmed required bonds (a $2,800,000 bond was cited for a major contractor). The committee sent several contract groupings to new business with recommendations to approve after clerks and OCP submit correction letters where agenda titles or amounts differed from committee reports.

Transportation items advanced included remanufactured bus engine and transmission contracts, CDL and tow‑truck training for city drivers (7.16), and a $1,550,000 grant‑funded autonomous vehicle pilot contract with Perrone Robotics (7.19) to relaunch a free AV shuttle service that previously ran between Corktown, downtown and the East Jefferson riverfront; officials said they hope to have service operational shortly after the Fourth of July.

Committee members asked for additional documentation in several areas: corrected committee reports for contract numbers and amounts, lists of planned sidewalk replacement locations, vendor details for training and environmental monitoring, and the timeline and scope for the DWSD stormwater project; the resolution of necessity for property acquisition tied to stormwater work was said to be scheduled for a July committee. Several items were approved by voice vote or moved to formal session; the committee recessed for afternoon dangerous‑buildings hearings.