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Escanaba council approves $43,400 contract to reestablish grounding on water service lines
Summary
The Escanaba City Council voted Dec. 19 to retain Master Electric of Escanaba for up to $43,400 to perform grounding and bonding work on water service lines after staff warned plastic service lines leave many homes without effective grounding and create safety and liability risks.
Escanaba’s City Council voted Dec. 19 to approve a contract, not to exceed $43,400, with Master Electric of Escanaba to perform grounding and bonding on water service lines.
Administration told the council that replacing old galvanized or copper services with plastic piping can eliminate an effective electrical ground and that the city must reestablish proper grounding where plastic service lines are present. “We don't want there to be any danger in these homes and certainly not being grounded does present a danger,” Administration said when explaining the request.
Jeff, a city staff member, told the council the city has identified about “46 to 47 plastic services” so far and has budgeted money to address up to 70 services during the coming construction season. On the requested $43,400 figure, members noted simple arithmetic that divided by 70 produced roughly $6,700 per service in that estimate, while staff explained the per-service cost varies widely between a partial meter jumper and a full grounding that requires a permit and access inside an electrical panel.
Council and staff discussed procurement constraints: the city solicited bids from all local electricians but “we only had 1 show up,” a council member said, and limited bidder interest was cited as a reason prices were higher than some expected. Council also considered but rejected the idea of paying homeowners a small sum to do work themselves under a waiver, saying privately done repairs could create future safety problems for subsequent owners.
Staff recounted a recent construction incident to underline urgency: while a ground was temporarily removed during a contract changeover, an electrical neutral fault energised a metal service and burned a gas line, creating a gas leak that city staff had to mitigate. Jeff said the episode showed the city could face liability if the grounding issue is not addressed.
A motion to approve the contract was moved and seconded; the roll call vote showed council members present voting yes and the motion passed.
The council’s action covers work already completed in some cases and funds work identified as unforeseen during grant-funded water projects; staff said the water department’s current fiscal-year budget will cover the award. The council thanked staff for the work and for elevating the issue to a statewide audience.
