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Mount Clemens reviews $1.3–$1.4 million downtown sidewalk plan; owners face partial costs
Summary
At a work session, AEW staff presented a SEMCOG-funded assessment recommending replacement of defective downtown sidewalks with an estimated $1.3–$1.4 million construction cost (excludes engineering). Commissioners discussed phasing, owner cost-shares, tree/planter options, and a January decision timeline for summer construction.
At a Mount Clemens city commission work session, Ashley Carpenter of AEW presented a SEMCOG-funded inventory and cost estimate for replacing defective sidewalks in the downtown district, putting the construction-only price at about $1.3–$1.4 million and outlining design and phasing options.
The assessment team used a GIS app and video to log sidewalk defects by slab and tie each record to parcels, Carpenter said, producing quantity tables that underlie the cost estimates. Carpenter said the top-line figure is a construction-only estimate that excludes engineering and a contingency and that areas already highlighted as current or future projects were removed from the totals.
Why it matters: the proposed downtown program would shift some work and costs onto private property owners and the city, change downtown trees and aesthetics, and affect business operations during construction. AEW estimated the average property owner’s share at roughly $4,800–$5,000 using the city’s current slab pricing, with the city covering the remainder; the assessment used a program slab charge of $195 and a per-square-foot construction figure of about $21.
Carpenter described alternatives commissioners can choose from: the base scenario replaces brick with concrete and assumes removing existing trees (the base estimate assumes no trees are replanted); an option to install structural soil and a mix of planters to reintroduce greenery was priced at about $125,000; a decorative paver option that would retain or reuse pavers and edging was estimated at roughly $775,000 based on average bid unit prices.
On ownership and liability, Carpenter said, "You do have ownership. So if the tree roots are lifting that sidewalk slab, you do have ownership to fix that." Commissioners pressed staff on how downtown widths are treated in the program — AEW noted the city typically charges everyone the same baseline width and picks up costs over that standard — and on quality control if property owners pull permits and do their portion of work independently.
Timing and phasing: AEW recommended phasing options that split the downtown district into north and south (or more segments) so construction costs and business disruptions are spread over multiple years. Carpenter said resident notices typically go out in January and that, to start construction next summer, the commission would need to make program decisions by January to allow permitting and contractor scheduling. She estimated full downtown construction done at once would take about five months of staged work.
What's next: commissioners asked for additional work sessions to review trees, planters, paver locations, cost allocations by parcel, and inspection rules for owner-installed work before making a formal decision. No binding action or final funding decision was taken during the session.
