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Resident urges state action after blocked culvert near Brownstone Inn floods properties
Summary
A resident told the Alger County board that a culvert under M-28 by the Brownstone Inn is 'totally blocked,' causing flooding of homes, utilities and trails; he said MDOT approved a clean-out in December and urged the board to press for replacement with a larger pipe.
Andy Summer, a resident who said he lives just east of the Brownstone Inn on the south side of M-28, told the Alger County Board that a culvert under the highway is "totally blocked" and has caused repeated flooding of nearby properties, a cooperative power line and local snowmobile and ATV trails.
"The culvert down by the Brownstone Inn is totally blocked," Summer said, adding that he first contacted the Alger County Road Commission in August and that Road Commission member Bob Lindbeck later told him MDOT had approved a clean-out "when the water level has an impact on M-28 and when weather conditions allow." Summer told commissioners the pipe appears undersized — he estimated it at "36, the maybe 42 inches" — and asked the board to press MDOT to both clear the blockage and ultimately replace the culvert with a larger, easier-to-maintain structure. Summer also said residents previously paid about $1,000 each to dig out an older blockage.
Commissioners and the chair asked Summer to forward the chain of emails and other documentation to the road commission and the board so staff could follow up with MDOT and local road supervisors. No formal board action or funding commitment was taken; commissioners agreed to review the materials and pursue follow-up with the road commission and MDOT as appropriate.
