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Resident urges county to pressure MDOT over blocked culvert near Brownstone Inn
Summary
Resident Andy Summer told the board the culvert under M-28 near the Brownstone Inn is "totally blocked," causes repeated flooding of nearby properties and trails, and urged commissioners to press MDOT to clean and replace the undersized pipe.
Andy Summer, a resident who lives east of the Brownstone Inn on the south side of M-28, told the Alger County Board of Commissioners during public comment that a culvert under M-28 is "totally blocked" and has caused flooding to nearby properties, a cooperative power line and ATV/snowmobile trails.
Summer said the pipe is undersized — "36, maybe 42 inches" — and that long-standing beaver activity and previous smaller repairs have not solved the underlying problem. He said he contacted the Alger County Road Commission in August and that county staff later sought MDOT approval; MDOT told the county it would authorize cleanout "when the water level has an impact on M-28 and when weather conditions allow," Summer said.
"What I'm asking the commissioners to do is to put pressure on MDOT to get the culvert cleaned out, and in the long run, replace it with a larger one that can easily be maintained," Summer said.
Commissioners acknowledged the concern and urged Summer to forward his emails to the board and road commission. A committee member suggested the board send communications to Road Commission staff and to Bob Lindbeck, who Summer said was the county contact. Commissioners noted a prior 2018 response when a backhoe was brought in but said that did not resolve the long-term sizing and maintenance issues raised by residents.
The commission did not adopt an immediate formal directive at the meeting but asked staff to collect the resident correspondence and to include the matter for follow-up with MDOT and the road commission in the coming weeks.
