Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents and Port Austin officials press Caseville to study Port Austin connection ("option #4")
Summary
During public comment at the March 23 Caseville council meeting, numerous residents and a Huron Regional Water Authority official urged the city to explore connecting to Port Austin's system through Kinde (referred to in the meeting as "option #4"); callers repeatedly said cost, capacity and buy-in details were not provided.
At the March 23 special meeting, a string of public commenters and a representative from the Huron Regional Water Authority urged the Caseville City Council to seriously evaluate a regional connection to Port Austin (identified in meeting remarks as "option #4"). Commenters repeatedly asked for cost, capacity and buy-in details that were not presented at the session.
Residents gave personal and technical reasons for considering the connection. Mark Wajer said Alternatives 1–3 appeared to be "band aids" and urged examining the Port Austin option. Joe Bulatow reported longstanding water-quality problems at his home, saying in the public record that "his water was like chocolate coming out of his water heater and he liked option #4." Several other residents asked similar cost questions, and meeting notes record that Port Austin officials asked the city to consider running a line to Kinde to tie into their system instead of the M-25 Alt 0 alignment, which the engineering materials described as exceeding $60 million. City Manager Jamie Learman cautioned that any purchase of raw water would also carry labor and operational costs beyond the per-gallon price.
The public-comment push for option #4 did not carry the day: the council voted to submit Alternative 2 to the DWSRF. Minutes record that attendees called for more data on cost, capacity, buy-in and equipment requirements before the council commits to a regional purchase or connection.
