Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Drainage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges MDOT to clear, replace blocked culvert near Brownstone Inn
Summary
Resident Andy Summer told the Alger County board the culvert under M‑28 by the Brownstone Inn is blocked, flooding nearby properties and trails; he asked the board to press MDOT to clean the pipe and ultimately replace it with a larger, more maintainable culvert.
Chair opened the public hearing on the budgets and invited public comment. Resident Andy Summer said a culvert under M‑28 near the Brownstone Inn is completely blocked and causes repeated flooding to private property, the Alger Delta co‑op power line and nearby trails.
"The culvert has long been a problem with the surrounding property," Summer said, adding that "it's undersized for the amount of snow, melt, and rain that we've been having since 2017." He told commissioners he first contacted the Alger County Road Commission in August, that Road Commission staff had visited, and that on Dec. 1 the Road Commission's Bob Lindbeck said he would seek MDOT authorization. On Dec. 8, Summer said, Lindbeck told him MDOT approved a cleanout "when the water level has an impact on M‑28 and when weather conditions allow."
Summer urged the board to pressure MDOT to complete the cleanout and to plan replacement with a larger pipe that can be maintained. He estimated the existing pipe is "36, the maybe 42 inches" and said residents previously each paid roughly $1,000 when emergency work was required.
Board members asked whether Summer had contacted township supervisors and higher MDOT staff in Escanaba; the chair said he would forward Summer's emails to Road Commission leadership and the board for follow-up. The board did not commit to a specific mitigation timeline during the meeting.
