Scottville receives $8.7 million grant for water main replacements

Scottville receives $8.7 million grant for water main replacements

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

SCOTTVILLE — The City of Scottville will be receiving a nearly $8.7 million grant that will be used to replace several water mains. City Manager Jimmy Newkirk said the grant is being awarded through the State of Michigan Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds awarded to the State of Michigan.

The project plan was approved by the City Commission and submitted to Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) last May and calls for several water line replacements all over the city. The plan was drawn up by Fleis & Vanderbrink and includes replacement of nearly 12,850 feet of water main along with other improvements.

“Specifics are being worked out with engineering and design scheduled to be completed in early 2024 followed by construction in 2025,” Newkirk said.

Water mains to be replaced include those under portions of State Street, Elm Street, Crowley Street, Blain Street, Paul Street, Broadway Avenue, James Street, Columbia Avenue, Gay Street, Beryl Street, and Maple Street. Additionally, new mains that would complete loops are planned for East Second Street and East Fifth Street.

“The $8,696,400 applied for was fully funded and no match by the city is required,” Newkirk said.

“Scottville is one of only a few communities awarded a full 100% grant of this size this year,” said Mayor Marcy Spencer. “This project will be extensive but will greatly improve the infrastructure of our city.”

The use of ARPA funding is different than the traditional funding methods utilized for DWSRF projects, Newkirk said. “This one-time grant allows Scottville to take action more swiftly and avoid competition amongst contractors and communities that must follow longer, traditional DWSRF timelines. A portion of this grant will also fund work to locate and replace residential lines that fall under state requirements for lead and copper line testing.

“We put everything we could think of that would improve the quality and transmission of the water system into this project. This grant works out to be roughly $6,413 per resident in value. There is no way we could do work of this size without this grant. This is a huge win for us.”

The last large scale water main project in Scottville took place in 2016 when a new main was placed on Main Street along with branches along several side streets.

Editor’s Note: The City of Scottville purchases its water from the City of Ludington, which establishes rates. Fees pay for the purchased water and also pay off debt from previous infrastructure projects, mainly a sewer project that took place over 20 years ago, and are also used to pay for new construction. Water and sewer fees are placed into an enterprise fund, which is a self-supporting fund that does not utilize other tax dollars.