By Joseph Goral
Staff Writer
jgoral@mihomepaper.com
 LAKE ORION — The Lake Orion Village Council voted to spend more than $76,000 to replace the Park Avenue retaining wall during its meeting on Aug. 26.
Some homeowners in the area will also pay nearly $7,000 each to fix the roadway and install a guardrail.
“As council is aware, the retaining wall at the end of Park Avenue is failing and is in urgent need of replacement. The wall failure is causing roadway damage,” said Village Manager Darwin McClary.
The council approved a budget amendment, the bid scope of work as prepared by the village engineer, a cost-sharing agreement between the village and impacted property owners, and awarded the contract for the construction of the project to JB Contractors Inc.
According to village documents, the retaining wall at the end of Park Avenue is failing and causing roadway damage. The wall will be removed and replaced on the village’s right-of-way at the end of Park Avenue and at part of the home on the east side of the avenue. Part of the avenue will also be repaired and a guardrail will be installed.
According to the cost-sharing agreement, the village will pay the entire cost of the retaining wall replacement and for any change orders approved by village council “in excess of the contractual base bid amount.” The village will pay $56,301.01, and village administration is including contingencies and construction engineering observation totaling $17,143.30.
Property owners on the street will pay the entire roadway repair and guardrail installation cost. That means $6,807.33 from each owner for a total of $20,421.99.
The council also awarded the $76,722 construction contract to JB Contractors Inc. of Detroit, on the conditions that the cost-sharing agreement is fully executed by all involved, that the village receives payment from affected property owners, and that all required temporary construction easement agreements are received by the village from the three property owners affected by the wall failure.
“We have received payment. All of the property owners have executed the agreement. I will execute (it), and the clerk will execute the agreements tomorrow,” McClary said.
McClary said the only remaining condition would be obtaining temporary construction easements to complete the work.
“I would just like to thank the residents,” council member Ken Van Portfliet said. “I know it’s been a long time, and thank you for your work and moving your cars while this is happening.”
Council member Michael Lamb mentioned that the current retaining wall project was necessary because of a situation created by the residents’ predecessors. Lamb said all of properties in similar situations will be identified and “try to cut this stuff off before it gets to the point where the citizens are going to suffer like this.”