A meeting on the new bridge in the south end of Depot Park ended on a good note last week.
Clarkston DPW Foreman Jason Miller and officials from Oakland County Soil Erosion Program met three local residents to ensure any concerns they had regarding bridge work were addressed.
Cory and Robin Johnston along with Tammie Heazlit attended the bridge meeting on Jan. 27. Joseph Gardner, soil erosion supervisor for Oakland County, also attended a Jan. 26 Clarkston City Council meeting to explain his position on the bridge. At the meeting, Gardner said city officials were very cooperative regarding the issue.
Gardner also said there were issues on the job with the permit, but all of those issues have been fixed.
He added the permit for the bridge was not issued on time and needed revisions, but he gave the city the go ahead to start the job.
The permit issued for the job contains generic language, which does not always indicate the way a project is handled.
‘It’s nearly impossible to write up every permit,” said Gardner.
Heazlit asked Gardner if her previous complaints regarding soil erosion into the river were valid. He answered “yes.”
Issues needing to be fixed at the work site included straightening a silt fence, laying straw waddles in the work area and adding riprap rocks.
‘We asked the city to fix the straw waddles, and they did so as quickly as possible,? said Gardner.
On Jan. 13, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality added a requirement not made on the original permit. The requirement called for riprap stone to be stacked in the work area.
Miller said he and another DPW employee worked for many hours in the cold water, stacking the stones.
Heazlit, an Independence Township resident, also spoke at the council meeting, saying changes were made after she filed a complaint with the MDEQ about soil erosion.
Miller, who offered the Johnstons and Heazlit an invitation to contact him anytime, said he tries to address concerns quickly.
‘I cannot always make everyone happy, and I don’t get into Facebook battles, so if you would like me to address a problem all you have to do is call and I will always get back to you as soon as I can,? he said.
Heazlit said the whole problem boils down to effective communication, something she does not feel she gets with City Manager Carol Eberhardt.
Gardner said he can also be contacted with concerns.
The Johnstons and Heazlit said throughout the issue, they always remained thankful of Bart and Diane Clark’s $80,000 donation for the bridge. The donation was made in honor of Bart’s brother, Jeff, who planned to move to Clarkston but passed away before he could make the move.