Approval does not fund the plan
By Joseph Goral
Staff Writer
jgoral@mihomepaper.com
LAKE ORION — The Lake Orion Village Council voted 6-0 to adopt its 2024-25 through 2029-30 capital improvement plan (CIP) during its meeting on Feb. 10. Council Member George Dandalides was absent.
The plan identifies $28,758,208 worth of capital needs for the village over the next six years to be funded from a variety of sources, according to the meeting’s agenda packet. Its approval does not fund the improvements.
“All this does is it outlines what we have identified as capital needs for the community,” Village Manager Darwin McClary said. “We’ve identified proposed funding sources for those projects, but it does not commit the village in any way to any of these projects.”
McClary added as village administration and the council work through the upcoming budget, they will look at the fiscal-year 2025-26’s proposed projects and available funding for the projects. Funds are only committed for the year’s projects once the budget is adopted, and if appropriations are incorporated into the next fiscal year’s budget. The village’s fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30, 2026
“This plan is one that is flexible, it will change over time,” McClary said.
Currently, a capital improvement program summary breaks down the nearly $29 million in needs by department or activity, and by funding source. Each department or activity section has a corresponding page detailing each item contributing to that department or activity’s total.
For example, the “manager” department total for the fiscal year 2024-25 is $2,500, while its total over the entire capital improvement program is $5,500. Its corresponding page lists a village manager desktop computer at $1,500 and a conference phone for the manager’s office at $1,000 for 2024-25, and a laptop for 2027-28 for $3,000 – hence the $5,500 total. The page also lists the funding source for these items as the general fund.
There are 17 other department or activities listed with costs – clerk, $1,500, finance/treasury, $6,000, general activities, $15,400, building/planning/zoning, $46,500, police, $578,396, public works, $346,500, parks & recreation, $238,000, DDA public infrastructure, $100,000, grounds/parking/structures, $221,500, major streets, $610,000, local streets, $2,700,000, sidewalks, $204,000, water, $8,763,980, sanitary sewer, $14,840,932, storm sewer, $25,000, and cemetery, $55,000.
Making up the local streets’ $2.7 million total is $100,000 for the Park Avenue retaining wall replacement project in 2024-25; PAMP treatment program “A” for $547,000 in 2025-26; PAMP treatment program “B” for 435,000 in 2026-27; PAMP treatment program “C” for 518,000 in 2027-28; and undetermined future projects for $550,000 in both 2028-29 and 2029-30.
Multiple items make up the water system’s total of $8,763,980. Water Main Replacement Phase three and four are estimated to cost $7.5 million in the CIP’s fourth year, $32,160 each year for the first three years for the water service line lead verification, $81,250 each year for the CIP’s lead service line replacement, $350,000 for water meter replacements in 2025-26, $30,000 in the first year for an automatic meter reading system, $100,000 for the water meter radio read tower in the third year, $30,000 each year for fire hydrant replacements, and $20,000 in the second year to cut and cap an old wellhead in the DPW’s cold barn.
Most of the sanitary sewer system CIP’s total of $14,840,932, are listed as taking place in the fiscal year 2024-25 and 2028-29.
Listed in 2024-25 are pump stations upgrade phase one and force mains, $3,498,010, sewer spot liners in 15 locations, for $46,000, sewer pressure tests in 12 locations for $16,000, sewer seal joints in 15 locations for $10,000, sewer tap repairs in one location for $1,000, heavy cleaning for $32,000, and manhole repair for $25,000.
The fiscal year 2028-29 will see sewer line pipe in 3 locations for $69,000 sewer spot liner in 21 locations for $51,000, sewer pressure tests in 29 locations for $46,000, sewer seal joints in 32 locations for $22,000, sewer tap repair in four locations for $6,000, and heavy cleaning pre and post CCTV for $84,000.
Pump stations upgrade phase two, $5,428,619, will take place in 2025-26 and phase three will take place in 2026-27 for $5,407,303.
To view each page of the CIP visit lakeorion.org, click “agendas, minutes and videos” and click “recent meetings.”