Orion Township engineers from Orchard Hiltz & McCliment, Inc. (OHM) will begin looking into a possible water storage facility after the board gave the go-ahead to proceed with part of the project last week.
OHM is to complete a ‘storage and pump station analysis? at a cost not to exceed $20,000, with funding to come from the Water & Sewer Capital Improvement Fund.
A report from OHM indicated that a seven-part ‘Basis of Design? proposal would cost around $75,000. The board voted unanimously to proceed with just part one of that proposal.
The motion, put forth by Trustee Matt Gibb, also called for the scheduling of a workshop with the Oakland County Drain Commissioner’s office to discuss the issue in more detail.
Trustees John Garlicki and Neal Porter both suggested such contact with Drain Commissioner John McCullogh.
‘This needs to be coordinated with the county and it needs to be coordinated with Detroit,? said Porter, noting he was against the project otherwise.
Vyto Kaunelis, of OHM, agreed that such a meeting might be beneficial for both sides. Kaunelis gave a brief presentation prior to a public hearing that was held during the meeting.
The water storage facility would allow the township to pump water during non-peak hours (when rates are lower) and then supply it to their customers without paying the Detroit Water & Sewer Department’s peak-hour rates.
Trustee candidate JoAnn Van Tassel and supervisor candidate Daniel Myslakowski both read prepared remarks during a public hearing.
‘This is a win-win project, which will not increase anyone’s taxes, as it will be funded with monies already in our Orion Water and Sewer fund with an estimated ROI of five years,? said Myslakowski in a written statement, adding that the facility should be a top priority.
Van Tassel said she was not opposed to the idea of a storage facility, but said their are many questions that need to be answered and investigated first. She presented a list of these questions to the board.
‘Before any action is taken, I highly recommend that the township board members visit other communities that have ground water storage facilities and discuss with their DPW personnel their experience and problems, if any, with ground storage and what to look out for,? she said in a written statement.
That thought was shared by Gibb before making his motion.
‘It’s basically spending $75,000 to decide what we want to do,? he said. ‘I think there are a lot of questions that need answering first.?
The issue was brought forth in April by township DPW Director Bill Ireland, who noted that the township’s current fixed rate expired in 2010, meaning there could be the need for urgency.
‘It’s been one of my goals to ease that impact to our customers,? he said of the expiring rate.
Other recent decisions by DWSD to expand, and potentially move, northward would have no effect on Orion’s rates, according to Kaunelis.