Kalamazoo County secures $3.4M for ‘urgent' dam replacement
Sunset Lake Dam in Vicksburg was originally built in 1850. Since then, officials say the dam has 'deteriorated significantly,' with its concrete structures in poor condition and its main spillway unable to handle large amounts of rain, and it could pose a risk to those who live nearby.
'The current dam requires manual removal of wooden stoplogs to control lake levels before heavy rain, which is labor-intensive and poses safety risks for our staff,' said Drain Commissioner Jason Wiersma in a statement. 'Even with all stoplogs removed, the dam lacks the capacity to handle a 200-year flood, as mandated by state regulations. The combination of its outdated design and poor condition makes this replacement project urgent.'
EGLE announces grants for 5 West Michigan dam projects
To support the project, the Kalamazoo County Drain Commissioner's Office has secured $3.4 million in funding over the past few years: $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, which was allocated through the county, and an additional from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
The county intends to demolish the old spillway and build a new, modern spillway, updated channels and better safety features — a 'state-of-the-art system that prioritizes safety and reliability,' according to Wiersma. The safety features will help keep swimmers and boaters away from the spillway and protect pedestrians and cars from any hazards. According to officials, the project will cut the risk of dam failure and improve water level management.
Currently, the project is in the design and permitting phase. The county is working with Spicer Group, which specializes in dam engineering, to oversee inspections and construction.
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An Asheville respite supports the unhoused after hospital stays. It is now expanding.
ASHEVILLE - Trokon Guar was finally walking without a wheelchair. He'd come to Haywood Street Respite eight months earlier with a fractured leg. In July, the respite's screened-in porch dimmed the summer heat, an alcove tucked away from the near-constant activity of the downtown church. Guar demonstrated a few calf raises, grinning. He is a composer and musician. When it comes to genre, he's not picky — R&B, rock, jazz. But he favors spoken word hip hop. In a new music video on his YouTube channel, snippets of footage are filmed in Haywood Street Congregation's sanctuary, backlit by stained glass. The 12-bed respite offers post-acute, short-term care after hospitalization for people experiencing homelessness. The intervention is intended to give them a place to recover, rather than ending up directly back on the street. 'This place has changed my life," Guar, 34, told the Citizen Times July 17. He has been homeless for years. In-and-out of the hospital. If not for the respite, he said, "I had nowhere else to go." More: Homelessness after Helene: With final Buncombe disaster shelter closed, what's next? Respite expansion underway The respite is slated for expansion using funding from a $1.6 million grant, awarded by Buncombe County via American Rescue Plan Act dollars in September. The Continuum of Care recommended funding for the program after issuing a request for proposals last year to bolster area shelter beds. The project will grow the respite to 25 beds, more than doubling its capacity, adding a second-story addition to the building, along with an elevator and 3,300 square feet of new offices, bedrooms and common areas. Haywood Street Congregation, an urban ministry with the mission, "relationship, above all else," opened the respite in 2014. The brick church sits on the outskirts of downtown. It hosts a midweek Downtown Welcome Table, often a refuge for the city's unhoused. If the welcome table is the ministry's "hub," respite is its "heart," said Executive Director Laura Kirby. The city began processing its permit application July 1. Construction on the $1.9 million project is expected to begin construction in late September, Kirby said. It will take about 12 months. The respite will temporarily relocate residents to allow for uninterrupted operations. Respite Director Nicole Brown said the expansion will mean, first and foremost, turning less people away. Staff will also have more flexibility to keep people longer, leading to better outcomes for residents. A stay starts at two weeks, but lasts 45 days on average. Placements are made by referral, with many coming from Mission Hospital and the county's community paramedics. Those in respite care have a safe place to rest, meals, transportation to follow-up appointments and assistance accessing services and support. In 2022, the National Institute for Medical Respite Care selected Haywood Street's program, along with four others in the country, to receive capacity building assistance to increase the integration of medical respite with behavioral health care. There is a licensed clinical social worker on staff, as well as an in-house case manager, a peer support specialist, nurses and other 24/7 support. Asheville faces lack of affordable housing The goal is to create an exit plan for each person in respite care, like working toward long-term housing or connecting them with a behavioral health provider. It ensures people are added to the by-name list — a standard practice for an area Continuum of Care, with real-time information used to prioritize people to be slated for available housing programs dedicated to those exiting homelessness through coordinated entry. 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This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Downtown Asheville's Haywood Street Respite is expanding its beds Solve the daily Crossword
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Oakland Mall temporarily closes after suspected burst pipe causes flooding
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EGLE: Oakland County violating environmental laws with sewage overflows
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The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy on June 27 notified Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash that the county has "failed to correct the occurrence of sanitary sewer overflows" from its Dequindre Interceptor. EGLE, in its enforcement notice, cited two particular overflow incidents as violations: An April 3 event in which the Oakland County facility "discharged 1.18 million gallons of untreated or partially treated sewage." An Aug. 24, 2023, incident in which 2.2 million gallons of "untreated or partially treated sewage" were discharged. 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Macomb's Miller expresses vindication of longstanding concerns Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller has for years been very vocal on how Oakland County's inadequate sanitary sewer infrastructure and the resulting overflows have fouled Macomb County's waterways, including Lake St. Clair. She sounded a note of vindication with news of EGLE's latest enforcement action. "We are applauding EGLE for taking this punitive action against Oakland County for continued violations of state law prohibiting the discharge of raw sewage that threatens public health and the environment," Miller said. "What's crystal clear today is that the state is not satisfied with Oakland County's actions for years of repeated sanitary sewer overflows and is ratcheting up the pressure by forcing Oakland to take meaningful steps to prevent further illegal discharges — and rightfully so." Miller said EGLE's Water Resources Division for years failed to correct Oakland County's repeated discharges, but "obviously their plan to fix their serious problem of dumping on a neighboring county was rejected by the state, leading to this stepped-up enforcement action." Oakland's Nash: Miller 'playing politics' A statement issued Monday, July 14, from the Oakland County Water Commissioner's Office noted Nash has strongly advocated with EGLE that a regional solution must be pursued to alleviate the incidents that occur as a consequence of southeast Michigan's topography during increasingly frequent large rain events. "In fact, the Dequindre Interceptor is working as it should," Oakland County officials stated. "Without this regional approach, Oakland County, Macomb County and southeast Michigan will continue to be faced with the prospect of sewage overflows and basement backups due to extremely heavy rainfall." The office then turned its attention to Miller. "Macomb County's Public Works Commissioner is trying to create controversy where there is none — choosing to play politics and cast blame on Oakland County instead of working with the Great Lakes Water Authority on a regional solution that protects all communities in Southeast Michigan," they stated. "While it may now be politically convenient to Commissioner Miller's inflammatory approach, the fact remains that in December 2023, after the region experienced a particularly bad rain event in April, she co-signed a letter with Commissioner Nash to seek that regional solution with the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA). She has since turned her back on that, apparently, and would rather target Oakland County with inaccurate press releases to the media than come to the table and work on the regional solution she herself endorsed. That is not effective local government." Nash's office stated they will meet with EGLE officials over the enforcement notice later in July and will discuss "the issues with large rain events, the current system for handling them, and the urgent need for a regional solution that protects Southeast Michigan." Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: EGLE: Oakland County violating environmental laws with sewage overflows Solve the daily Crossword
