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Cities Dig Into Repairs Needed After Long Winter

Posted at 6:52 PM, Apr 28, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-28 20:30:55-04

WYOMING, Mich. (April 28, 2014)– City construction projects are popping up all over West Michigan.

Some residents in Wyoming just received notice of hundreds of restoration jobs that will soon be completed now that spring is here.

Homeowner Tom Bouma lives near one of those jobs.

“Had a few water main breaks to the houses lately and they`re finally getting around to it,” he said.

Bouma has lived on Thorndyke in Wyoming for 18 years.

City workers are digging into a number of water line projects and restoration in that neighborhood.

Bouma said, “They temporarily repaired it. Now they have finished it up.”

He said this fall there was a small water line break in the neighborhood.

“Nothing like the large one on Clay Avenue there and 44th street last year,” he said. “This cold winter did a lot of damage.”

The city of Wyoming began sending out notices to residents regarding of a number of “jobs” on their spring to-do list.

They’re alerting folks that workers will be restoring concrete, asphalt, topsoil and hydromulch in the places they had to excavate this winter.

It reads, ‘There are approximately 300 jobs the Public Works Department will have to restore… ”

Communications Specialist with the city of Wyoming, Erin Nemastil, said the 300 residents who received the notice had work done to water and sewer lines over the winter.

She said Wyoming is the only city in the area that repairs properties up to the resident’s house.

The Public Works Department said it saw more water main breaks than service line breaks during the winter.

A number of other communities have to-do lists as well.

“As bad of a winter as it was. We really had much less issues with pot holes this year than we did because of the water main breaks,” said Thad Beard, Otsego City Manager.

Here’s a snap shot of what’s happening in West Michigan.

In Allegan County, workers in Otsego are replacing pipe that burst during a water main break there.

At that time, workers made a temporary fix on the pipe, now they’re fixing it permanently.

In fact, the city just lifted its request to run water so pipes wouldn’t freeze.

“Just last week we began to request residents to stop running the water,” said Thad Beard, Otsego City Manager.

The repairs needed there this spring include; two water main and pipe projects, and 15 to 20 road projects, according to Mike Bosch, the Otsego Superintendent of Public Works.

“I think we have about two repairs left. But, we`ve got about 15 holes in the road that are pretty substantial,” said Beard. “Much greater than the typical pothole. We`re waiting on the asphalt company to come in and make those repairs yet this week.”

Dave Baker, the Superintendent of Public Works in Muskegon said their list includes three to five water and sewer projects.

In Grand Rapids, Jeff McCaw says they will be tackling; 180 water and sewer trench repairs, 12 to 15  road projects, and 50 street repairs due to tough winter.

Although spring is heralding in a lot of work, Bouma said it seems to be moving quickly.

“They`re very quick about it and I`m really surprised by that,” said Bouma.

The City of Wyoming says the goal is to complete the restoration projects as the weather allows.