Benton Township will seek a state grant to help pay for a $900,000 sewer project along Crystal Avenue.
At its regular meeting on Tuesday, the Benton Township Board of Trustees heard from Steve Oosting of engineering firm Prein and Newhof about a state grant opportunity that the township fits. He said the Michigan Water-Related Infrastructure Program is taking applications for projects that could protect public health in communities with low to moderate incomes. The proposal is to seek a grant for the reconstruction of about 1,000 feet of the sewer line along Crystal Avenue from Empire to the south.
“This is a stretch where they have routinely, they are routinely jetting this sewer to clean it because of its propensity to clog,” Oosting said. “If that sewer would clog with a lift station which pumps into it, wastewater could back up into houses. So there’s the fit with the grant criteria. Such an occurrence would be a public health concern.”
Oosting said because this is a competitive grant, the township would be well advised to offer a local match, although it doesn’t have to. The larger the match, the more points the township would get under the state’s scoring system. The maximum township match would be $225,000.
Trustees voted to have Prein and Newhof prepare the grant application. They’ll decide on the township’s match offer later.
A public hearing will have to be held before the application can be sent to the state. That would likely be at the next township board meeting.
