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Quality of Life Project of the Year Award - June 9, 2011 |
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On June 9, 2011, the Lakes Area Sewer Authority along with the Cass County Board of Public Works and Wightman & Associates received the Michigan State Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers during their annual meeting at the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Accepting the award for LASA was Chairman, Gerald Melko, Robert Wagel, Chairman, CCBPW accepted for Cass County and Project Engineer, Alan Smaka represented Wightman & Assoc.
This award is to recognize a project for the improvement of the quality of life that has demonstrated through the design, coordination, and execution of the construction, the highest level of engineering skill. The project must meet the following guidelines:
- The project must be completed and put into service
- Emphasis is on small community or private projects
- The project should demonstrate use of sustainable site design concepts with resultant positive impact on the environment and natural resources.
- The project should contribute to the well being of the people and community.
Earlier in the year the LASA project had received the Quality of Life Award from the Southwest Chapter of the ASCE witch qualified it for entry into the statewide competition.
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LAKES AREA SEWER AUTHORITY(LASA) UPDATE - June 1, 2011 |
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Dear Residents,
We are happy to announce that the sewer project is nearing completion and we are very pleased with the turn out. Thank you all for your cooperation and support. We look forward to continuing to serve you with the best service possible. To help the billing process run smooth we are asking you to verify the information on your billing statement to make sure it is correct. (Billing address, spelling of name, service address, contact person, phone number, ect.) Enclosed, you will find an information form. Please fill out the form completely and mail it back by June 13th, 2011 to avoid any future problems. We are also at the point of converting to quarterly billing to help keep the rates as low as we can. Quarterly billing will begin July 1st, 2011. We will be replacing the yellow post card with a full page invoice with a tear off portion that will include your name, account number and address. Please return that portion with your payment. Those of you who use the bill pay thru your bank please verify that the account number is correct (We have received many payments without the correct information.) & mail to LASA PO Box 902 Lawton, MI 49065. Any payments that are received without the proper information may be returned to you. Payments may still be made in person on Wednesday’s ONLY between the hours of 8am and 11am at the Porter Township Hall. We DO NOT have a drop box at the Porter Township Hall. Please do not use either of the boxes there as a payment drop box. The boxes are meant for Township use ONLY. Any payments left in either box or dropped off any day but Wednesday will not be accepted and the Authority will not assume any responsibility for any late fees that may occur. Please continue to mail payments to LASA PO Box 902 Lawton, MI 49065. DO NOT mail payments to the Porter Township Hall. Again, the Authority will not be responsible for mail that was not sent to the PO Box or made in person on the proper day to the proper persons. Payments are due by the date named on the bill. Please allow enough mailing time as we will no longer be honoring the post mark date. Any payments received after the due date named will be considered late and will not be entitled to any credit for late fees. Thanks again for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Stacey Oxley
Lasa Administrator
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LAKES AREA SEWER AUTHORITY(LASA) UPDATE - July 28, 2010
Construction of the wastewater collection system around the lakes is scheduled to begin the week of April 12, 2010 and will continue to completion. Prior to the scheduled start date there will be some movement of equipment and supplies. De-watering crews will begin to reactivate wells that were drilled last fall and a road grinding crew will be pulverizing the blacktop roads were sewer pipe still needs to be buried in the ground. A representative from Wightman and Associates, our engineers, will be around in the next few of weeks to distribute and mark stakes for location of individual sewer leads. It is anticipated that the first construction work will be to complete the collection system around Gravel Lake. As more crews become available work will extend to Saddle Bag Lake then Big Fish Lake.
Completion of work on the lift and grinder stations should also begin at this time along with the installation of forced main from the Lakes Area to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Start up of the Treatment Plant is anticipated to be around July 15, 2010. Upon completion of construction and testing at the wastewater processing facility, property owners in the sewer assessment district will receive a notice to hook up.
Please watch the Big Fish Lake and Gravel Lake web sites along with the Wightman and Associates site for latest construction information and road closings.
Gerald Melko
Chairman, Lakes Area Sewer Authority
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Lakes Area Sewer Authority Meeting Schedule
| April 26, 2010 |
7 p.m. Porter Township Hall
88040 M-40 Highway
Lawton, Michigan |
| May 24, 2010 |
7 p.m. Porter Township Hall
88040 M-40 Highway
Lawton, Michigan |
| June 28, 2010 |
7 p.m. Porter Township Hall
88040 M-40 Highway
Lawton, Michigan |
| July 26, 2010 |
7 p.m. LASA Wastewater Treatment Plant
( *** NEW LOCATION *** ) 53550 Hemlock Lake Road
Marcellus, Michigan |
| August 23, 2010 |
7 p.m. LASA Wastewater Treatment Plant
53550 Hemlock Lake Road
Marcellus, Michigan |
| September 27, 2010 |
7 p.m. LASA Wastewater Treatment Plant
53550 Hemlock Lake Road
Marcellus, Michigan |
| October 25, 2010 |
7 p.m. LASA Wastewater Treatment Plant
53550 Hemlock Lake Road
Marcellus, Michigan |
| November 22, 2010 |
7 p.m. LASA Wastewater Treatment Plant
53550 Hemlock Lake Road
Marcellus, Michigan |
| December 20, 2010 |
7 p.m. LASA Wastewater Treatment Plant
53550 Hemlock Lake Road
Marcellus, Michigan |
| January 24, 2011 |
7 p.m. LASA Wastewater Treatment Plant
53550 Hemlock Lake Road
Marcellus, Michigan |
SPECIAL MEETINGS SCHEDULED AS NECESSARY AND ARE POSTED AT LEAST 18 HOURS PRIOR TO MEETING TIME. |
IMPORTANT LINKS:
The following links are for two programs aimed at helping low income households with the special assessments.
- USDA-Rural Development offers low interest loans and/or grants to qualifying applicants.
Program Description
For more information, 269-657-7055, ext 4 (Paw Paw Branch)
- The Michigan Legislature provides a mechanism to defer the special assessment in the form of a lean against the subject property. Then the lean will be paid off either when the house is sold or the estate is settled after a death.
Program Description
Program Application
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Report from Chairman, Gerald Melko
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Plans for the sewage collection system were completed in February and the engineering firm of Wightman & Associates continued to work on the plan for the waste water treatment plant. Bond anticipation notes for $660,000 were sold with an interest cost of only 1.9% to cover expenses until the final bond sale and closing which would be later in the summer.
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In March a meeting was held with the Township Treasurers from Marcellus, Volinia and Porter Townships along with the LASA Treasurer and the Township Assessors to discuss collection and tracking of special assessments for the sewer district. The first draft of the Sewer Ordinance was completed and reviewed.
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The completed Sewer Ordinance, a thirty seven page document, was adopted by the LASA Board in April and passed on to the townships for their approval and adoption. A review of the waste water treatment plant main building with control rooms, filtering area, laboratory and office space was approved.
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May saw the finalization of wording on the agreement with the Village of Marcellus for the purchase of land at their Sewage Lagoon Area for the LASA waste water treatment plant. On May 30, 2009 a pre–construction meeting was held at the Marcellus Elementary school for property owners and residents in the Special Assessment District. Information was presented on project status and timeline. Construction coordination issues were address such as road access, sewer main and lift station locations, sewer lead locations, sewer connection and area restoration after project completion. A status presentation was also made to the Big Fish Lake Property Owners association at their May meeting.
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Bidding on the construction contracts continued throughout the month of July. All property easements were received and reviewed by the proper agencies. Rural Community Action Agency (RCAP) conducted an inspection of each Township town hall to be sure they comply with Federal standards (a requirement of USDA funding and grants). A house lead location letter was sent to each Lake Association for posting on web sites or general distribution. A project status report was made to the Big Fish Lake POA at their mid summer meeting. On July 30, 2009 a bid opening was held during a special meeting of the Cass County Board of Public Works.
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Project status reports were presented to the Gravel and Big Fish Lake Associations at their August meetings. Contracts for the gravity collection system were awarded to Kamphuis Pipeline Co. of Grand Rapids, Michigan for $2,798,345.00. Balkema Excavating Inc. of Kalamazoo, Michigan received the contract for the lift stations and force main lines for a bid of $1,778,170.00. The waste water treatment plant will be built by Davis Construction of Grand Rapids, Michigan at a cost of $4,064,342.00. After all necessary resolutions were passed by the Townships of Marcellus, Porter and Volinia, The Village of Marcellus, the Lakes Area Sewer Authority, the Cass County Board of Public Works and the Cass County Board of Commissioners, USDA Rural Development released the loan and grants monies totaling $10,833,000 on August 25, 2009. Now construction can begin.
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A pre-construction meeting was held September 2, 2009 for all involved contractors, suppliers, utilities, and drain and road commissions. Movement of supplies and equipment will begin immediately. Construction at the plant site and in the lakes area will start September 14, 2009. First areas of construction will be at lift station #12 at the east end of Finch Lake and lift station #1 in the south east corner of Gravel Lake. Please check the Wightman & Associates web site at www.wightman-assoc.com LASA project for latest construction updates.
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Although some construction may already be under way, a ground breaking ceremony is planned for 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 19, 2009 at the Porter Township Hall (Van Buren County) located at 88040 M-40, Lawton, Michigan
Gerald Melko - email
Chairman, Lakes Area Sewer Authority
September 3, 2009
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
Frequently Asked Questions - TOP
Q: A sanitary sewer line is going past my home. Can the local unit of government require me to hook up to the sanitary sewer?
A: Yes, a city, village, or township may require a home owner to connect to an available public sanitary sewer if the sewer passes not more than 200 feet from the home. Public sanitary sewer
systems are essential to the health, safety, and welfare of the people of the state. Septic tank
disposal systems are subject to failure due to soil conditions or other reasons. Failure and even
potential failure of septic tank systems present a threat to public health and to the quality of waters
of the state. Therefore, local units of government have the authority to require a homeowner to
connect to the sanitary sewer at the earliest, reasonable date. The state law that enables to the local
unit of government is Section 333.12753 of the Public Health Code, 1978 PA 368, as amended.
Local units of government most commonly embody this requirement within their local ordinances.
Homeowners that want to resolve concerns related to the connection should work with their local
unit of government. General questions can also be directed to the State of Michigan’s
Environmental Assistance Center at 1-800-662-9278.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) will not discriminate against any individual or
group on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, national origin, color, marital status, disability, or political beliefs.
Questions or concerns should be directed to the MDEQ Office of Human Resources, PO Box 30473, Lansing, MI
48909.
The authority is comprised of representatives
from Marcellus, Porter, and Volinia Townships. From Gravel Lake, we have Harry Laski
and Chris Oxley (Porter Township Trustee) involved. The rest of the authority includes, Gerry
Melko - Chairman, John Grib - Secretary (Marcellus Township Supervisor), Paul Boshoven, Nate
Bitely (Porter Township Supervisor), and Wendy Elsey (Volinia Township Supervisor). This authority is responsible for the progress and organization of our sewer
project.
The authority has been meeting since July, 2007. The following is a list of their meeting minutes in PDF Format.
The Lakes Area Sewer Authority - Meeting Minutes - TOP
| 2010 |
• June 28, 2010 |
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• May 24, 2010 |
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• April 26, 2010 |
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• March 22, 2010 |
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• February 22, 2010 |
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• January 21, 2010 |
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| 2009 |
• December 21, 2009 |
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• November 23, 2009 |
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• October 26, 2009 |
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• September 28, 2009 |
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• August 24, 2009 |
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• July 27, 2009 |
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• June 22, 2009 |
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• May 18, 2009 |
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• April 27, 2009 |
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• March 23, 2009 |
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• February 23, 2009 |
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• January 26, 2009 |
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| 2008 |
• December 1, 2008 |
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• November 27, 2008 |
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• September 22, 2008 |
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• August 25, 2008 |
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• July 28, 2008 |
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• June 23, 2008 |
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• May 19, 2008 |
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• Special Meeting—May 14, 2008 |
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• April 28, 2008 |
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• March 24, 2008 |
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• February 25, 2008 |
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• January 21, 2008 |
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| 2007 |
• November 26, 2007 |
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• October 22, 2007 |
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• September 17, 2007 |
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• 2nd Organizational Meeting
August 20, 2007 |
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• 1st Organizational Meeting
July 25, 2007 |
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