Sewer Grant Application

The Grand Haven / Spring Lake Sewer Authority provides sewage treatment for the City of Grand Haven, Spring Lake Village, Ferrysburg City, Spring Lake Township and Grand Haven Charter Township. The current sewage treatment plant is over 45 years old.

Because many portions of the treatment facility are approaching their useful “end-of-life”, the Sewer Authority is embarking on multi-year plan to upgrade and replace certain components of the sewage treatment plant… at an estimated cost of about $8.5 million.

To help offset this total, the Sewer Authority Board has authorized a grant application in the amount of $2.8 million to the federal Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA). This is about 33% of the total cost.

The grant is based upon the premise that the increased capacity is needed to help ensure that industrial manufacturers will remain in this region because of improved sewer plant treatment capacity.

School Speed Zone Signs  

Grand Haven Charter Township and the Grand Haven Area Public Schools recently completed an agreement to install school speed zone signs at both the Rosy Mound Elementary School and the Peach Plains Elementary School.

The signs will cost about $35,000, which includes the purchase, installation and costs for installing electrical service for each of the four signs. The Township will pay for the all installation and maintenance costs of these new signs while the school district will assume operational responsibility of the signs.

It is expected that the new signs for the Peach Plains Elementary School and one of the two signs for the Rosy Mound Elementary School will be installed prior to the beginning of the new academic year. However, because of difficulties associated with Consumers Energy installing a new electrical service, one of the Rosy Mound signs will not be installed until after the start of the school year. 

Remote Deposit Capture  

In order to reduce costs and save time, the Township has enrolled in a deposit feature offered by Huntington Bank called “Remote Deposit Capture”.  

In brief, “Remote Deposit Capture” is a service that allows the Township to scan checks and transmit the scanned images to a bank for posting and clearing rather than physically depositing checks at the bank. Checks received at the Township offices are scanned to create a digital deposit. This digital deposit is then transmitted over an encrypted internet connection to Huntington Bank who then accepts the deposit and posts the deposit to the designated account.

The commonly-viewed benefits of this service include convenience, better deposit availability and reduced transportation cost and risk. For the Township, this feature will aid in the daily balancing of checks, reduce the amount of time required to go to the bank, reduce the deposit fees associated with bank deposits, as well as provide access to all scanned checks in case of a discrepancy.  

The Township will keep original copies of all checks on hand for 90 days. After the 90-day holding period, finance staff will shred the checks. 

Pathway Construction Remains Local

Construction on the 10-mile extension of the Township’s current 28-mile pathway system has begun. The first phase includes an extension of pathway along Buchanan Street from Lakeshore Avenue to 168 ^th Avenue and Sleeper Street from 168 ^th Avenue to the Hofma Preserve entrance.

Seven firms bid on this construction project with bids ranging from a high $847,814 to a low of $639,388. Because the difference between low bid of $639,388 and the second lowest bid of $641,860 was only $2,472, which is less than a 1% difference (i.e., 0.38%) and because the second lowest bid is a local contractor ( i.e., Schmidt Brothers Excavating ), the Board awarded this construction contract to the local contractor.  

The Board explained their decision by noting the following:

Construction on this first phase of new pathway should be completed by November 15 ^th , with some final restoration being completed in the Spring of 2018.