LANSING — A Northern Michigan lawmaker is requesting nearly $15 million for infrastructure improvements in Cadillac, including repairs to the Clam River culvert, modernizing local sewage systems and connecting those who have found dangerous chemicals in their private wells with municipal water.
The request from Rep. Joseph Fox, (R) District 101, Fremont, includes nearly $8 million for PFAS response, which would be used to connect hundreds of homes with private wells to the municipal system.
“It’s something that’s been found in the groundwater, and something that we need to do, very simply to keep the citizens of Cadillac safe,” Fox said.
Cadillac City Manager Marcus Peccia says about 225 parcels of land with private wells would be given the option to connect to the municipal water system.
“The funding proposal that the state is going to be hopefully contemplating soon would provide the necessary resources so that we could get those folks all connected,” Peccia said.
Peccia says that without outside funding, the cost to connect these homes would likely fall on people who live in Cadillac.
“We can’t just somehow dip into our general fund piggy bank and use those dollars,” he said. “So essentially, it’s the rate payers or everybody else that would have to offset those costs if the city were to be involved in it.”
The funding would include an additional $2 million to help fix the failing culvertWexford Jewelers in the Wexford Jewelers parking lot.
“We’re talking about potential flooding. We’re talking about something that’s necessary, not something to just make something look better,” said Keith Terwilliger of Wexford Jewelers. “It’s not something to make the plaza to the north of Wexford Jewelers, or ourselves, Wexford Jewelers happy. This is something that we need, that water to flow freely.”
Terwilliger says the situation poses a risk to neighboring residents and businesses.
“We really, really need our government to pass this through, because we’ve been waiting two years, and each time, it just hasn’t made it into the state budget. And really, I think it’s crucial,” he said.
The request also includes $5 million for the Lake Mitchell Sewer Authority, which would go toward replacing about 140 pump stations.
“Lake Mitchell Sewer Authority has been a long-term need,” Fox said. “This lake has many, many, many, many connections that have just been going bad for years.”
The funding likely wouldn’t be finalized until July, and could still be dropped from the final budget.