Lincoln Avenue Sewer Project Set for End of June

No complaints were raised Monday at the public hearing for the . Beginning June 20, around one mile of lateral sewers will be replaced throughout the summer, followed by a two-month repaving project for the stretch of Lincoln Avenue between Southfield and Cranbrook roads.

The hearing took place as a part of Monday's regularly scheduled Birmingham City Commission meeting.

The cost for the project will be around $47.50 per foot, though the price per household will vary depending on the amount of pipes to be installed. That price comes out to be between $570 to $2,850 for the approximately 70 affected households in the area, with an average assessment of $1,523, said city engineer Paul O’Meara.

Commissioners reduced the length of time in which residents must pay the city. Formerly, the city allowed residents to pay back project costs over a 10-year period. Since most residents pay the city within one year, the tedious record-keeping is a burden on treasurer’s office, O'Meara said. He suggested reducing the payback time to three years, but commissioners wanted to give residents more time, ultimately extending the payback time to five years.

Also on the City Commission agenda Monday:

• The city will purchase a new ambulance, costing $220,357, from the Fire Department Equipment Fund.
• Commissioners gave the go-ahead to the and , which are planning to hold a Civil War commemoration at 2 p.m. Aug. 7 in . The event will feature the Dodworth Saxhorn Band.
• Commissioners appoved a resolution directing the city and the Road Commission for Oakland County to begin designing three crosswalks at the intersections of Oak Avenue at Old Woodward Avenue and Oak at Woodward Avenue. The city will pay 50 percent of the construction costs, with the rest to be paid back by John Ghafari, who owns the at 36101 Woodward Ave. and who has been planning to redesign the gas station for more than a year. The approval is contingent on Ghafari moving forward with construction, as his site plan for the project could soon expire.