12/10/13 - A construction engineering contract has been approved by the Howell City Council for a truck route around the south side of the city. The route includes a section of Michigan Avenue from Pulford to Mason as well as along Marion, Dearborn, Fowler, and Livingston Streets, north to Grand River east of town. The city received a federal grant in the past year for road rehabilitation, and that designated truck route meets the qualifications to use that money. The city is contributing about $65,000 to the project, which City Manager Shea Charles says will cost more than $1 million. However, there was some disagreement on the board about whether the same firm hired to do the design work on the project can be hired to do the construction engineering, specifically the inspection of the work. Councilman Doug Heins argued that this was a conflict of interest, and that he wanted to get a letter from the Michigan Department of Transportation stating their opinion. However, Charles told the board that he had received an email from MDOT giving the green light to the contract. Heins still voted against the contract, but the rest of the board approved it. Work is slated to begin in the spring. (TD)
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