Pickering Road in Bloomfield to be rebuilt

To fix sinkholes and a failing culvert on Pickering Road in Bloomfield Township, the board of trustees approved a cost participation agreement with the Road Commission of Oakland County (RCOC) to have the township relocate a sanitary sewer and water main, at a cost of $138,845, at their meeting on Monday, March 23. Olivia Olsztyn-Budry, engineering and environmental services director, explained that over the past five years several residents had reported the formation of sinkholes on Pickering Road that aligned with an existing culvert near 4680 and 4690 Pickering Road. “RCOC is the responsible agent for this culvert, and the township reached out to report these issues to the RCOC. The RCOC followed up, made temporary repairs, and evaluated the cause of the sinkholes,” Olsztyn-Budry informed the trustees. “The RCOC determined that the culvert needs to be replaced. In addition, the RCOC determined that two other culverts on Pickering Road, one to the east and one to the south of the initial culvert, also need replacement.” She said replacement of the middle culvert necessitates the relocation of a sanitary sewer line and a water main, both owned by the township, which will cost $138,845. Construction plans for the culvert replacements, the water main relocation and the sanitary sewer relocation were developed, permitted, and bid by the RCOC. She said it is anticipated to take place beginning late June/early July, with gas main replacement by Consumers Energy beginning now through the end of June. “The project will take several months, with a projected completion in early fall, and final completion sometime next spring,” Olsztyn-Budry said. At this point, she said, there's no change to the schedule. Trustees voted 6-0 to approve, with treasurer Brian Kepes recusing himself as he lives on Pickering. Trustees Buckley, Walsh, Schostak and Neal Barnett attended the meeting via teleconferencing, while Savoie, clerk Jan Roncelli and treasurer Brian Kepes all at safe distances in the board room. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a temporary order March 18 allowing public bodies to meet virtually during the COVID-19 crisis. The order temporarily alters Michigan's Open Meetings Act, which mandates public access to certain state, county and local government meetings, to allow for electronic meetings through April 15.