Houghton Accepts a Roof Replacement Bid for the City Center

Houghton public works will close an outside lane of M-26 to replace damaged catch basins. The city says the project will occur on the lower section of the highway between the bridge and Canal Road. Lanes are expected to close while crews place new concrete. Those with questions should contact the city for more details.

Houghton’s recent developments have the city recognized as a community of excellence in 2024. In the past couple of years, Lakeshore Drive has received a complete overhaul following the demolition of the city’s central parking deck. For its continual development over the last 50 years, Houghton earned  a nomination as a finalist in the Michigan Municipal League’s Community Excellence Awards. Houghton leaders, with others from Brighton, Oak Park, and Grandville will find out Friday the recipient of the 2024 award. Good luck Houghton.

Due to the award ceremony taking place on Mackinac Island, two councilors and the city manager Eric Waara were absent from last evening’s council meeting. The city council accepted a bid for the city center’s roof project from Great Lakes Roofs and Insulation. The contractor was the lowest bid of four submitted to the city.

Their bid was $64,500. Eric did talk to them because they were quite a bit lower. Some of the bids were $100,000, and the closest was $76,000. He called them, talked to them to make sure that it was a good bid, and they said that it is. And the reason it is low is because they do have a lot of employees here already working. – Ann Vollrath, Clerk and Assistant City Manager, City of Houghton

The company does comes from Sault Ste. Marie and has been brought in to work on Michigan Technological University’s developments. With work going well, and the placement of several additional crew members in the region, Great Lakes Roofs feels confident it can finish the job promptly. Additional action included approving an easement in the Nara Nature Park for the Northern Natural Gas Company which has a pipeline running through the area.

So they’re asking for an easement for about 856 square feet. There’s a drawing that shows you where it is. It’s right on a corner because they’re also need an easement from somebody with personal property right next to it. They’re offering $1,000, which was their appraised value. And we’re looking for a motion to approve the easement and accept the $1,000. – Ann Vollrath, Clerk and Assistant City Manager, City of Houghton

 The company informed the city it would need to install new valves along the line.

The city council has also appointed Joanna Chopp to the Portage Lake District Library Board of Directors.

A final item included information on the upcoming fall clean-up. City residents can drop off items at the public works garage between September 27th and October 27th. The city will collect senior pick-ups on October 7th, 14, and 28th.

Houghton Public Works will close an outside lane of M-26 to replace damaged catch basins. The city says the project will occur on the lower section of the highway between the bridge and Canal Road. Lanes are expected to close while crews place new concrete. Those with questions should contact the city for more details.