Heavy rainfall during the fourth weekend in May didn’t pose too many flooding problems in residential sections of the Village of Lake Orion except for — Hauxwell Street.
Water was across the road, in some places two feet deep. Some backyards and basements were flooded.
Because there wasn’t a certified village employee in the area at the time, village officials called upon Orion Township’s DPW to help. A truck was used to pull out roots, a garden hose, paper and a pump was able to suck out mud.
Drainage became adequate in the afternoon.
Village council members in May agreed that drains in that area should be cleaned out and roots cut every spring.
Hauxwell homeowner Kurt Bussell told council members on June 14 the drains were flowing, but not at an optimum.
Bussell’s frustrated because village officials have known about Hauxwell’s drainage problems for more than three years and nothing has been done.
‘I’d appreciate it if the council would take immediate action,? he said at a May meeting.
According to LO Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel, a company was hired to run a camera down into the storm sewer after the street was flooded in 2000.
‘It showed some broken tile in drains coming into the main line. The camera couldn’t go any further so nothing else was done. We didn’t move forward,? she said.
Some council members felt they had ‘dropped the ball? on fixing Hauxwell’s problems.
‘Why three years later are we still looking at this?? councilman Harry Stephen asked.
At the council meeting on June 14, Van Tassel presented three solutions provided by the village’s engineering firm, Hubbell, Roth & Clark, that would alleviate drainage problems in that area.
HRC’s first option would be to reconstruct open ditches on each side of the road north of 332 Hauxwell at a cost of $85,000-$95,000. (Homeowners had indicated earlier they weren’t interested in having that done.)
The second option was to install a concrete storm sewer line on the east side of Hauxwell and on the west side construct or reconstruct an eight foot wide ditch with selected locations at a cost of $100,000-$110,000.
The last option would be to completely rebuild Hauxwell with curb and gutter on both sides of the road at an estimated cost of $375,000-$450,000.
‘The village doesn’t currently have the funds to pay for any of the possible solutions. The residents along Hauxwell would have to cover the cost,? Van Tassel said.
Assuming each household would pay an equal share the first option would cost per household $3,400-$3,800; the second $4,000-$4,400; the third 15,000-$18,000.
Van Tassel suggested a meeting with the homeowners should take place to allow for their comments on the options. If they decided to move forward a Special Assessment District could be established with the cost spread out over 10 years
Council members felt that an attempt should be made to have the village’s DPW fix broken tiles in the drains from the Paint Creek area going down Hauxwell. They asked village administration to come back with a plan to repair the storm sewer system.