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"Sewer work began Jan. 3," said Elba Township Supervisor John Kosiara at the Tuesday morning Board of Trustees meeting. "Seeding and everything should be done by Aug. 7."

The township encountered its first delay from a disagreement over soil compression checks.

"The inspector wanted 98% compression on the sand, and so did the Road Commission," Kosiara said. "But the Michigan Department of Transportation standards are 95%. Finally (Road Commission Managing Director) Rick Pearson made a decision that 95% was okay. But by then we lost a day of work."

Unforeseen costs such as soil testing and relocation of power poles are adding to the cost of the project. Detroit Energy is moving utility poles to the other side of Hammond Road.

"People need to be aware," Kosiara said. "They're flagging trees to trim and remove."

Homeowners will have a choice where their single leads can be placed on their property. But those with multiple leads won't.

Homeowners must also pay for and arrange their own connections to the sewer line.

"Tiger (Engineering) won't do the homeowner hook-ups," Kosiara said. "They just don't do them. Any homeowner groups that want to, may organize their own."

Township officials unanimously agreed to pay $1,250 to Robert Nelson, for a 30 foot utility easement. Nelson asked that the township keep the land weed free.

"You've saved the sewer district about $8,000," Kosiara said. "There will be three 10-foot post to mark the manholes. They'll be painted yellow."

The second phase of the sewer system has been swirling with opponents since its planning. Township meetings were crowded with residents who said they couldn't afford to pay for the project.

The first phase of the sewers occurred after homeowners on the east side of Potter Lake petitioned the county in 1997. County Drain Commissioner John Cosens categorized the project under the drain code. The township paid about $391,000, and the county paid about the same. Homeowners paid about $14,000 each.

The current project began after another group of homeowners petitioned the drain commissioner to complete phase two, on Elba Road from the school, south across Davison Road to 400 feet south of the railroad tracks including Hammond Road and on Davison Road from Maple Leaf Road, west to Harsen Road.

"We got an agreement that we could handle the expansion on our own," said Kosiara previously. "We didn't want the township to take such a big hit."

Each Elba Township household in the sewer district with one residential equivalent unit will pay $18,900, not including interest, which is about 5.28%.

Susan Younger may be reached at (810) 664-0811, Ext. 8122 or susan.younger@lapeergroup.com