Plymouth Utility Superintendent updates Board of Public Works & Safety on projects

During Monday's Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, Plymouth Utility Superintendent Donnie Davidson updated members on several large projects.

The complete restoration project on the water tower on PIDCO Drive is in full swing.  Davidson said the rigging is all complete to contain the water tower when they start sandblasting the exterior.  He said they are currently sandblasting on the inside.  The crew works seven days a week from daylight to dark.

The base bid submitted by O&J Coatings, Inc. out of Hurst, Texas was $797,000 for the water tower restoration. 

TGB has the water main projects underway on Douglas and Gilmore Streets, installing a new line section.  Davidson said they anticipate having two more crews, one for South Michigan Street by Bowen Printing and then for the directional drilling on Jefferson Street in the next few weeks.  He said they are moving along quickly on the water main projects. The base bid submitted by TGB Unlimited, Inc. of South Bend was for $1,251,580 for this project.

The City of Plymouth was awarded a $700,000 Wastewater Drinking Water Program grant. It will be used to rehabilitate its elevated water storage tank and upgrade various water mains.

The final project update was for the detention basin across the street from the Neighborhood Center. The major excavation project started on Monday and should be completed by the end of the week. Seeding, erosion control, and piping will still need to be completed after the excavation.

Davidson asked the neighbors to endure the overwhelming truck traffic while removing the material to create the basin.  He said this project will fix a flooding issue in the area when the city experiences heavy rainfall.