By: Alyssa Ochss | Fraser-Clinton Chronicle | Published October 27, 2025
FRASER — At its meeting on Oct. 9, the Fraser City Council approved a number of items to improve city functions. The approvals all came in 6-0 votes.
They had three items on the agenda related to engineering. They use the contracted firm of Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick, Inc. for engineering services and Ashley Carpenter, the project manager, presented all three items.
CIPP lining contract
Carpenter said in 2022, the city completed a sewer cleaning and video inspection program.
“Over the prior three budget cycles, you guys have allotted $500,000 each year to address the critical and high-priority lines through cured-in-place liners in those sewers,” Carpenter said.
In the current budget, the city has also allotted $500,000 to address the rest of the lines.
Approval of the requested item was to prepare bidding documents for the year’s program.
Carpenter said the company would recommend a contractor from the bids they receive. The proposal is for $7,500.
Maulvey Pathway TAP application assistance
Carpenter said the city adopted a sidewalk master plan in June this year after completing a Southeast Michigan Council of Governments planning grant. The grant was to identify needed sidewalk improvements in the city.
“The sidewalk master plan did include five recommended priorities with the No. 1 priority being a pathway on Maulvey Road,” Carpenter said.
The city allotted $60,000 to complete planning efforts to submit a Transportation Alternative Program grant application and to perform preliminary engineering. Currently, the cycle has a February application deadline, but it could change to June.
“In either way we go with an application, only the application would be completed in this current fiscal year,” Carpenter said. “We are not asking for any of the preliminary engineering. We are only requesting that City Council approve AEW’s proposals (to) prepare the TAP grant application.”
The TAP grant application completion would be $7,500.
Storm water asset management plan update
Carpenter said the city completed a SAW grant in 2018. The grant paid for video inspection of a majority of the city’s storm sewers. A storm water asset plan was completed in 2018 as well and it is recommended these plans are updated every five years. AEW is asking to update the plan.
“It is in the budget this year,” Carpenter said. “You have $20,000 budgeted to perform and update to that storm water asset management plan.”
The plan includes an asset inventory, condition assessment and a critical score.
Councilwoman Patrice Schornak said she knows they did a number of storm water projects and monitoring this year.
“Where else in the city do we have storm water storage or issues with flooding for residents that are not being taken care of just by our drain setup or is that the purpose of this because we don’t already have that?” Schornak asked.
She went on to say she thought the city already paid for it.
Carpenter said the plan will update all the work that’s been taking place and it will reevaluate the system to see where the next needs are at.
“This is going to look at some of the failed metal sewers that you have, those corrugated pipes that are failing,” Carpenter said. “We will take into account where flooding is occurring.”
She said all of it will be used to update areas for future projects.
Schornak went on to ask if this was a comprehensive five-year plan and Carpenter confirmed it is. Schornak made sure to point out it’s a five year plan in the motion.