MACOMB COUNTY

Fraser residents concerned over sinkhole repairs, costs

Nicquel Terry, and Mark Hicks
The Detroit News

As Fraser residents displaced by a massive sinkhole began returning home, others learned it could be months before repairs -- which officials estimated could cost $100 million -- are complete and the effects could linger for decades.

County and local representatives during a special City Council meeting on Monday outlined progress made since the sinkhole on 15 Mile emerged Dec. 24. The session came hours after 19 families returned home Sunday night.

Officials fielded questions from the dozens of residents who met in City Hall chambers, concerned about the cost and duration of the fixes.

The work could take months, residents were told. “It’s going to be a long process,” said Linda Mentink, who lives near 15 Mile.

But some residents wondered about pocketbook issues, such as higher taxes to meet repair needs.

“The longer it takes, the more it’s going to cost,” said Terry Finlaw, who has lived in the city for more than 50 years. “This could impact the residents for decades.”

Mayor Joseph Nichols asked for patience as authorities work. “I trust we will absolutely take care of this but it will take awhile ...”

County officials acknowledged again at the meeting that homeowners could see the impact on their future water bills. An exact figure is not yet available, but city officials and Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller noted the repair costs could reach $100 million.

“We’re going to reach out to the federal government. ... Someone has to pay for the big bill,” said Miller, who has said the county may use bonds and a rate hike to repair the damage from the sewer collapse. “This is a crisis ... It’s an emergency and we need help if we can get it.”

Meanwhile, on Monday afternoon, construction workers blocked off a stretch of 15 Mile as they worked to repair the roads and infrastructure that left two homes at the corner leaning off their foundation from the sewer collapse. One driveway had morphed into a slope.

Miller said the county is looking into covering the losses.

“I don’t think the county has ever had a situation like this before,” she said. “We’ve got a situation where these homeowners, their insurance I’m certain is not going to pay for it so we are going to try to help them.”

Three houses were condemned by the city and those families will not be allowed to return.

Meanwhile, the city created a temporary path for residents returning home. The path, which runs from the Fraser Activity Center parking lot to Eberlein, was monitored by police on Monday.

Jennifer Mernatti, manager at Green Lantern Pizza on 15 Mile across from Eberlein, said her restaurant has supported the neighborhood with its recovery.

Mernatti said she allowed residents and visitors to use the parking lot while crews restore the road destroyed by the sinkhole.

She said the family told her they woke up early Christmas Eve to cracking noises in their basement and called the police.

“It was so sad,” Mernatti said. “They were like ‘What are we gonna do?’ ”

The return home Sunday came the same day Gov. Rick Snyder toured the site and just days after he declared a state of emergency for Macomb County due to the sewer line collapse that caused the massive sinkhole.

The declaration, which Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel requested, authorizes the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division to coordinate state efforts

Fraser had been under a local state of emergency since the rupture from the leaky sewer line between Utica and Hayes roads. Officials said the 100-foot-wide, 250-foot-long sinkhole was sparked by the collapse of the Macomb Interceptor Drain sewer main under 15 Mile, the border between Clinton Township and Fraser.

The collapse is the third in the area in about 40 years and came 12 years after a smaller collapse led to a $50 million fix that took 10 months to complete. Fraser residents displaced by a massive sinkhole on Eberlein Drive began returning to their homes Sunday night.