Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RALPH ANSAMI
Ironwood — The Ironwood City Commission voted 3-1 Monday to approve a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development pay package for the Phase 4 water project.
Commissioners approved a $26,654 water payment, with Rick Semo absent and Joe Cayer Jr. opposed.
Cayer said after the meeting he is opposed to up to $164,000 being added to the transmission line project for matting that he said should have been included in the original specifications.
At a special city commission meeting on Jan. 29, the need for additional funds for the required matting as specified by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality was discussed, along with other items in a change order. The commission approved up to the $164,000 for additional matting over wetlands.
Paul Anderson, of Coleman Engineering, noted at the Jan. 29 meeting that the matting was not included in the original bid and Francis Street would be removed from the project to cover the difference.
Anderson said Monday Ruotsala Construction continues to work on the 16-inch backup water transmission line project, with a sub-contractor blasting during the night.
“It’s slow, grueling work,” Anderson said, but he added progress is being made, with blasting crews working 4 p.m. to midnight and midnight to 8 a.m. shifts, when the temperatures have dipped well below zero.
The crews have had to blast to nine-and-a-half feet deep through rocks using excavating “pecking” machines in the process.
Anderson said gas line employees were on the scene today making sure those lines weren’t disturbed.
The commission voted 4-0 to pay $3,645 for the sewer portion of the city’s Phase 4 project.
Under comments from citizens on items that weren’t on the agenda, Anderson told Ironwood Public Safety Department Director Greg Klecker that he and some other residents of Margaret Street would like to see a problem with speeding in that neighborhood addressed. Anderson noted it’s a problem that preceded the arrival of Klecker late last year.
