Fraser Sinkhole: Macomb County Approves $20 Million Loan Request: VIDEO

MACOMB COUNTY, MI — A $20 million loan to pay for Fraser sinkhole-related expenses was granted by the Board of Commissioners in a 13-0 vote on Feb. 9. Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller requested the county loan at a Board of Commissioners meeting to pay for “capital expenditures and related expenses" tied to the Fraser sinkhole, according to a press release.

Speaking before the Board of Commissioners, Miller was frank in her assessment of the situation, "This thing happened on Christmas Eve and we are running up bills...We've been struggling with how we're going to do the financing part of this...We're going to be floating a bond issue at some point here. Probably a 25-year bond issue but our thought was we needed some more cash in the immediacy." Miller added "It's our intent to pay it back immediately."

The $20 million loan will be used to start paying invoices next week, according to Miller. When asked by the Board of Commissioners when Public Works would have a realistic number of the total cost of the looming project, Miller replied "We're bidding everything out [except the engineers]." She shared the interceptor that needs to be fixed immediately will run $70-$80 million. However, Miller reported the total cost will probably be "well north of $100 million dollars"...and she'll have a "much more definitive answer in March" as that's when the bids will come in.

The Fraser sinkhole disaster has devastated the county since Dec. 24, 2016. That's when a sewer line collapse caused a roughly 250 feet long and 100 feet wide sinkhole in the area of 15 Mile Rd. and Hayes Rd. in Fraser. The 11 communities served by the sewer line have been greatly affected. A water restriction alert has gone into effect to curb water usage and affected residents are also expecting higher water bills, which will start this summer to help pay for sewer repairs.

Last week, Gov. Rick Snyder opened the Disaster and Emergency Contingency Fund to provide financial relief to impacted communities. The move allows affected towns the opportunity to apply for assistance grants of up to $100,000 to pay for Fraser sinkhole-related recovery costs ranging from shelter supplies to civil employees' overtime expenses. Days earlier, the state House and Senate, per Snyder's request, extended the state of emergency declarations through March 31 for Macomb County and Clinton Township, which have been under a state of emergency since Jan. 5 and Jan. 17.

Patch photo

Video courtesy of Macomb County