Construction and replanting along Main St. in Almont
ALMONT — After being delayed a year, work began last Monday, June 8, on the Almont Downtown Development Authority’s downtown streetscape project.
DDA Director Kim Schall said the total scope of the $193,275 streetscape project is extensive.
Schall said the project entails removal of stamped concrete, to be replaced with a darker gray concrete.
Additionally, all trees along Main Street will be removed and replaced with either a planter box containing trees or flowers or a planter box that includes a knee wall or bench.
DDA Director, Kim Schall, hopes the $193,000 project will be completed within the next three weeks.
“If there is not enough room,” Schall said, “that area will be filled in with concrete to be compliant with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).”
She added that the project will involve repairs to or replacement of the curb stops and water shut-off valves for businesses.
Schall said the construction bid for the project was awarded to Superior Contracting of Dryden, with construction expected to be completed within about three weeks.
“We’re ahead of schedule,” she said, “as long as everything keeps moving along at the current pace.”
Schall reminded that a significant portion of the project’s total cost will be paid with a $56,520 matching grant fund awarded the Almont DDA by the USDA in June of 2019.
Project delays
The DDA’s downtown streetscape project had to be postponed last year because no one bid on the job.
At the time, Schall attributed the lack of bidders to the unusually wet weather early in the 2019 season.
She said that when contractors were finally able to return to work, they found themselves overwhelmed by existing contractual obligations, resulting in a backlog.
Tom Wearing started at the Tri-City Times in 1989, covering the Village of Capac as a beat reporter. He later served stints as assistant editor and editor. Today, he covers Imlay City and Almont as a staff writer. He enjoys music and plays drums and sings with various musical groups in the Detroit Metropolitan area.
