Residents finally get what they want
MARQUETTE -- After years of putting up with an inadequate water system and septic tanks, residents on Island Beach Road in Marquette are finally getting what they want from the city: a renovation.
Fred Loehde has been living on Island Beach Road for 55 years. He loves his property on the shores of Lake Superior, but since his home was originally intended to be a summer camp, it lacks some of the amenities other homes in town have, like a sewer system.
"I have a septic in my yard buried under the ground that takes all my toiletry out of here," said Loehde. "If something happens to it in the winter, what am I going to do? Move out of my house? There's not much you can do in the winter."
The 42 homes on Island Beach Road also lack a sufficient water system. The water main is only a four-inch pipe and is not well circulated, causing problems with water quality and water pressure.
Resident Tom Krieg worries what would happen if his home caught fire.
"It scares me, the fact that we have inadequate water pressure for a reasonable amount of protection for our homes," said Krieg.
The proposed solution is a 3.2 million dollar street makeover including a replacement of the old road and the installation of a new water main and sewer system.
Resident Shirley LaBonte has fought for a new system for years.
"We've waited long enough," said LaBonte.
LaBonte lives at the end of the street's water line, and because she fears it's unsafe to drink, she gets her water someplace else. But she won't have to anymore. The city, who had previously deemed the project too expensive, finally approved it.
"There is now potentially stimulus money available, so last night at our budget meeting, we directed to the city engineer to proceed with it."
Low construction rates also helped the project get picked up. They hope to break ground within the next year.
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