PUBLIC SERVICES NEWS

Great things are happening all over the City of Kalamazoo. Here are a few highlights, and stay connected by following @kalamazoocity on social media or visiting kalamazoocity.org.

Free Program Helps Reduce Utility Costs and Improves Home Energy Efficiency

Kalamazoo water and sewer customers can benefit from a free program to help reduce their bills and make their homes more energy efficient. The City of Kalamazoo is partnering with Consumers Energy and encouraging City utility customers to take advantage of their free Home Energy Analysis Program.

Customers can request a free home energy assessment, during which a trained analyst will identify ways to make your home more efficient. You may receive up to $50 of water and energy saving products for free. This may include things like LED light bulbs, efficient shower heads, or even programmable thermostats for qualifying customers.

By making your home more efficient, you could save up to $150 per year.

Customers that wish to schedule a Home Energy Analysis can contact Consumers Energy directly by calling (888) 316-8014 or online at consumershomeenergy.com and selecting promo code Kzoo21.

Lead Water Service Replacements Continue with a 2,000-Replacement Project Planned for 2022

In 2020, the City of Kalamazoo replaced 589 lead water services in our system, the most ever in a single year. This number will continue to rise as the City completes a replacement project in the Eastside and Eastwood (Kalamazoo Township) neighborhoods this year, and plans a 2,000-service project that could start as early as this December.

The $20-million project will cover the area north of Kalamazoo Avenue to the Township line between Nichols Rd and the Kalamazoo River. It is expected to be completed in 2023.

In addition to these large planned projects, the City of Kalamazoo continues to offer free testing for lead and replaces services as needed based on the results.

A grant from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation will fund major updates to Mountain Home and Jewish Mountain Home Cemeteries (Photo: Scott Harmsen). Kalamazoo’s groundwater-based water system does not have lead present at its source or in water mains. However, lead can enter water when in contact with a lead service line, pipes, solder, or fixtures in a building’s interior plumbing. Free NSF certified filters are available at no charge to customers who have undefined or lead services.

More information about the City of Kalamazoo’s commitment to protecting our community from lead is at kalamazoocity.org/lead.

Grant Funding Awarded for Traffic Safety, Cemetery Improvements

More than $1.3 million in grant funding has been awarded to the City of Kalamazoo to improve traffic safety and make repairs at Mountain Home and Jewish Mountain Home Cemeteries.

The Michigan Department of Transportation has awarded $630,980 to improve safety at more than 30 intersections in 2022. Three separate projects

were approved for up to 90% federal funding through the Highway Safety Improvement Program. Funds will be used to add audible pedestrian speakers at 32 intersections, install traffic signal backplates at 28 intersections, and complete and implement a signal optimization study to improve traffic at the intersections of Michigan Ave at Mills and Riverview Dr at E Michigan.

A $687,820 grant from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation will fund major updates to Mountain Home Cemetery and Jewish Mountain Home Cemetery this year. Work will include repairs to the roadway, retaining walls, stairways, and catch basins, as well as forestry work and repairs to buildings on the property.

Natural Features Protection District Update

The Natural Features Protection Review Board is currently reviewing the overlay district map to determine if there are other natural features that our community should protect. Based on this review, the Board is expected to propose an expansion of protected areas this spring.

Kalamazoo’s natural features are an important part of the city and protecting them has many benefits. These protections safeguard our water, support biodiversity, beautify the city, and have benefits for mental and physical health. Properties located in the Natural Features Protection Overlay District must follow certain rules during large building projects or developments to protect these features.

Proposed changes would need approval from the Planning Commission and City Commission, and will be available for public review and comment throughout the process. A schedule of meetings and any proposed changes to the map or ordinance will be posted at imaginekalamazoo.com once they are available.

Proactive Asphalt Preservation Among Road Work Planned for 2021

2021 will be a busy year as we work to upgrade our infrastructure and improve our streets. More than 40 projects are planned to make our streets safer, improve pedestrian infrastructure, resurface roadways, and upgrade our utility systems.

This work includes a new pavement preservation program to improve the quality of our local streets. These projects will extend the life of roads while they are still in good condition, while others are milled and repaved.

It’s more expensive to repair roads that are in poor condition, so this proactive approach is a cost-effective way to improve our streets. By adding pavement preservation, more than twice as many lane-miles of local streets can be improved in 2021.

These preservation projects will use processes called chip sealing and fog sealing to extend pavement life. Chip sealing is a multi-step process. An aggregate (small stones) is applied to the street over a layer of liquid asphalt. The aggregate is then compacted and swept to remove excess material. A top coating of asphalt is applied (fog sealing) to complete the process. This creates a flat and uniform surface with a waterproof seal. Chip and fog sealing were used on Burdick Street in 2017 with great results.

You can find more information about pavement preservation and all planned street projects at imaginekalamazoo.com/projects.