A handful of downtown Mount Clemens merchants on Sunday got a taste of what’s to come this week as crews worked to repair a water main break on Main Street.
A portion of Main Street was closed for several hours as workers from the city utilities department and Sterling Heights-based Fontana Construction teamed up to tackle the repair effort in front of the Macomb County Circuit Court building.
The water main work comes two days before the city closes Macomb Place, a busy east-west street that cuts through the heart of Mount Clemens’ downtown business district and event area, for a $6.5 million construction project aimed at improving the infrastructure.
Store owners like Diane Kubik are bracing for the disruption the project will bring to the area. The work’s start will target a section of Macomb Place west of North Walnut Street.
“I think in the end, this area will be better because it will be updated and clean, and it will work much better for our public events,” said Kubik, the longtime owner of Max & Ollie’s Vintage Boutique store. “This area needs this so bad. I’m excited for when it it will finally be done.”
Some of the goals of the project are to make the Cherry Street Mall neighborhood more user-friendly and to improve area for its serving as the host for being the home of numerous public events.
It is the largest construction project in the downtown in 40 years, according to city officials.
Major construction includes work crews removing bumpy roads, crumbling curbs, existing brick pavers, and disassembling and relocating the Fountain Stage. Some 17 new trees will be added to city streets, along with new planters, and landscaping boulders that can be used as seats.
Construction on the downtown area was delayed from the spring of 2024 to now after city leaders leaders learned they needed to submit additional paperwork to be approved in order for federal funds to be released before work on downtown streets and underground drain systems can begin for the Cherry Street Mall area.
A $3.4 million funding allocation secured by Congressman John James that is coming through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant called for the city to complete an in-depth environmental impact study of the Macomb Place-Cherry Street Mall area.
VIL Construction of Sterling Heights was successful in bidding on the contract.
Mayor Laura Kropp said a section of Macomb Place will be closed beginning Tuesday. The road will be closed for the duration of construction.
All businesses and sidewalks on Macomb Place are open to traverse, and alternative parking is readily available nearby in the Roskopp and New Street parking lots.
“They’ll finally start tearing it up so they can get down to the below-ground pipes and infrastructure,” Kropp said. “But the area will be accessible, so people might not be able to park in front of their favorite store or restaurant, but the sidewalks will be clear to walk on.”
The Mount Clemens Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has been holding informational meetings for business owners and construction personnel for more than a year as the project loomed closer. The DDA is also working on various initiatives to inform the pubic the area’s shops and restaurants will be open.
Kubik, a former DDA board member, hopes the construction manager will tell her what’s the first thing to be done so she can gauge for herself the team’s progress as the work proceeds.
“When they’re doing this stage of work, it will be noisy, but we will be open for the whole time,” she said. “We will be flexible, but we want to keep our store open and I’m sure other businesses around here are feeling the same way.
“We’ll probably love it when it’s over, but we have a few issues along the way to get to that point.”
Construction began in mid-February and will take two years to complete, officials said.
