Combined Sewer Overflow Project Update
Meeting with Mayor O'Reilly: January 9, 2008
From the Dearborn Police Department: February 1, 2008
CSO Permit Parking Update: February 7, 2008
City of Dearborn CSO page
Meeting with Mayor O’Reilly by Karen Milligan
On Wednesday, January 9th Ned Nikodem, Karen and Tom Milligan, and Tom Zimmer met with Mayor O’Reilly to
discuss our concern/displeasure with several aspects of the CSO project to date. We were pleasantly surprised to
find Godfrey Udoji, Jim Murray, Dean Montrief, Kurt Giberson, Mark Guido, and Lawrence Gilbert also in
attendance. These people are instrumental in all decisions and applications regarding the CSO project.
Our list of concerns was:
1. What happened to the trees? We all understood that not all the trees were going to be cut. We all understood
that trees were being tagged, and that only the ‘bad’ trees would be cut.
2. Does the work really have to begin at 7:00am? If so, are the workers allowed to gather with their engines idling,
waiting for the 7:00 start time?
3. We were promised that the construction workers would not be allowed to park on our streets. Why are there
routinely 4-7 vehicles belonging to construction workers parked on Alexandrine?
4. What can be done about the trespassers who use the construction area for ‘off-roading’ in their SUVs?
5. How is the area going to look when the project is completed? Specifically, will the cement caisson be ‘above
ground’? Is there a plan to replant the vegetation?
What about the wildlife?
Discussion and answers:
1. Yes, it appears that all of us, including Mayor O’Reilly were working under the misassumption that when we were
told not all trees would be cut, that meant the trees in the woods! As it turns out, it meant that some trees along the
outside boundaries of the construction zone would be spared. Mayor O’Reilly asked to see the plan that had been
presented at the association meetings. He observed that unless one is an engineer, or has expertise in reading such
plans, there would be no way of understanding that the depiction represented completely cleared ground. He said that
he was as shocked as the rest of us to see the clear-cutting that had occurred.
The tagging of the trees was not a figment of our imaginations, however. Every tree was tagged, measured, and
identified. The information was used to make a diagram of the woods as they were before the project began, much like a
landscaper’s plan; every tree is labeled. There is also a separate inventory list of trees according to type, size, and
number.
2. Yes, the work does have to begin at 7:00am. No, the workers are not allowed to idle their engines in anticipation!
According to Dearborn’s noise ordinance, the hours of operation could be 7:00am to 10:00pm. However, except for
the possibility of some ‘light work’ during the summer, construction will routinely end around 7:00pm. The officials
acknowledged the noise and vibration factor and warned that there will be times that the noise will get much worse,
depending on what work is being done.
In an effort to reduce noise, dust, and general ugliness, there will be a construction fence put at the edge of the 30 foot
buffer zone. This will be covered with the green mesh material used at golf courses. Those residents whose yards are
‘in’ the construction zone will have the option of having mature trees planted in front of the fence to aid in the noise
deadening, dust screening, beautification effort. There will be a preliminary meeting and then individual residents will be
consulted. This planting would take place in early spring.
3. Construction workers are not allowed to park on our streets. The supervisors know this; however, when sub-
contractors are involved, the message doesn’t always reach everyone. Several solutions were suggested. There will be
a sign posted saying ‘No CSO Construction Parking’ on Alexandrine. There is also the possibility of issuing each
household a set of tags to be hung in vehicles that belong in the neighborhood. Any vehicle parked without a tag would
be subject to a warning with subsequent violations resulting in a ticket. As this system could prove to be inconvenient
and/or cumbersome to those residents who have a lot of visitors, it was suggested that we wait and see what results we
get with the sign before implementing this and other possible measures. A third option is that police will check the
registrations of vehicles parked on Alexandrine and if found to be not registered to residents, the vehicles will first
receive a warning and then a ticket.
4. There will be a ‘No Trespassing’ sign erected, along with a construction fence and gate. The police will respond
to calls reporting trespassers.
5. No cement from the caisson will rise higher than the earth surrounding it, so there will be nothing sticking up out of
the ground. The earth around the caisson, however, will be mounded considerably. The mayor asked if it would be
possible to mound an additional 2-3 feet of earth on top to create an ‘earthen roof’ masking the cement. This would be
planted, much like the ‘green roof’ of Ford’s Dearborn Rouge Truck Plant. An irrigation system would be needed to
implement this suggestion. This possibility will be explored as the project nears completion. If nothing is put over the top,
cement will be visible from overhead, but not from ground level.
In the meantime, the mound will grow considerably higher during the construction of the caisson, but will then be leveled
off. The final height is to be 6-8 feet below the grade of Military. The ‘mound’ will slope down to the level of the
surrounding ground.
There is indeed a plan in place for replanting the entire area. It is a detailed landscaper’s plan, with all vegetation noted
and labeled. It was made with the input and advice of environmental landscapers. The Friends of the Rouge have seen
the plan and given it their stamp of approval. At the end of the project, the area should look like the nature trail/area in
Ford Field. The habitat that will be created will be more conducive to frogs, toads, and other wetland wildlife. A copy
of this plan will be put on the City of Dearborn website, and linked to the Riverbend Neighborhood Association
website. We have requested an artist’s rendering of the finished project as well.
Other notes:
1. The project on Alexandrine at Reginald is due to begin within the next month. It will last about a month. The
streets will be restricted but not closed. There will be large dump trucks carrying away the excavated earth.
2. At some point during the construction there will be a pedestrian walkway at Military and Alexandrine. Pedestrians
will have to cross Military, walk south, and then cross back to the west side to get to school, church, etc. Stop signs will
be placed on Military to north and south traffic.
3. The ‘pumping station house’ will be built at Military on the north side of the river. It will be designed, with input from
the residents, to fit in with the architecture of the neighborhood.
4. There will be a CSO website developed and linked to the Riverbend Neighborhood Association website. In
addition to the resources mentioned above, (plans, landscape drawings), there will be a work schedule so that we will be
informed and prepared for potentially (more) disruptive activities.
5. Yes, the project is going to take 30 months. (But only 28 ½ now!)
In conclusion, the meeting was very positive and informative. Mayor O’Reilly reminded the department heads and
construction supervisors that while they have done several of these projects, they have not yet done one in a
neighborhood. He reminded them of the impact it will have on the residents and told us to feel free to report problems
to Jim Murray as they arise. It did appear that all parties concerned are willing to work with us and address our questions
and concerns.
To quote Jim Murray, Deputy Director of the Department of Public works,
“As Mayor O'Reilly indicated it is our collective goal to work closely
with you on this difficult and intrusive project. Once finished the long
term benefits to our community's health, safety and environment and that
of the Rouge River and the Great Lakes will be something we, and those
who come after us, will look back on with pride. It is also our goal
that we will be able to say the same about the way the project was
constructed.”
From the Dearborn Police Department
Installation of Signs in Neighborhood
The police department is in the process of installing the following signs:
1. No CSO contractor/worker parking
(in the entire Riverbend neighborhood)
2. Stop
(near Alexandrine and Military)
3. Stop Ahead
(near Alexandrine and Military)
4. No Trucks
(near Alexandrine and Military)
5. Sidewalk Closed-- Pedestrians Must Cross
(near Alexandrine and Military)
It will take 1-2 weeks to have these signs in place, depending on weather.
Parking by Permit Only
The permit parking system is a tool that would prohibit, restrict, or limit how a vehicle is parked or utilized on a public
street along with empowering officers to write violations on a legal basis.
Every house will be issued 2 permits. Extra permits may be requested in the case of special circumstances. It will be the
responsibility of the home owner to distribute permits to guests, or to park the permitted vehicles in the street and let
company use the driveway.
The following policy has been developed for the officers when enforcing in this area:
Once the signs are in place and the permits are distributed, the Patrol Division will be responsible for enforcement. All
officers will be informed that there is a zero tolerance parking policy for commercial vehicles, with exceptions being made
for short term professional services (ex. lawn cutting service, service repair contractors, etc.)
In an attempt to minimize the impact on the residents, prior to issuing a violation to a personal vehicle officers shall make
every attempt to determine if the vehicle is registered and properly parked within the defined permitted area. If a resident
should receive a ticket we will work with the Legal Department for a resolve.
Home owners should contact Sgt. Douglas Topolski, Dearborn Police, Traffic Safety Bureau, (313)943-2275;
FAX: (313)943-2205 to give advance notice of events or circumstances that will bring un-permitted cars to the
residence.
CSO Permit Parking Update
As you are by now aware, we are instituting a policy of "Permit Parking Only" in your neighborhood, at the request of the
neighborhood association, in order to address complaints of too many CSO contractor vehicles parking on your
streets. This is the only way we can compel contractors to park in areas other than your neighborhood. The purpose
of this letter is to update you as to the enforcement and permit policy we will be following. "Permit Only Parking" will be in
effect from 7:00am to 7:00pm, Monday through Saturday.
• Permit policy: We initially issued two permits to each address with a provision for issuing more based on a
reasonable need. Each address should have off-street parking for at least two vehicles. With two permitted vehicles
parked on the street, that equals parking for at least four vehicles at each address. Today alone, I've received requests
for over 30 additional permits from just 5 callers. At this rate, the 300 additional permits we ordered will be gone within a
couple weeks. Unfortunately, I'm in the position of having to be somewhat subjective in how I issue the additional
permits. For example, I don't have a problem issuing additional permits in the case of someone who has multiple
healthcare providers who come and go at irregular intervals, but I'm afraid if I honor the requests of those who want a
permit for every visitor and family member they expect to receive over the next 30 months, I'll either run out of permits in a
week's time, or waste funds purchasing an inordinate number of permits.
We understand that it's inconvenient to have to switch the permits from car to car, or jockey cars around when a
driveway is only wide enough to accommodate one vehicle, but hopefully the enforcement policy outlined below will help
allay any fears you may have of parking enforcement officers issuing tickets in an unreasonable manner.
• Enforcement Policy: Our officers will be advised to only issue tickets as a result of a complaint received through
our dispatchers. As long as we do not receive complaints from your neighbors, you will not be receiving parking tickets
even if you do not have one of your permits displayed from a vehicle parked on the street. Your neighbors should
generally be able to differentiate between a contractor's vehicle and someone visiting your house. In addition, if we do
happen to receive an inadvertent complaint against a resident's vehicle from a neighbor, our officers will make every effort
before issuing a ticket to determine whether the vehicle is legitimately parked, or whether it belongs to a contractor
parked on your street contrary to the policy.
Please remember that this policy was not put in place to generate parking tickets, but rather at the request of your
neighborhood association to deter contractors working on the CSO project from monopolizing the parking on your
street. If you or one of your visitors should happen to receive a citation for parking on your street without a permit, do
not pay the ticket before contacting me, as I will be able to cancel the ticket if it was written in error. This only holds true
for "Parking Without a Permit" tickets. I won't be able to do anything for "Fire Hydrant" or "Blocking Sidewalk"
tickets. I do not anticipate this being a significant issue and would ask that residents give the policy a chance to work
before asking for many more parking permits. We are attempting to address the complaints of the residents who are
experiencing a problem with contractor parking while keeping things as convenient as possible for those who are not
currently experiencing this problem.
Sincerely,
Sgt. Douglas Topolski
Dearborn Police, Traffic Safety Bureau
(313)943-2275
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