Eastpointe, Roseville projects to get millions in state funding

EASTPOINTE/ROSEVILLE — Eastpointe and Roseville are set to receive funding for projects following the passage of the state’s 2025 budget.

State Sen. Veronica Klinefelt, a Democrat who represents Eastpointe and Roseville, worked to get these projects included in appropriations for the budget.

“This is an opportunity to invest in some of these aging communities that have struggled for years to deal with their infrastructure,” Klinefelt said. “I’m just excited that this is how we’re choosing to spend the money: on critical infrastructure, on projects that are really going to be transformative for these communities.”

 

Eastpointe
Eastpointe will receive $8 million in funding for a building that will house its Police Department and the 38th District Court.

Eastpointe City Manager Mariah Walton said the city acquired in early 2023 a space on Nine Mile Road, near Gratiot Avenue, that was for sale that once housed an auto repair shop. She said the new lot utilizes three parcels. Last year, the former repair shop was demolished to prepare for the new multidepartment building. The lot is currently vacant.

The engineering firm Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick proposed a new two-story structure on the site. The first floor would be dedicated to the Police Department, and the second would be for the court. Whether or not the new building has a firing range could impact the cost, according to Walton. If the building had a firing range, it would bring the total cost to approximately $17 million. If the building did not have the range, it would cost about $15 million. She said these figures include construction and things inside the building such as furnishings, information technology and alarms.

All the costs are preliminary, and a design would still need to be approved by City Council. Walton said a bond may be needed to pay for the remaining costs. The city is also open to grants to help fund the project.

“It’s at the beginning of the design phase, so we don’t know what it will actually include,” Walton said.

The proposed site would, unlike the previous building, have secure parking for police and court staff, according to Walton.

Walton said the current building was built in the 1950s and the court was added on in the 1990s. She said there are several operational issues in the building including a lack of private meeting space for defendants in the court and sewage leaks in the Police Department.

“The building and the infrastructure of the building is very old and very hard to keep up and maintain based on the length of it,” Walton said.

“It just wasn’t ever equipped to be a district court,” Klinefelt said.

Walton said there will be public meetings announced in the future to provide information and get feedback from the community about the proposed building. She estimated these would happen in August.

Eastpointe is also receiving an additional $3 million for a reconstruction of 10 Mile Road from Hayes Road to Cole Street. Klinefelt said that since it’s a county road, there would be county funds to match it.

“I’m thrilled to death about that because there was a less-expensive option that wouldn’t last as long, and we’ve already been through that with 10 Mile,” Klinefelt said. “This would be a deeper repair, a better repair that would last longer.”

 

Roseville
Roseville will receive $6.6 million toward a pump station and related projects totaling $12 million.

The cost of the pump station is about $4.5 million, Roseville Controller John Walters said based on an estimate from Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick, the city’s engineering firm.

Roseville Department of Public Services Director Rob DeBruyn said the pump station is getting a complete rebuild.

“These things are old — they’ve basically outlived their life cycle,” he said.

DeBruyn said the station will be transitioning from a wet well to a dry well. He compared the new system to a sump pump.

“Everything comes in an area and is pumped up and out,” DeBruyn said.

Walters said the other part of the funding will go toward fixing a force main and has yet to go out to bid. Walters said the estimated cost of the project is $7.5 million.

DeBruyn said a force main is necessary when the elevation for sewage is not on an incline.

“When sewage runs level, it needs to be forced,” DeBruyn said.

DeBruyn said this is a preventative measure.

“It’s an old line and we don’t like to wait for emergencies,” he said.

There is also money for road rehabilitation tied to the pump station and force main, according to Walters. He said the difference will likely be made up by the city’s water and sewer fund. Depending on the costs down the road, fees might need to be increased on residents. Though, he did say the city is actively seeking grants to close the $5.4 million gap.

“We’re not going to have to write the checks for another year, so we’ll be able to adjust fees next year if we need to,” he said.

Klinefelt said the project was advocated for by Roseville City Manager Ryan Monroe and other city employees. She said doing the project was preventative and would only become more costly the longer the city waited.