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04/27/2007
Project still going despite no timeline
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PETOSKEY — Excavation is complete and utility work is underway for the Petoskey Pointe condominium and hotel project. But contractors heading the $60 million project slated to take up an entire city block downtown have yet to announce a definite time line for actual construction. "We don't have anything to report besides the utility work,” said John Grezlak of J.M. Olson Corp. Grezlak said he expected foundation work to begin "shortly,” but declined to be more specific. He said a contractor had been selected to do the cement work, but would not divulge which one. "Within the next few weeks we should have more information,” he said. The project, expected to include a 160-unit hotel-condominium plus retail space, suffered significant delays after an unsuccessful citizen opposition referendum and, later, snags in property acquisition. Five buildings along Petoskey Street were razed last summer and workers spent the fall and winter clearing and excavating the site bordered by U.S. 31 and Lake, Petoskey and Mitchell streets. The site is now excavated for an anticipated two-level underground parking structure with retaining walls along three sides. City officials allocated $32,000 in the current budget for Traverse City consultants Gosling-Czubak Engineering Services to monitor construction. Representatives from the firm have been to Petoskey "a couple of times to look at retaining wall,” city manger George Korthauer said. Korthauer said the project is moving ahead. Much of the recent work, including finishing the retaining wall and waterproofing it with a plastic liner, isn't very visible, he said. "I've heard comments about how the project has stopped but there's been a lot of work going on there continuously,” he said. "As far as I know, work is progressing.” Work currently under way involves running sanitary and storm sewer lines both beneath and along U.S. 31. Developers Lake Street Petoskey Associates are funding it, Korthauer said, though the city also is "taking advantage of the fact that it's already being excavated” to do some additional electrical upgrades. Sewer and electrical work will have traffic on U.S. 31 reduced to two lanes near downtown for a little more than a month, Korthauer said, adding that the entire road will be open again well ahead of the busy summer season. "We look at the end of May as a start, but generally we don't get a lot of traffic until school lets out,” he said.
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