The Oakland County road commission is hosting a public meeting to let Novi and Northville residents know about a two-year, two-phase renovation of Novi Road.

This section of Novi Road, between Eight Mile and Nine Mile roads, is used by an estimated 13,700 vehicles daily.

The project will start in 2025 and will cost an estimated $6.7 million. Much of the cost is federally funded. Any remaining cost will be divided among the road commission, Novi, Northville and the county’s general fund.

The work includes:

•  Reconstructing the curve between Eight Mile Road and Allen Road near the Rouge River.

•  Pavement milling (grinding off old pavement) and repaving with asphalt (2026).

•  Adding a center left-turn to create two northbound through lanes and one southbound through lane from Allen Road to Nine Mile Road.

•  Adding curbs and gutters where appropriate.

•  Installing storm sewers to improve drainage.

•  Renovating some side-street and driveway approaches.

•  Improving pedestrian crosswalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

•  Adding High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) beacons for pedestrians just north of Galway Street.

During the work, this part of Novi Road will be closed to through traffic. The detour will be 8 Mile Road to Meadowbrook Road to 9 Mile Road, back to Novi Road and vice versa. Drivers can expect intermittent lane closures when utilities are relocated.

The open-house-style meeting is from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Hillside Middle School, 775 North Center Street in Northville. Road commission officials will be on hand to answer people’s questions.

To learn more, visit the county road commission’s project page online: https://www.rcocweb.org/698/Novi-Road-8-Mile-Road-to-9-Mile-Road.

The last time Ann Haener-Maghran visited Waterford Township, Summit Place Mall was bustling. On Friday the 62-year-old Grosse Ile resident made the trip with friends to stand in line at the Oakland Expo Center, one of the newer buildings on the former mall’s site.

They came to see Kamala Harris, the Democrat running for president, with vice presidential nominee Tim Walz. The two, like Republican opponents Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, are making multiple trips to Michigan in the run-up to the Nov. 5 general election.

The invite-only event capped a full day for Harris that started in Grand Rapids and continued in Lansing. Later this month, she’ll campaign in Michigan with former first lady Michelle Obama and former president Barak Obama.

Haener-Maghran has sent postcards and made phone calls on behalf of the Harris-Walz campaign.

“There’s a lot on the line,” she said. “Whatever I can do to help Kamala Harris get elected, I will do … We should all exercise our right to vote. I’ve never missed an election, small or large … However you vote, just vote.”

Others had very specific reasons for supporting the campaign.

Novi resident Marika Peeples, 49, said it’s the first time she’s volunteered for a campaign. The election is important for everyone, regardless of their age and race, she said.

“We’ve seen how it was with (Trump) and we do not want to go back to that,” she said. “I believe it may be worse than what we lived through.”

Peeples is concerned about protecting bodily autonomy and the right to abortion.

“I’m not trying to have kids, but for my nieces – young ladies coming up in this world. They should have the same rights that I grew up with,” she said, adding that immigration is another key issue, “because except for Native Americans, we’ve all come from immigrants.”

Davisburg resident Jon Donegan, 63, said the U.S. is one of the few places on Earth “where we have the privilege of hopefully honestly electing the officials that represent us.”

He’s not a campaign volunteer, he said, because he’s still working full time, but he wanted to see Harris speak Friday evening.

Detroiter Leon Benson, 49, arrived with a friend, Marvin Cotton Jr., 44, from Birmingham.

Benson spent 24 years in an Indiana prison before being exonerated from a murder conviction when investigators discovered suppressed evidence that pointed to a different man as the killer. Today he works as a re-entry specialist for people leaving prison. He said he believes Harris will move criminal justice reform forward and has already seen changes by the Biden administration.

But he has a greater reason for supporting Harris, he said, quoting Tupac Shakur lyrics: “ … ‘we all came from a woman / Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman …’ Vote,” he said. “One of the biggest things about that for me as a Black man – It’s so important for me to support women’s empowerment. The other candidate I just cannot get down with that political rhetoric … and I don’t know why Donald Trump keeps shooting down Michigan. It’s really sad.”

Cotton said he’s heard recent stories that more Black men like himself are voting for Donald Trump.

“That’s not true,” he said. “I know that’s what the Donald Trump campaign wants Black men to believe. There’s no way Black men are going to support an open racist like Donald Trump. It’s not gonna happen.”

Marcus Johnson, 20, from Southfield, was also in line to Harris speak.

His comments during a Channel 4 town hall after the vice-presidential debate earlier this month went viral and he’s since appeared more than once on MSNBC. He scolded Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance over comments that Harris needed to take action now. Johnson pointed out that vice presidents don’t have executive powers – that’s reserved for the president.

He said he’s become a minor celebrity with his fellow Oakland University students. He wants people to vote, no matter what.

“Outside of the fact that it’s everyone’s civic duty, we should do it to honor our ancestors who fought for us to have the right to vote, and for the generations after us who don’t have that right, just yet,” he said. “Vote so we don’t have to fight the battles our parents and grandparents have already won.”

West Bloomfield residents Geena Nisula, 44, and her daughter, Nora, 9, arrived wearing matching T-shirts that read “Kamala, Aunty for the people.”

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“I kind of waffled about coming here today but my daughter really wanted to see Harris speak, so I pulled her out of school,” she said. "I really think it’s important for her to see a strong woman up there and see what leadership really looks like, especially in a woman.”

Pontiac resident Dan Lombardo, 64, stood outside the rally with no plans to go inside – he didn’t want to give up the large cardboard sign he held stating “CEASEFIRE.” Lombardo is part of the Uncommitted National Movement that is pressuring the Biden administration and the Harris-Walz campaign to work harder for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza. He said he’ll vote for Harris but he wants to see her do more for peace.

“If you grew up in the ‘60s like I did when they had Miss America pageants and when they’d ask contestants what they wanted, they’d always say, ‘I want world peace.’ Here is it 50 years later and we don’t have it,” he said, adding that regardless who is elected, he’ll continue working toward peace.

Five Macomb County lawmakers and four from Oakland County who want to toughen rules for one of the state’s largest stormwater treatment facilities met recently with state officials who oversee regulations.

State Rep. Alicia St. Germaine, a Harrison Township Republican who lives near Lake St. Clair, said they had a good discussion with officials from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) about the George W. Kuhn retention treatment basin in Madison Heights. But the lawmakers still plan to pursue legislation.

“We’re in a good starting place … we all want to work together to protect our waterways,” St. Germaine said.

She led lawmakers in introducing bills that would add more requirements for the Kuhn, including levying  large fines and requiring jail time for violating the new rules if the bills become law.

The bills would also give Macomb County a say in whether Kuhn’s five-year federal permit is renewed.

Harrison Township and St. Clair Shores recently passed resolutions supporting the bills.

Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller and some Republican lawmakers have complained that Kuhn’s federal permit expired a year ago.

The permit in question is issued by the EPA, called the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), and the state manages the permits which have to be renewed every five years.

Kuhn’s federal permit expired on Oct. 1, 2023. But the term “expired” isn’t accurate when referring to these permits, said EGLE spokesman Jeff Johnston.

“They remain in effect while new permits are being drafted and approved,” he said.

As long as a facility continues meeting federal and state regulations, a permit is extended.

That’s what happened in Macomb County, when the permit for its largest treatment basin, the Chapaton at the edge of Lake St. Clair, expired on Oct. 1, 2022. It was extended until a new permit was issued on Feb. 28, 2024.

The state has a backlog of permit applications; renewals often take years.

“EGLE has added additional permitting staff to address the permit reissuance backlog and has made progress in reducing it,” Johnston said.

EGLE officials are reviewing Oakland County’s renewal application. Before the permit is approved, the state will host a public hearing.

The virtual meeting among state lawmakers included St. Germaine and eight of her Republican colleagues. Five are from Macomb County, including St. Germaine, Joe Aragona of Clinton Township; Jay DeBoyer of Clay Township; Jaime Green of Richmond; and Doug Wozniak of Shelby Township. The remaining four are from Oakland County, including Tom Kuhn of Troy; Mike Harris of Waterford Township; Donni Steele of Orion Township; and Mark Tisdel of Rochester Hills.

The legislators spoke with EGLE Director Phil Roos, state Water Resources Division Acting Director Phil Argiroff, and Legislative Liaison Sydney Hart.

The lawmakers amplified Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller’s complaints that the Kuhn is polluting the Red Run Drain and Macomb is spending more to ensure fresh water than Oakland.

The Red Run Drain flows into the Clinton River and eventually Lake St. Clair.

EGLE spokesman Jeff Johnston said the Kuhn meets state and federal regulations but some “realistic and cost-effective changes might be possible.”

State officials will continue working with Oakland County on the permit, he said, adding “There are areas that might help further improve water quality in Red Run Drain that move past federal and state regulations. It’s too early in the process to be more specific.”

Jim Nash, Oakland County’s Water Resources commissioner, was not invited to the meeting. He said he expected EGLE officials to say what he’s been saying for weeks: The Kuhn is not polluting the Red Run Drain.

He said Macomb County’s storm drains begin about a mile from the Kuhn on the Red Run.

Macomb County recently spent $100 million in water infrastructure improvements including Chapaton. Improvements will add 13 million gallons of water storage for a total capacity of 41 million gallons during storms. Chapaton’s two-year upgrade started in 2023 and will cost $30 million – $25 million paid with American Rescue Plan Act money.

Oakland invested $144 million between 2003 and 2007 to upgrade Kuhn, the largest retention treatment facility in Michigan and capable of treating 150 million gallons of stormwater and sewage.

“There are 23 of these treatment basins in southeast Michigan and we all operate by the same rules,” Nash said. “We’re doing damn good work and I’m really proud of my people.”

Nash said “97% of the year all flow is sent to a Great Lakes Water Authority wastewater treatment facility in Detroit for processing.

That changes during a heavy rainstorm or when a large amount of snow melts. The Kuhn takes on stormwater and sewage that would otherwise back up into area basements.

Stormwater rushing into the Kuhn is filtered, skimmed to remove debris picked up from roads and buildings. The water is disinfected with bleach before being released into the Red Run Drain. Earlier this year, one of nine bleach tanks malfunctioned but has since been repaired and the other eight tanks updated, according to Oakland County officials and EGLE reports.

Other retention treatment basins may use ultraviolet light for disinfection, Nash said, but the end result is the same.

“You wouldn’t want to drink that water, but you could swim in it. That’s the standard all retention treatment basins in the state have to meet,” he said.

St. Germaine said lawmakers raised concerns in Tuesday’s meeting that bleach could damage the environment. Large amounts of bleach can potentially kill fish and other species in the drain. She said EGLE officials discussed having the bleached water dechlorinated before it’s released into the Red Run.

Macomb County’s Chapaton facility also uses bleach for disinfecting combined storm and sewer water. St. Germaine said she was unsure if requiring the Kuhn to dechlorinate its water would result in Chapaton and other retention treatment basins having to do the same.

She said the real fix will be separating combined sewers so stormwater can be handled separately from sewage – an option Oakland County officials said will cost billions of dollars.

“We know this is going to take federal funding,” she said. “Recently Chicago and New Orleans received massive funding to upgrade their infrastructure. If we all work together we can be right there – together with Chicago and New Orleans.”

St. Germaine said one recourse she hadn’t considered is working with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), which has a stormwater assistance program. https://www.semcog.org/stormwater

“We could get engaged with SEMCOG,” she said.

“(The lawmakers) need to reach out,” said Nash. “Macomb County (public works officials) can tell them what’s going on.”Nash co-chaired SEMCOG’s water resources task force last year and helped produce a report on green infrastructure and ways to reduce runoff into sewer systems.

“We’ve been working on this regionally for years,” he said. That includes developing a workbook for Oakland County communities to help reduce storm runoff by updating local ordinances.

One example, he said, is reducing the number of parking spots required for businesses.

“You don’t need to have a parking spot for every square foot of a building as long as you have parking nearby,” he said. “Reducing parking spots reduces a crazy amount of runoff.”

Such changes along with adding green infrastructure in the form of more trees, shrubs and gardens on both public and private spaces helps, too, he said. In those areas, heavy rain can seep into the ground more quickly rather than running off into nearby storm drains.

Nearly $6.9 million in grants will help Pontiac with everything from buying downtown property to replacing the Martin Luther King Jr. bridge.

In order to use grants, the council must officially accept them and follow certain rules. Tuesday, the council will vote to accept:

•  $2 million: Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for downtown property acquisition and redevelopment.

•  $4.1 million: HUD’s community project fund to help pay for replacing the Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Bridge and making road repairs between South Boulevard and Woodward Avenue. The city shut down the bridge in August 2022 after an inspector found dangerous conditions.

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At that time, Mayor Tim Greimel estimated the bridge would cost at least $9 million to repair but the estimate is now closer to $15 million. The state made a $10 million grant for the work. The city will pay for any costs over the $14.1 million.

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•  $750,120: The money from the Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources SPARK program, administered by the Council of Michigan Foundations, will be used to demolish the long-vacant Ewalt Community Center in Galloway Lake Park and to remove dead trees, brush and weeds under the live trees at the park.

•  $10,000: The council will consider accepting a grant from the Voters Not Politicians’ education fund. The money is to support communication from the city that raises voters’ awareness of early voting options including drop box locations, early vote center locations and hours.

The city continues to operate without a full-time finance director after  Timothy Sadowski resigned in January.

The council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, at Pontiac City Hall, 47450 Woodward Ave.

Getting the word out about the many ways domestic violence remains a hidden problem is one of Pontiac-based Centro Multicultural La Familia’s big goals.

On Friday, the group hosted its fifth and largest-ever annual awareness march and resource fair, drawing close to 100 people. Sonia Acosta, Centro’s executive director, said her organization’s new location, 91 N. Saginaw St. in downtown Pontiac, helped because it’s more accessible.

Speakers reminded those gathered that it takes between seven and 11 attempts for a person to escape a violent home environment.

Acosta said there are many reasons people in violent relationships stay, but “it’s not because they want to be there.”

Language barriers, threats to sever a partner’s connection to their children, lack of financial resources are just a few reasons.

“Some highly educated, well-off people are just too embarrassed to tell anyone what is happening,” she said.

Waterford Township resident Silvia Carrera, 19, attended with her mother and sisters. She said people should learn the signs of domestic violence and be willing to speak up if they sense someone needs help.

“But don’t judge them,” she said.

Elizabeth Benouaguef, Centro’s victim services director, said most people don’t realize there are five different types of domestic violence: physical, emotional, financial, social (by isolating a victim) and using or limiting technology.

Deya Marchand, personal development and personal growth workshop coordinator, said broken bones and bruises aren’t the only signs of abuse, which can include sleeplessness, depression, isolation and anxiety.

Twenty organizations joined the resource fair, including HAVEN of Oakland County, which helps victims escape violence, county health resources and the Pontiac Housing Commission. Drawings helped, too. Prizes included a $50 cash prize, books, and gift certificates for cider mills. Attendees were invited to fill bags with fresh produce used to decorate a large table at the resource fair.

In addition to raising awareness, Cento Multicultural provides mental and physical health support and education, skills classes and small business support in English and Spanish to empower people from all walks of life.

Weekly programs are planned this month to create community and educate people who want to learn more about domestic violence in all its forms and what they can do to escape or help others.

Learn more at https://centromulticultural.org.