County Commission Chair Steve Shotwell said that McDevitt project is pressing forward.
First, he gave us some background. “We received a special grant from the State of Michigan given directly to our JCDOT, for us to repair and resurface and rebuild McDevitt from the Francis Street intersection all the way out to (US) 127 South” Shotwell said. He also said that there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen for the project, so it won’t be a quick fix. “That’s going to be a two-year project. It’s going to involve Summit Township Water Department and their Sewer Department; Consumers Energy and anybody else underneath that road. We’re hiring the engineering firm today.”
The two-year timeline means logistics issues, but Shotwell is optimistic. “We’re going to start it this year, and finish it next year. Hopefully also be able to move cars up and down it during the construction period.”
Also on Chairman Shotwell’s radar was the internship program launched by the county and South Central Michigan Works. “A year ago, Commissioner Williams and Commissioner Mahoney worked with Michigan Works to establish and internship program in Jackson County. Jackson County assisted with administrative help,” Shotwell said. “Young people were given an opportunity for different internships around the county and city that were actually career path oriented. They weren’t just simple jobs or repetative things like that but they were actually career path jobs. We’re going to get the evaluation of the 2018 program from Michigan Works, look at how we go forward in 2019 with the program. It works well.”
