KALAMAZOO, MI — The city is Kalamazoo is rolling another underground update into work for the coming arena — though this one won’t close any additional roads in downtown Kalamazoo.
Arena developers are spending more than $2.6 million to relocate water and sewer lines beneath the building’s footprint, according to city documents. The city’s $300,000 investment in the project covers the cost difference between a 20- and 24-inch-wide pipe.
Upon completion, the city will own all of the updated infrastructure, Public Services Director James Baker said.
Now, the city plans to update a water main line south of the Kalamazoo Event Center’s footprint for an additional $530,770.
This work is unrelated to the arena’s construction, Baker said, but will use the same contractor.
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The $300 million arena is slated to be built on four blocks of land at West Kalamazoo Avenue and North Westnedge Avenue, over what used to be Cooley Street and Eleanor Street.
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Two blocks of Eleanor Street, between North Westnedge Avenue and North Park Street, could soon be vacated to make way for a new arena in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan. A block of Cooley Street between Eleanor Street and Kalamazoo Avenue, could also be vacated. (Provided by City of Kalamazoo)
By combining the two projects, the city avoids digging up Park Street twice — once to accommodate the arena and again to improve reliability between Water Street and Michigan Avenue, Baker said.
The additional 350 feet won’t impact the road closure timeline, Baker said. Work on Park Street, between Kalamazoo and Michigan Avenues, is expected to be complete by Sept. 30.
Map detailing routes around Park Street closures.City of Kalamazoo
Funding for the project comes from the city’s water and wastewater capital improvement fund, per city documents. Money in this fund is generated by city water and sewer customers.
New water and sewer lines in this part of the city are a necessity, Baker said. The existing infrastructure, built in the 1930s, cannot support the city as it grows over the coming decades.
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