Christine Phillips of the OHM engineering firm explains the preliminary plan for a $1.3 million water main project on five streets in the village this fall.

Lisa Allmendinger | AnnArbor.com

The Village of Dexter is planning a $1.3 million water main replacement project on five streets this fall.

Preliminary plans were unveiled to the Village Council Monday night at a work session, and call for the replacement of all 4-inch water mains with 8-inch pipe on Fifth Street from Edison Street to Central Street, on Fourth Street from Inverness Street to Broad Street, on Hudson Street from Second Street to Fourth Street, on Edison Street from Second Street to Fifth Street and on Dover from Third Street to Fifth Street.

Forty percent of the funding for the project will come from the federal government, which will pay for $520,000 of the total project costs, said Rhett Gronevelt, of OHM, the village's engineering firm.

Following a major water main replacement project last year on Forest, Grand and Inverness, this will leave about 1,000 to 1,500 feet of 4-inch water pipe in the old section of the village, Gronevelt said.

The project, which currently does not include street construction because the pipes are located in village right-of-ways, is tentatively scheduled to begin around Labor Day and conclude around Thanksgiving, said Christine Phillips, an engineer with OHM.

Also included in the project are improvements to crosswalks, Phillips said. “We’ve removed some mid-block crosswalks so people are directed to street corners,” she said.

Some village trees will be removed from right-of-ways for the water main replacement, but all of the village’s street trees are tagged, and any that are slated for possible removal will be part of a comprehensive plan and discussed by the village’s Tree Board.

“There are some trees that are mature enough that are worth saving,” said Village President Shawn Keough, explaining that there is a boring technique that can be utilized to save healthy, large trees.

Residents who will be impacted by the water main work or tree removal will be contacted by the village and a meeting will be planned to explain the project.

Lisa Allmendinger is a reporter with AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Dexter stories, visit our Dexter page.