 | Reconstructing Sherman Hill: Safer Road Ahead!
Take a drive down M-37 later this month, past Buckley and North of Mesick, and you’ll see some of the latest Team Elmer’s handiwork. The Michigan Department of Transportation wanted to a reconstruct a section of the two-lane highway, in order to reduce overall pavement grade and boost traffic safety, and Team Elmer’s got the job. 
The stretch of road is known as “Sherman Hill,” a sequence of sharp highway curves, steep slopes, and treacherous pavement angles in great need of an overhaul. Elmer’s began the project earlier this year and will be taking up residence at Sherman Hill until June 22, re-constructing the stretch of road following MDOT engineered plans and specifications to reduce its steep grade and provide for straighter, safer traffic.
The Sherman Hill work is only phase one of a larger MDOT project concerning M-37, which will also reconstruct the Wexford County M-115/M-37 junction, add a roundabout in Mesick, and resurface three miles of the highway stretching from M-115 to 10 Road. The second phase is expected to being on August 12 and continue through October.
Click on one of the pictures above to learn more about the project and watch the work on Sherman Hill play out before your eyes! And be sure to subscribe to Team Elmer's on YouTube!
| | Fixing "Raccoon-gate": How Team Elmer's Helped Treat E-Coli at East Bay Park
When a family of raccoons decided to nestle their homes within the storm drains of East Bay Park, they probably didn’t anticipate the negative impacts they would have on a nearby family beach. But when the rain came and washed raccoon feces out of the drains and into the bay, E-Coli contamination rapidly spread throughout the waters of the small park.
City engineers developed a solution and The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting local waters, soon got involved, applying for and receiving a generous grant to help cover the costs. Enter Team Elmer’s to install the fix for the problem. Elmer’s got to work in late April, installing a trio of three-step filtration systems that will greatly cut back on bacterial contamination and keep problems like “Raccoon-gate” from recurring in the future. The steps of the new systems are outlined below:
1) Aqua Swirl System: Once installation was completed on an intricate weir structure, built to redirect water flow and integrate the new drainage systems with existing storm drains, Team Elmer’s implemented this aqua swirl system, a first-pass filtration feature. Though the project’s heavy lifting was handled in later steps, the aqua swirl system will prove useful in removing cigarette butts and other paper debris from runoff water flow. 2) Settling Tank: This 36,000-pound behemoth boasts dual-chamber separation that captures dirt, sand, and other debris that the aqua swirl system missed the first time around.  3) Helix Filtration System: This 54,000-pound stainless-steel screen filter piping structure features a precise fan system and treated antibacterial surfaces, designed to propel, attract, and filter E-Coli contaminants as water passes through the apparatus. An outlet pipe then sends the treated water to one of two catch basins.
 Once the water has been separated and treated, it is discharged to a retention area, built from catch basins and extensive elliptical pipe systems, which then carry it to an outlet channel. To slow the velocity of outlet water and reduce erosion risk, Team Elmer’s lined the channel with a riprap, “rock armor” wall. Now, the state-of-the-art water treatment system is ready for future raccoons and the water-loving public.
"We were very happy with Team Elmer’s," said Sarah U'Ren, Program Director for The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay. "The project was finished well within the given schedule with no major glitches or unforeseen problems. This job was The Watershed Center’s second major beach restoration project and the first involving an installation of a large concrete underground filter. Installation went flawlessly and Elmer’s met all challenges presented to them."
Click here to see more photos of Team Elmer's helping to eliminate E-Coli from East Bay Park!
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