City Engineer

The City Engineer is responsible for the handling, planning, oversight, and reporting on all city-led engineering projects including:

• Handling water, sewer, and roadway related constructions permits in the public right-of-way.
• Managing the Asset Management Program for infrastructure within the City right-of-way which includes planning, prioritizing and seeking funding sources for future infrastructure projects.
• Oversight of Engineering Consulting Services.
• Construction Progress Meetings and Site Inspections of ongoing construction projects.
• Responding to Citizen Concerns including Periodic Updates on Construction Progress.
• Administration of the City's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permits.
• Archives infrastructure project record drawings.
• Plan review and approval of infrastructure-related elements of new developments.

City Engineer: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Assistant City Engineer: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Address: 700 Broad Street
Phone: (269) 983-5541
Fax: (269) 985-0346

For information on the St. Joseph River - Bicentennial Bridge USGS Stream Gage, please click on it.

2022 Willa Drive & Lester Avenue, and Donna Drive Reconstruction Projects

September 16, 2022 Project Update

Donna Drive - South State to Lakeview Avenue

Sanitary sewer construction is now underway on Donna Drive, it is expected to continue into the coming week with completion on or about Friday, September 16, 2022.

Willa Drive – Botham Avenue to Highland Avenue

The project is nearing completion. Substantial completion will likely occur the week of October 3rd with final completion by October 15th. NCSC is targeting the week of October 3rd for asphalt paving. The concrete replacement on St. Joseph Drive will occur after the asphalt paving is completed on Willa Drive.

Most of the activity in the coming week will be on Willa Drive from Botham Avenue to Highland Avenue so this update will cover the project from the north end to the south end.

Road building is now underway and will continue into next week on Willa Drive from Botham Avenue to Highland Avenue.

NCSC road building, the trench is for the subgrade underdrain - the white pipe to the left of the excavator bucket and laborer.

NCSC informed the City that the Willa/Highland intersection will be closed this Monday (9/19/22) for road building. Once that is complete, the intersection will be reopened to local traffic, which is important because the concrete subcontractor is scheduled to mobilize on Wednesday, September 21st and that will impact access routes. The concrete sub-contractor will perform work in three areas as described below:

• Willa Drive – Botham Avenue to Highland Avenue – concrete curb & gutter, driveways and sidewalks will be poured.
• Willa Drive – Highland Avenue to St. Joseph Drive - as reminder, the Lester Avenue intersection will be paved with concrete. Once this is done, the homes north of the Lester intersection will need to use Highland Avenue for access, and south of the intersection, St. Joseph Drive for access. Concrete pavement typically takes 5 to 7 days to cure/ reach adequate strength for vehicular traffic.
• St. Joseph Drive – Curb and gutter will be placed, but as noted above, the concrete pavement will come last asphalt paving has been completed.

We thank you for your patience and please feel free to contact Sam Jablonowski, Abonmarche Project Engineer (email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., telephone: 269-605-9653) or City Engineer Tim Zebell (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., telephone: 269-985-0339) if you have any questions or concerns.

• Willa Drive: Botham Avenue to St. Joseph Drive
• Lester Avenue: Niles Avenue to Willa Drive
• St. Joseph Drive: Willa Drive to approximately 200 feet west of Willa Drive (most work in tree lawn area)

Donna Drive Reconstruction Project

• Donna Drive from Lakeview Avenue to South State Street
• South State Street: Donna Drive to approximately 200 feet south of Donna Drive (part-width improvements)   

The preconstruction public meeting notice is available at this link.

2022 Broad Street Resurfacing Project

Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR) Projects

The City recently awarded the contract for the 2022 Lead Service Line Replacement Project to Pajay, Inc from New Buffalo, MI.  The 2022 Lead Service Line Replacement Project will be in areas were identified in the 2017 Asset Management Plan for future construction. These areas are being targeted in an effort to reduce the coordination burden when the larger projects are underway. The project will also help the City meet the new regulatory requirements of the 2018 Lead and Copper Rule.  A map of the areas included in this project can be found HERE and a copy of the notice that was sent out in early May can be found HERE.  The work for the 2022 LSLR Project is currently underway. Repersentatives from Pajay will be contacting those included in the project to perform inspections and to schedule private side replacement work if any are found to be needed.

Two contracts from the FY 22 LSLR - Future Road Project have been completed.  This includes lead service line replacements on Broad Street from Main Street to Pearl Street and Botham Avenue from South State Street to Niles Avenue.  Work on this on Broad Street was completed this past fall.  Work on Botham Avenue is substantially completed with a small amount of work remaining due to a supplier error.  Kalin Construction Company will be finishing the work on Botham Ave in early to mid June of 2022.

The City Engineering Department awarded the contract for the FY 22 LSLR - High Lead Sample Results Project.  This includes properties from throughout the City that have particpated in the voluntary testing program and have received higher results.  This project also included properties that were impacted by the replacement of a nearby water service.  A small portion of water main reconfiguration on Miller Drive is also included in this project.  This work was awarded to B & Z Company.  This work was completed by B & Z Company in May of 2022.

Questions regarding the FY 22 LSLR projects should be directed to Assistant City Engineer Alex Austin, telephone: (269) 983-5541, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Lead Water Service Information

Please follow this link for more details. Lead Service Replacement Program

2022 Sidewalk Replacement Project.

The City recently conmpleted the 2022 Sideawalk Replacement Project which was awarded to Anlaan Corporation out of Grand Haven, Michigan.  This year's project waspredominately located in the southeast quadrant of the City (Harrison Ave to the south and Niles Ave to the east), though urgent repair work will be taking place throughout the City as well.  This work was completed in August of 2022.

Questions regarding the 2022 Sidewalk Replacement Project should be directed to Assistant City Engineer Alex Austin, telephone: 269-983-5541, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Program

Point of contact:

Tim Zebell, P.E.
City Engineer
Telephone: 269-983-5541
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The City recently completed Infiltration and Inflow Mitigation Monitoring Analysis work as part of the CSO National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) compliance permit in the fall of 2021.  The study can be found here, the power point presented to EGLE to revise the CSO NPDES compliance schedule is here and a power point covering the proposed I & I removal pilot project can be found here.

Smoke testing is planned northeast of City Hall, near the Fire Department and Catholic Church, in the near future to indentify sources of inflow to the santiary sewer system.  Addtional information on smoke testing is here.

Please see the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) Report for additional information here.

Asset Management Program

The first of three public meetings covering the City's Asset Management Program was held on Wednesday, March 2nd at 6 PM in City Commission Chambers.  This link will take you to a video of the meeting.  This is a continuation of the City's first asset management plan published in 2017 which established a process for the prioritization of projects.  Three public meetings associated were held in 2016-2017 as part of the the stormwater, asset management, and wastewater (SAW) grant process.  That information will not be repeated during the upcoming meetings, however, links remain posted (below) for those who want to learn more about the program.

1st Public Meeting Presentation.

2017 Asset Management/SAW Grant Information

Asset Management Plan

• 1st Infrastructure Open House - "How Your Infrastructure Works" 4/22/2017 Power Point Presentation link
• 2nd Infrastructure Open House - " Managing Your Infrastructure" 5/24/2017 Power Point Presentation link
• 3rd Infrastructure Open House - "Funding Your Infrastructure" 8/22/2017 Power Point Presentation link
• SAW Grant & Asset Management 8/22/2017 Meeting Handout

Public Meeting Maps

• St. Joseph Recent Projects Meeting No1.
• Lift Station Condition Public Information Meeting No1.
• Lift Station Service Areas.
• PASER Rating Map Public Information Meeting No1.
• Sanitary Consequence of Failure Public Information Meeting No1.
• Sanitary Manhole Condition.
• Sanitary Televised Status.
• Sewer Sanitary Criticality Map.
• Sewer Sanitary Year Installed Map.
• Sewer Storm Criticality Map.
• Sewer Storm Year Installed Map.
• SS Condition Public Information Meeting No1.
• ST Condition Public Information Meeting No1.
• Water Criticality Map.
• Water Main Breaks.
• Water Year Installed Public Information Meeting No1.

A Permit is required for work within the Right-of-Way.

The Right-of-Way typically includes the street, tree lawn and sidewalk area in front of your property. Please refer to the Right-of-Way Permit application - at the link that follows - for additional details on the requirements.

Right-of-Way Application (PDF)(revised 4-18-2019)

Please submit applications and supporting materials to Alex Austin at the contact information noted above.

City of St. Joseph and Southwest Regional Sanitary Sewer and Water Authority Standard Specifications and Details for new water main construction

• 2013_01_31WSJOB_StandardDetails-to_MDEQ
• 2013_01_31_StandardSpecs-to_MDEQ

Water Main Permits

Please contact City Engineer Tim Zebell for information on the water main permit approval process.