Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
'It's unbelievable, and it's sad'
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said a crew with WT Stevens Construction Inc. discovered a burned truck and damage dome to other equipment when they showed up at a staging area where equipment had been left in a parking lot behind the shuttered Bryant Elementary School on Friday, May 12.
The crew was preparing to work on water service line replacements, part of a massive effort to replace 6,000 of the connector pipes this year.
"I don't know what a motive could be," Weaver said at the site on East Pierson Road in Flint's 1st Ward. "When they are caught, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
"It's unbelievable, and it's sad," she said.
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
Contractor says work has been slowed but won't stop
Jeffrey Grayer, part owner and project manager for Stevens, said the company is committed to completing its work in Flint.
The city is using federal funds in an effort to remove and replace lead and galvanized service lines, which were damaged by corrosive water, leaching lead into the city's water supply.
"I'm really sad and displeased, and a little confused as to why," Grayer said of the damage done to equipment. "This, of course, is my hometown. I take much pride in the city itself and the residents and people who live here.
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
Work truck destroyed by fire
A Michigan State Police fire inspector rakes through the interior of a work truck destroyed by fire in the parking lot of Bryant.
Police are investigating the vandalism, and Weaver said they "have some information that leads us to believe" adults were responsible.
"That makes it worse that adults would do something like this -- that anybody would prevent us from getting clean water when we've been dealing with this for three years now...," Weaver said.
"To do this to people who are here to help us, you know, you have to hope the contractors don't say, 'I don't want to be bothered by this.
"If you all want to destroy yourselves (that's one thing, but) I don't have to be bothered with this' "the mayor said. "It's not fair to the contractors who are here to help us, and its not fair to the people."
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
Two subcontractors of WT Stevens Construction suffered losses
Equipment from two subcontractors of Stevens was damaged in the vandalism. The subcontractors are Hard Rock Drilling & Excavating and Gustafson Excavating, according to the city.
Stevens has the largest contract with the city for replacing service lines -- up to 2,700 lines in five different wards in Flint.
Its contract is for $10.9 million.
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
Windows smashed
"We don't know how far behind this will put us," Weaver said the destruction.
Flint just started an ambitious program to replace 6,000 service lines in 2017. So far, only about 950 service lines have been replaced in the city, and this year's effort just started late last month.
Companies awarded city contracts to do the service line work are Stevens, Goyette Mechanical Co., Lang Constructors, and Waldorf and Sons Inc.
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
'I don't know what a motive could be'
"I don't know what a motive could be," Weaver said of the vandalism. "It's (done by) a special kind of person. Special is a bad way."
Police "are trying to look at some video" that could be helpful in their investigation, she said.
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
Moving forward
Grayer said every piece of equipment on the site was damaged in some way.
"It was a huge setback for us," he said, but the company is "committed to making this happen. It's not going to stop us."
Ad Choices