Albion Tackles Road Repairs with Eye Toward Transparency and Infrastructure Accountability

The City of Albion has been tackling long-standing infrastructure challenges with new urgency this summer, addressing sinkholes, water main failures, and deteriorating roads. At the August 5 City Council meeting, Director of Public Works Jason Kern presented a detailed overview of current issues and progress. Additional insights from Interim City Manager Doug Terry and City Treasurer David Clark helped contextualize the significant financial investments being made and the reasons why they can no longer be postponed.

One of the most visible signs of Albion’s infrastructure needs is on Berrien Street, where a large sinkhole has formed. The problem is not just on the surface. Jason Kern’s slideshow showed multiple cracks and fractures in the underground water pipes, including a hole in the bottom of one pipe segment. A detailed blueprint and inspection camera images illustrated the scope of the damage, which Kern said will require a full pipe replacement. He estimated the cost of replacing the water main on Berrien Street alone at over $400,000. With similar work needed across the city, the total expense could climb into the millions.

This large-scale work has become necessary because many of Albion’s water and sewer systems date back more than a century. At the council meeting, Treasurer David Clark explained that while some of the costs can be offset by grants, others will fall to the city’s general fund and utility customers. “These are not optional upgrades,” he said. “This is about public safety and basic functioning of our systems.”

Interim City Manager Doug Terry shared context that came from his time as interim city manager in Litchfield. “It’s not that the rates are high now,” he said. “It’s that they were artificially low before.”

In a conversation earlier this week, Interim City Manager Doug Terry shared context that came from his time as interim city manager in Litchfield. There, he led a study of water rates in 17 surrounding communities and found that Albion consistently had the lowest water rates in the area. “That may sound good at first glance,” he said, “but it turned out the reason was that Albion had deferred maintenance on its water system for years. Now we’re seeing the results of that.” Terry emphasized that the higher costs residents see today are the result of years of underinvestment. “It’s not that the rates are high now,” he said. “It’s that they were artificially low before.”

As part of this renewed focus on infrastructure, Jason Kern emphasized the importance of clear public communication. At the Council meeting, he walked through not just the visible surface issues, but also the underground problems that residents cannot see. These include fractured pipe segments, unsupported pavement, and hazardous voids beneath the road surface.

Photographs and technical diagrams help tell the story. In one image, a sinkhole near a manhole cover on Berrien Street reveals an empty cavity beneath the pavement. In another, Kern’s camera inspections show corrosion and structural failure inside several segments of sewer pipe. The scale of the damage, and the risk it poses, has made infrastructure a top priority for City Hall.

While much of the cost is being covered by grant funding, especially for lead line replacements and water quality improvements, Kern and Clark both noted that matching funds and ongoing maintenance must come from the city budget. This means more careful budgeting and, in some cases, higher water bills. But both emphasized that these investments are vital to protect Albion’s future.

Councilmembers and staff acknowledged that not every resident follows Council meetings or uses social media, and that’s why public updates in the local newspaper and other outlets are essential. “People need to understand what’s happening under their streets,” Kern said.