Great news—the water samples have come back clean and your water is safe to consume! Thank you for your patience and understanding while we worked through this issue.
Splash Pad Update: While the water system is operating normally, the splash pad will remain closed for now. We are actively investigating the cause of the recent issue, and out of an abundance of caution, we’ve chosen to keep it closed until we can be sure it won’t happen again.
We appreciate your continued patience as we work to keep our community safe and informed.
Water samples were taken this morning, and the system is currently operating normally. However, the boil water advisory remains in effect at this time.
We expect to receive more information by tomorrow around noon, and we will provide an update as soon as possible.
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding!
We had a major control failure last night. The alarms that should have triggered to notify us of an issue failed for an undetermined reason. This is being investigated. The water system is now working normally, however, the boil water alert is still in effect until we can get the all clear from EGLE. We will continue to update the website and the Facebook page as more information becomes available.
Village of Lawton lost pressure and contamination may have occurred BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING
Due to a drop-in pressure in the Village of Lawton water supply, bacterial contamination may have occurred in the water system. Bacteria are generally not harmful and are common throughout our environment. Corrective measures are currently being undertaken to correct the situation.
What should I do? DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and preparing food. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Continue using boiled or bottled water until further notice.
What happened? What is being done? These precautionary actions are being taken due to the loss of water pressure in the water distribution system caused by a control issue on 06/27/2025. Whenever a water system loses pressure for any significant length of time, precautionary measures are recommended.
The Village of Lawton is working to get pressure restored, and water staff will be taking other remedial actions such as flushing and collecting bacteriological samples from around the system. The samples will be collected to determine that the water quality meets the state drinking water standards. We will inform you when tests show no bacteria and you no longer need to boil your water. We anticipate the boil will be in place for the weekend and we will update as more information becomes available.
This boil water notice shall remain in effect until results from the sampling verify the water is safe to drink. Customers will be advised when the boil water advisory has been lifted.
For more information, please email us at clerk@lawtonmi.org. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1(800) 426-4791.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
The Village of Lawton is currently accepting applications for a vacant Council Trustee Position to finish out a current term. This seat would be appointed until the next major election in November 2026, at which point the candidate can run for a regular 4-year term. If you would like to be considered to fill this vacancy, please fill out a board and committee application form found here. The application can also be found on our website under applications. Please submit all applications in person at 125 S. Main St Lawton, MI 49065, or emailed to clerk@lawtonmi.org. Please reach out to 269-624-6407 with any questions!
All candidates must be village residents and be registered to vote within the village in order to apply.
The Village of Lawton through Progressive SPR, the Design-Builder, is soliciting rebidding of the following individual work scopes for the construction of a new outdoor community pavilion: Work Category 06: General Trades Work Category 31: Earthwork and Site Utilities
Exterior work to include new public spaces with minor asphalt demo and replacement, concrete curb and gutters, concrete paving/sidewalks, concrete footings, site utilities, site lighting, and site demolition. Construction of a new wood framed pavilion with metal roofing, gutters, and downspouts, is to be included. New synthetic turf, picnic tables, benches, and trees are also to be included per bid documents.
Individual sub-contractor trade bids will be received for work as delineated in the Project Manual and Drawing Set issued for Bids & Permits. Electronic bid documents can be obtained from the Design-Builder at 1811 4 Mile Road NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525, Kathleen Lucas, klucas@weareprogressive.com.
Pre-bid meeting will be held Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. We will meet at the project site located at 119 South Main Street, Lawton, MI 49063.
Bid Due Date: Signed and sealed bids are due before 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at the Village Hall, 125 South Main Street, Lawton, MI 49065. Late bids will not be accepted. Bids will be publicly opened immediately following the bid due time at the Village Hall building.
Bids must contain: a signed Iran Economic Sanctions Act Certification and a sworn and notarized statement disclosing any familial relationships between the Bidder and the Village Manager or any/other village employees. Successful bidders are required to furnish 100% labor and material bond and 100% performance bond. Village of Lawton reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to award the contract in the Village’s best interest and may select a bidder other than the lowest bidder in accordance with the terms stated in the notice. See bid documents for all requirements.
Reporting Requirements Not Met for the Village of Lawton
We are required to report the results of your drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not your drinking water meets health standards. While we collected our monthly total coliform sample on time, we did not report the results to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) by the May 10, 2024, deadline for the April 1 to April 30, 2024, compliance period.
What should I do?
There is nothing you need to do at this time. This is not an emergency. You do not need to boil water or use an alternative source of water at this time. The results of the sample were negative for bacteria. Even though public health was not impacted, as our customers you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct the situation.
What happened? What is being done?
While we collected the sample on time, we inadvertently missed reporting the sample results to EGLE by the required deadline. We are required to monitor total coliform by collecting two samples per month. We collected the required samples on April 16, 2024, but failed to report the results until May 30, 2024. We are making efforts to ensure this does not happen again. We have already returned to compliance.
For more information, please contact: Todd Hackenberg 269-624-6407 / thackenberg@lawtonmi.org.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
Due to recent tornadoes in the Portage area, our contracted dumpster company has informed us there will not be dumpsters available for next week’s Spring Cleanup. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and plan to reschedule once dumpsters are available to us. We are working on rescheduling dates for this, and will let you know as soon as we have them available. Thank you for understanding.
The Village of Lawton through Progressive AE, the Architect, is soliciting bids for work as follows: REID’S CORNER: Exterior work to include new public spaces with minor asphalt demo and replacement, concrete curb and gutters, concrete paving/sidewalks, concrete footings, site utilities, site lighting, and site demolition. Construction of a new wood framed pavilion with metal roofing, gutters, and downspouts, is to be included. New synthetic turf, picnic tables, benches, and trees are also to be included per the bid documents.
Individual sub-contractor trade bids will be received for work as delineated in the Project Manual and Drawing Set issued for Bids & Permits. Electronic bid documents can be obtained from the Architect at 1811 4 Mile Road NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525, Kathleen Lucas, lucask@progressiveae.com, on or after March 7th, 2024.
Pre-bid meetings will be as follows: Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. We will meet at the project site located at 119 S. Main St, Lawton, MI 49063.
Bid Due Date: Signed and sealed bids are due before 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, 2024, at the Village Hall, 125 S Main Street, Lawton, MI 49065. Late bids will not be accepted. Bids will be publicly opened immediately following the bid due time at the Village Hall Building.
Bids must contain: a signed Iran Economic Sanctions Act Certification and a sworn and notarized statement disclosing any familial relationships between the Bidder and the Village Manager or any/other village employees. Successful bidders are required to furnish 100% labor and material bond and 100% performance bond. Instructions are in the bidding documents. Village of Lawton reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to award the contract in the Village’s best interest and may select a bidder other than the lowest bidder in accordance with the terms stated in the notice. See bidding documents for all other requirements.
The Village of Lawton DDA Meeting has been cancelled for Wednesday, December 13, 2023. The next regularly scheduled DDA meeting is scheduled to take place on January 17, 2024.
The Michigan State Housing Development Authority is offering homeowner assistance to encourage energy efficient housing repairs and upgrades for owner occupied homes. Eligible repairs up to $25,000 can be covered up to 90%. MI-HOPE can serve households that have incomes less than $300% of the Federal Poverty Level. To see the guidelines, visit MI HOPE Application Portal Frequently Asked Questions<Here> (for a one-person household the income limit is $38,640)
For a list of required documents necessary to apply, visit: MI HOPE Application Supporting Documents<Here>
To apply, visit: MI HOME APPLY NOW<Here>. If you need assistance to apply it is advised to call 211.
The next opportunity for family and community members to take an active role in the strategic planning process is Wednesday, March 8th. There will be two sessions available to choose from
Noon – 1pm at Lawton High School Board Room
5:00pm-6:30pm at Lawton High School Library
Please contact Ben Bandfield bbandfield@lawtoncs.org / 269.624.7901 with any questions
MDOT plans to rebuild or repave M-40 from 72nd Avenue to Lagrave Street, incorporating improvements to village storm sewer, water main, and sanitary sew, as well as incorporating desired elements from the village’s master plan, such as streetscaping, non-motorized and pedestrian safety improvements. Construction includes shoulder widening, intersection and drainage improvements, box culvert replacement at the Lawton Drain, and planting deciduous and evergreen trees.
During repaving work, there will be single-lane closures with traffic regulators. There will be total closures with posted detours during the rebuilding phase of construction.
Construction is planned in 2023-24, and tree planting is planned in spring 2025.
The Lawton Planning Commission AND Lawton Village Council will be holding a Special Joint Meeting on Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 7:00 pm at Lawton Village Hall, 125 S Main St, PO Box 367, Lawton MI 49065. A portion of the meeting will also be held on-site at 502 N Main Street, Lawton MI. During this special meeting, a Public Hearing will be held receive comments on a proposed site plan, variance request, and zoning ordinance amendment for 502 N Main Street, Lawton MI 49065.
Those who are unable to attend the meeting may submit written comments to the Village Manager at ImusL@LawtonMI.gov or the above-mentioned address. Written comments must be received before 4:00 pm on June 1, 2022. The Village will provide necessary, reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities at the meeting upon four (4) business days’ notice to the Village Clerk.
This notice is posted in compliance with the Open Meetings Act, Public Act 267 of 1976, as amended (MCL 41.72a (2)(3)) and the Americans with Disabilities Act. A copy of this notice is on file at Lawton Village Hall, located at 125 S. Main Street, PO Box 367, Lawton MI 49065, ph 269.624.6407 www.lawtonmi.gov
Village Request for Ordinance Investigation Form now available online.
Please complete form regarding any concerns including blight, parking in yards, code violations, loose animals, etc. and return it to the Village.
You can find the document HERE on our FORMS page under the “Citizen Concerns” tab, or by searching for “Request for Investigation” in the search field.