Municipal water is coming to the southeast corner of Oxford Township.

Last week, the township board voted 7-0 to award a $595,856 contract to the Wixom-based Stante Excavating for a project that involves extending a water main from Oxford Middle School southward, across the Crossroads for Youth campus, to the site of a proposed residential development on E. Drahner Rd.

Stante was the lowest of 10 bidders seeking to install 4,261 feet of 16-inch-diameter water main. Stante’s bid was well below the township engineer’s estimate of $750,000.

The highest bid received was $939,393 from F.D.M. Contracting based in Shelby Township.

This new main will accomplish two things.

One, it will supply water to Woods at Tullamore, a proposed site condominium development that’s to consist of 49 single-family detached units spread across 32.29 acres on the south side of E. Drahner Rd. The site is bordered by Crossroads for Youth to the east and the Oxford Hills golf course to the west and south.

Woods at Tullamore has received preliminary site plan approval and is awaiting final approval.

The other thing the new main will do is allow the township to eventually loop its water system in that area. At some point, the township wants to install a new main along E. Drahner and connect it to a main at M-24.

Having a looped system, as opposed to one with mains that dead-end, enables water to flow in more than one direction, which means users can still have access to it during line breaks or repairs.

To help pay for the $595,856 project, the developer of Woods at Tullamore is expected to prepay the tap fees that the township charges to connect to its water system.

In Tullamore’s case, it will cost them $6,075 per unit, which amounts to $297,675 for the whole development.

Tullamore has already paid for eight units up-front – a total of $48,600 – and is expected to prepay the tap fees for the other 41 units once the site has access to township water.

The rest of the money for the new main will come from the township’s water fund.