Aug. 25--Their wastewater treatment plant may smell from time to time, but CH2M Hill OMI's commitments have sure passed the sniff test.

The private company, which did some $30 million in renovations to Traverse City's plant five years ago, now runs it for the city at a cost of $2.3 million a year.

When asked about a spike in odor complaints CH2M Hill OMI project manager Scott Blair didn't blink. "... (M)y base assumption is it's us and we need to address it," Blair said.

You read that right: "... we need to address it."

Blair said recent maintenance work or leaks in the plant's air system may be to blame.

"I'm desperate to understand ... (I)f we're not there yet, we're still on it," he said.

"There will always be issues that come up. I look at it as an ongoing process we commit to aggressively keep up with" he said.

A breath of fresh air.

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