Explore the torch-lit trails during an “Evening Winter Walk” at the Van Raalte Farm 7 p.m. today. Snowshoes will be provided for the walk if there is adequate snow.

A naturalist will lead the walk as participants look for tracks of wildlife, listen for owls, and view the night sky. Animals that can be found on the farm include fox, turkeys, rabbits, mice, songbirds, owls, deer and more.

Cost is $2 per person. Registration is required by calling (616) 355-1057.

Van Raalte Farm is located at 1076 16th St. Those attending the event are requested to park in the lot and walk up to the farm house.

For a map to the farm, visit the DeGraaf Nature Center’s Web site at www.degraaf.org.

So close, but yet so far.

About 150 feet from its connection point, a water main that would have connected the south side of Holland to the Holland Board of Public Works’ water-treatment plant on Lakeshore Drive got stuck.

The pipe is now stuck in its drill hole under Lake Macatawa and construction crews won’t even try to move it from its position near the north end of Graafschap Road for months. The $1.7 million project, handled by Mears Group Inc., was expected to be completed before winter began, but a series of snags in the installation now means the work won’t be completed until the ground and the lake warm up.

Originally slated for an Oct. 1 completion, the project accrued considerable added expenses, but BPW spokeswoman Andree Keneau said the city has not received a bill from Mears that would indicate what those added expenses will be.

In November, BPW General Manager Tim Morawski said the 3,200-foot pipe had been snaked from the north side of the lake before getting stuck 40 feet below ground and 80 feet from the surface of the water on Nov. 11.

But the problems had begun earlier, when drilling for the project began Sept. 19, about a week later than planned, BPW officials said. John Van Uffelen, director of water and wastewater services for the city utility, said a drill hole collapse about three weeks into the project further complicated the process.

Shaking from the construction led a group of property owners to file a $650,000 claim with the city of Holland in early December. The claim alleges that the construction methods used by the Rosebush-based Mears Group caused surface and structural damage to a home at 681 South Shore Drive, next to one of the project’s construction sites.

Another claim was filed in November by Peter and Jill Roades that alleged damage to their home from vibrations in the ground, caused by the contractor’s equipment.

The claims are currently being processed through Mears’ insurers, as well as a third, smaller claim, Keneau said.

When the construction will continue is still unclear. Keneau said the BPW has not received a work plan from Mears to outline how to resolve the issues and get the line functional.