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DTE to Provide GP Farms With Progress Updates
In about 30 days DTE is expected to provide Grosse Pointe Farms officials with updates about the progress of updates and repairs being made to the infrastructure that are intended to bring more stability to power service in the city.
DTE Senior Planning Engineer Todd Henning details several projects officials have been working on in Grosse Pointe Farms for the council Monday related to areas of the city that have experienced a high number of power outages.
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After DTE officials explained several on-going projects in Grosse Pointe Farms that are intended to increase the stability of power service to residents, the council Monday night requested regular updates about their progress.
Regional Manager Joseph Cazeno Jr. agreed to providing updates shortly after announcing his upcoming retirement that is slated to happen in late September. He also introduced his replacement, Jennifer L. Whitteaker, who is already transitioning into the position.
During the update given by Cazeno and Senior Planning Engineer Todd Henning, they mentioned several projects. Henning explained that the projects are targeting areas within the Farms that have been problematic.
Henning outlined one project for a circuit that serves Mack Avenue, Moran, Kerby and Charlevoix Roads that will be split from one to two circuits. He explained the demand for usage on that circuits necessitates the division and with two circuits it will limit the change of outages for those residents.
He also outlined updates that were completed related to problems impacting Harbor Hill, saying those were done last year and anticipated to relieve the problems. They have not, so that area is being revisited.
Henning also showed a large piece of equipment that is intended to keep wires from getting twisted or tangled that will be installed in some areas that have experienced such issues.
The council asked many questions of the DTE officials, including whether there is a long term plan in place to ensure the lines, circuits and other infrastruture are in proper condition to provide service without problem. The DTE officials never answered the question. Cazeno apologized to residents and the council, explaining DTE is hopeful it can do better going forward.
One Farms resident, Ellen Doyle, of Ridge Road, thanks Cazeno for his apology but said it is not enough. She said what used to be an inconvenient situation has evolved into a dangerous situation. In her 18 years at her home, the outages have increased, she said, and the circumstances are much different.
In June, she lost her stove because of brown out conditions despite trying to unplug it. Before that she lost an air-conditioning transformer. She was confined inside her house for an afternoon after a recent outage because the ground was too hot for her to safely leave her home, she said. There was also a fire that ignited in her basement as a result of the backup of voltage, she said.
"It's freightening," she said, noting that a transformer near her home is regularly blown.
Council members asked a variety of questions and harped on the fact that residents are tired of hearing that the infrastructure is old.
DTE already appeared before the Grosse Pointe Woods council following the June outage. Another meeting is expected to happen soon but residents at that meeting were not satified with DTE's response and promises.
Last summer, DTE officials visited all five city councils following a summer plagued by power outages--some lasting more than a week in the Park.
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Todd
11:28 am on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
I live on Kerby Rd. and the power went out again last night. That makes 5 outages this summer. It was a gentle rain last night... nothing wild. Power went out.
7-10 outages a year? Sparks showering on my garage and my family pulled out in the front yard? We talk to the linemen. Its simply a lack of maintenance.
Yeah... I call B.S. on this whole thing. DTE can stick it.
Bill IV
11:43 am on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
I live on McMillan right off of Charlevoix. My power has been out about six times this year. About six times last year. I've had to replace a two year old dishwasher. My lines get so hot they glow red and the rubber insulation around them catches on fire. I have crystal clear pictures of the fires the lines caused earlier this year. I thought for sure my garage was going to burn. I will regularly check in to see when the next GPF meeting is with DTE and i will bring them. There's no excuse for this. I don't live in a third world country. Seems like when we need the power such as when it's hot, it is not there. DTE offers no recourse. If this wasn't a monolopy, we would have more choices, but we're stuck with DTE and that's how they treat us.
GP For Life
1:17 pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Bill, I am not an engineer but if your lines are glowing red I am going to guess there's a problem that DTE should be on top of. As of their most recent quarter, ended 6/30, they had $185 million in unrestricted cash on their balance sheet. Perhaps they could invest a small fraction of that in upgrading the Pointes?
MRSPirateLarz
11:53 am on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Keep in mind that you deserve and should get credits on your DTE accounts ( http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mpsc/mpsc-ca_electricoutageservicecredits_276711_7.pdf ) for any power outages that last over 16 hours and that all of us should be reporting DTE to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) http://www.michigan.gov/mpsc/0,1607,7-159-16368_16415---,00.html .
Todd
12:01 pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Agreed Bill, and I have already put the September 10th meeting in my calender. With our without DTE I plan on attending.
I'm an engineer by trade, and to have exposed main's up on the pole, 3 splices between two poles, or having to pull families out of their homes in the night because of the hazard are all unconscionable. Panic calls from my wife are getting old.
Hope to see you at the meeting.
Ralph
2:06 pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
McMillan resident too. mack side of charlevoix. 3 outages this summer, one was over 48+ hours. The wires running behind the homes on our street are so old there's no insulation on them.
Bill IV
4:03 pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
I just uploaded the photo of my yard from earlier this year in June. This is what McMillan residents have to deal with every Summer. But yeah DTE, it must have been weather related.
Pete Waldmeir, GP Woods
2:28 pm on Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Gee, I'm thrilled that DTE is going to give progress updates to Grosse Pointe Farms - in mid-September??? My question is: WHAT ABOUT GROSSE POINTE WOODS? How long is it going to take our overpaid and under-worked Woods' mayor, council and administration to quit playing lap dog and start raising some hell? They want taxpayers to give them $2 million in Headlee Override tax dollars for years to come rather than cut unnecessary expenses to balance their bloated budgets? Yet when their residents go without power for days - even weeks, in some cases - you can't find one of them brave enough to be the loud, squeaky wheel that gets greased at DTE HQ downtown!
Bob Frapples
6:27 pm on Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Pete, it's been a while since I've seen you complain about the Woods mayor and the Headlee Override...I sort of missed you. Haha.