DTE to Provide GP Farms With Progress Updates

After DTE officials explained several on-going projects in 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.

. Another meeting is expected to happen soon but residents at that meeting were not satified with DTE's response and promises.

Last summer, --some lasting more than a week in the Park.