DTE to Replace, Update Mack Avenue Streetlights

Mack Avenue in the is slated to get a little brighter this winter after the council unanimously approved an agreement with DTE to replace streetlights in the commercial district. 

The council's approval Monday means the replacement project will begin this winter and is expected to be complete before the spring. DTE is to place lighting fixtures every 125-150 feet along Mack Avenue from Cadieux to Fisher roads with decorative streetlights, city engineer Steve Pangori said. 

The project coincides with the City's , which is slated to begin in the spring. During completion of the water main replacement, the City is planning to do considerable streetscape work to enhance the Mack Avenue business corridor. 

The new fixtures will replace the current wooden poles and will be black decorative poles similar to those currently in the Village, according to the proposal given to council, Pangori said. 

DTE currently owns and maintains the streetlights on that stretch of Mack Avenue and will continue to do so afterward. The City pays for the electricity used by the fixtures, which will be equipped with plugs for seasonal displays or other events, according to the proposal. 

Pangori told council the project will help to brighten that stretch of Mack Avenue considerably as compared to how it's currently lit, noting the poles will be placed in a more regular pattern.

He also told council the lines will all be underground and a few replacement poles will be kept at the City's Department of Public Works garage in the event one will ever need to be replaced due to an accident or some other unforeseen event. 

The City must pay a $250,000 deposit to DTE before the project will begin and the total cost of the lighting replacement is $494,414. The project was planned for in the .

The whole project, including the water main replacement and the streetscape enhancements, will cost about $2.12 million. The funds are coming from various sources, including a $640,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation, $250,000 from the Ruth Hoffman Estate and $100,000 from a special assessment on Mack Avenue business owners as well as a $1.3 million bond.