GR apartment residents fed up with chronic power outages

Residents of a handicap-accessible apartment building are upset with what they say are chronic power outages.

[okeN]

I must agree with the people that live in these apartments. I recently purchased a house not far from them and since Feb have lost power 5 times. Twice in the last month and both were transformer explosions. Consider that in our last home we lost power only 5 times (that I can think of) in 19 years that would seem excessive.

[What now]

sounds like it is not a problem with the owner of the building, but the power company. News 8, maybe you should knock on their door instead.

[Rob_ a Senior Citizen]

You know, there are solutions that will completely eliminate the need to rely on the Power company for electricity. One is to install several small wind turbines on the top of the buildings, newer technology but highly workable for a lot less money. The second one is a fuel powered electrical generator that automatically kicks in when the power goes out.

These two solutions are extremely cost effective and definitely cost effective.

[GR Social Worker]

Rob_ a Senior Citizen wrote:

You know, there are solutions that will completely eliminate the need to rely on the Power company for electricity. One is to install several small wind turbines on the top of the buildings, newer technology but highly workable for a lot less money. The second one is a fuel powered electrical generator that automatically kicks in when the power goes out.
These two solutions are extremely cost effective and definitely cost effective.

Also, they are cost effective.

[Need Cash]

Rob_ a Senior Citizen wrote:

You know, there are solutions that will completely eliminate the need to rely on the Power company for electricity. One is to install several small wind turbines on the top of the buildings, newer technology but highly workable for a lot less money. The second one is a fuel powered electrical generator that automatically kicks in when the power goes out.
These two solutions are extremely cost effective and definitely cost effective.

However you need to have the up-front cash to pay for these capital improvements. Why don't we see these items you mention all over town if they are so cost effective?

[RRH]

I COMPLETELY agree with them. I lived in Arrowhead Apartments on the other side of Breton for 14 years and we had NUMEROUS power outages...the most MEMORABLE Christmas Eve 2000...my birthday AND I was 9 months pregnant with my son, having electric heat, I layed in bed for 12 hours with EVERY blanket I could find just to keep warm. In 2006 I purchased a home on Elliott off of Breton. The FIRST summer, my mother was home while I was at work and she saw a wire in back of us catch fire and the power in our area go out. It was determined that the trees in the woods behind us (owned by Consumers Energy) were touching the lines and they THEN came at 3am to cut the trees and restore the power. January of 07 our street received letters that they were going to trim the trees in the wooded areas behind our houses and they did all up to 3 houses from mine and a couple of my neighbors. I left SEVERAL messages with the Forestry division of Consumers Energy and have gotten NO resolution. "Literally" the day before the power went out again (this past Monday as we TOO were affected), while doing some yard work I noticed 2 tree limbs on the wires behind me...not just touching, but heavy limbs "bowing" the lines. I called Consumers Energy who sent the tree triming truck out. I showed them BOTH limbs and while they trimmed the one to my house, they LEFT the one on the main line to the street which was the worst one. When I called Consumers Energy back and asked to speak to a supervisor, they would only offer to have someone call me (being that I have waited so many times, I wasn't going to accept this) and we kept arguing. Including Mondays outage, the power has gone out at my home at LEAST 6 times in the 2 years I have lived here and THAT is excessive. I'm sorry, but Consumers Energy provides inadequate service.

RRH

[lgjgje]

Happened on the west side of town last year. Power going out with sun shine . Fix the problem ,like they should have done at the get go, Then to send a letter out , a battery back up problem " Duh ,,cheap knew that and continued to not replace untill to many complaints.

[1st hand account]

I work for a resident that lives there (but not for Hope Network).

It was not a few hours the power was out, it was 14 hours!
This happens all too often. Village Drive is a Priority One complex due to the needs of the residents.
And it does not just effect the one complex there are 2 more complexes across the street that lose power too.
I was glad they stayed until after 2 am to get the power back running but it happens too often. We've been told it's usually a squirrel getting fried in the transformer that causes this every time.