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Walled Lake council directs staff to meet with DTE on burying or rerouting downtown poles
Summary
At the DDA's request, council asked the city manager and mayor to meet with DTE about burying or rerouting overhead power poles as part of downtown sidewalk and streetscape work and to explore rebates and abatement programs.
Council agreed to ask the city manager and mayor to meet with DTE to explore burying or rerouting overhead poles in the downtown corridor as part of broader downtown improvements.
Councilors raised the prospect of combining sidewalk, tree, and utility work to reduce repeated disruption and discussed DTE’s broader system upgrades (moving from higher voltage lines to lower distribution voltages, and in some places burying lines). The city manager and staff suggested meeting DTE with clear asks — how many blocks to bury, costs, reroute options and potential rebates — and to return with information to guide budgeting and project scoping.
Council approved a motion directing the city manager to open discussions with DTE and to coordinate with the mayor on outreach.
Why it matters: If DTE can bury or reroute lines in coordination with sidewalk work, downtown streetscape projects may achieve better aesthetic and maintenance outcomes and could bring rebates for energy-efficiency upgrades.
What’s next: The city manager will contact DTE and report back to council, including possible technical and cost estimates and whether rate abatements or rebates apply.
