Grosse Pointe Woods sends DTE a bill after gas leaks

Perry A. Farrell | Detroit Free Press

John Kosanke, public safety director for Grosse Pointe Woods, has sent DTE Energy a bill for $8,300 because of three gas leaks caused by DTE employees and subcontractors over the last seven weeks.

“I don’t know if they are going to appeal it or not, but we have a city ordinance for cost recovery for emergency situations due to hazardous incidents,’’ said Kosanke.

Fire and police department personnel were usually first responders to the three separate incidents along with Department of Public Works employees. Overtime and additional manpower created by the leaks necessitated the bill to DTE.

Last Tuesday, workers hit a three-inch main on Morningside Drive between Vernier and Hidden Lane near Grosse Pointe North High School around 11:30 a.m., prompting residents to evacuate and putting the school on temporary lock down. The gas was turned back on around 7 p.m. after the line was repaired.

The first leak, caused by hitting a gas line, was on Allard just west of Mack near the end of April. The second one occurred when DTE crews hit a gas line on Mack near Manchester Boulevard, causing an evacuation of homes and businesses.

“We’re a true Public Safety Department, so when we get any type of run, whether it’s police or fire, we respond to it,’’ said Kosanke. “If I respond to a fire or an incident like this one our whole shift, working that day will respond to that. What happens is now I don’t have a road patrol to answer police and medical runs and fire runs for that matter, because now we’re dedicated to that emergency.

“We would start calling in officers for overtime and if something comes up before we can get officers in we would go into a mutual aid situation where we would call our neighboring departments to assist us with mutual aid.’’

DTE Energy spokesman Peter Ternes said the utility and city have discussed the situation.

"That’s part of our normal course of business," he said.