Traverse City Record-Eagle

Elmwood Township

March 5, 2009

Substation gets go-ahead in Elmwood

Wolverine Power gets approval for M-72 facility

By MELISSA DOMSIC

GREILICKVILLE -- Josephine Bargiel and her neighboring property owners fought hard to keep an electrical transmission substation from coming to Elmwood Township.

But after a long and difficult year, it appears they lost their battle.

The disputes took their toll on Bargiel, 90, who lives about 50 feet from the planned substation site on the corner of M-72 and Bugai Road.

"This was on my mind day and night. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep," she said. "I was depressed, I wasn't myself anymore, couldn't do what I wanted to do."

Wolverine Power Cooperative on Thursday received permission from the Michigan Public Service Commission to bypass township ordinances and construct the substation.

"The commission was very aware of electric reliability issues in this part of the state, and growing demand and how that would be met," said Judy Palnau, MPSC spokeswoman. "The hope is here that this substation and transmission line will now benefit the residents and farmers in Leelanau County that depend on the reliability of the electric supply there."

Bargiel and Mason and Lisa Argue, developers of adjacent Bahia Vista subdivision, unsuccessfully sued to stop the project last March.

They continued fighting Wolverine, and the utility offered a $10,000 settlement if the neighbors filed a motion of non-objection, Lisa Argue said.

They refused the settlement and filed an official objection to the MPSC case. But they withdrew the objection this month because they weren't given enough time to meet the MPSC's deadlines, she said.

"It was manipulated to the point that we never had an opportunity to have our say," Argue said.

Palnau said the withdrawal was voluntary, and "the administrative law judge made it very clear about the time they'd have available to do things."

Power lines for Cherryland Electric Cooperative, Traverse City Light & Power, Consumers Energy and Michigan Electric Transmission Company will connect to the station. Wolverine and Light & Power plan to share construction costs for the $6 million dollar project.

Several Elmwood Township residents were concerned with the substation's location, possible health risks, and visual and noise screening.

The MPSC ruled that the project doesn't present "an unreasonable threat to public health or safety," and the utilities agreed to a site plan with buffer zones and lighting considerations.

"We have to look at the greater good, and this is a step towards doing that," said Tony Anderson, Cherryland general manager. "It's unfortunate we can't make everyone happy, but it's just not possible."

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