Consumers Energy holds “virtual” open house to discuss Freedom Compressor Plant

John Broschak of Consumers Energy was one of the major speakers at Saturday’s event.

A planned open house and tour of the newly expanded Freedom Compressor Station had to be switched to a virtual format last weekend due to a significant “uptick” in COVID-19 cases across the state and in Washtenaw County in particular.

The stated purpose of the event was to improve communication between Consumers/CMS Energy, the owner/operators of the station, and the residents of Freedom Township, who have long been vocal about their concerns over the possible dangers inherent in the operation of the facility.

“We really want to improve our communication and our presence in the community,” said John Broschak, vice president of generation operations at Consumers. “We would particularly to address the noise issues that some neighbors have been experiencing and answer your questions about pipeline safety.”

Kay Lancour, Public Safety Outreach & Damage Prevention, talked briefly about the importance of training and preparedness, and noted that Consumers is “very conscious” of maintaining a safe atmosphere. The company has held training with the Manchester Township Fire Department as well as drills with local leaders. She emphasized that digging, especially as related to construction, is a big concern and encouraged anyone who would be doing any digging in the area surrounding the compressor station to call MISS DIG prior to beginning a project.

Dave Halteman, Director of Emergency Services for Washtenaw County, also spoke about the new County-wide warning system through EverBridge (www.washtenaw.org/alerts) and urged all residents to sign up for this free service. EverBridge recently replaced the former Nixle service in the county and has many more capabilities to alert residents throughout the county of any type of emergency, from vehicle accidents to weather conditions, to public safety information, especially as would relate to the Freedom Compressor Station or other similar facilities. Messages can be received by email or text, and can be tailored to residents living within close proximity to the station.

“These messages can alert the community to a planned event, like a pressure release, or notify them of an emergency situation and let them know whether they should shelter in place or plan to evacuate,” Halteman said. “This is a much better service to the public.”

Broschak added that Consumers takes both federal and local regulations very seriously and noted that even when the station isn’t manned personally that it is continuously monitored 24/7. He and Lancour both emphasized that preparedness exercises are key to making sure these situations occur very rarely and are handled expediently in case of any emergency. They acknowledged a coolant leak that had occurred on August 28 of this year and explained how it was managed and how the cleanup operation proceeded. “This is part of the normal business we do,” Broschak said.

Questions from those in attendance included the potential tax benefits of the expansion for the township, and some discussion was generated about the importance of other warning systems, such as a siren that could notify residents in case of a number of emergencies. While Halteman continued to stress that EverBridge had “superior” capabilities, residents questioned what could be done for those on the other side of the “digital divide.” While many residents in Freedom have limited or no access to internet service, most people today do have a cell phone with some text services available. Even so, there are vulnerable residents who may lack any of these services and some argued that they should not be left behind in matters of public safety. A siren, they suggested, could help assure that everyone is notified in case of an emergency and the additional taxes paid by Consumers/CMS could help offset the estimated $20,000 initial cost as well as ongoing maintenance and fees.

As the meeting drew to a close, Broschak pledged that this meeting would be part of the “start of an improved dialogue as part of our commitment to you. We want to be better neighbors and stewards of this community.”

This photo shows the expansion of the plant as seen from Pleasant Lake Road

The CMS Energy plant in Freedom Township, taken in 2016. Courtesy photo/Lon Nordeen.

The site of the CMS property on Reno Road, adjacent to Pleasant Lake. Courtesy photo/Lon Nordeen

This 2017 map of local warning sirens in Washtenaw County illustrates why Freedom residents are concerned about being notified of possible emergencies at the Freedom Compressor Plant.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.