CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Clinton Township residents are upset over a proposed power line to be installed along 19 Mile Road.
The power lines are needed to help power the recently opened Henry Ford Macomb campus.
Residents claim it will diminish property value, ruin their landscaping, and pose potential health risks.
“Just appalling,” resident Cindy Ridky said.
“I hate it,” another resident, Edward Kaczmar, said.
Residents who live along the 19-mile route, between Garfield Road and Hayes Road, are trying to prevent the power lines from being installed.
Clinton Township Supervisor Paul Gieleghem is also on their side, wanting to see the power lines installed elsewhere.
“The problem is the residents right here are going to have high transmission power lines 50 feet from their balconies,” Gieleghem said.
Gieleghem and the residents propose an alternate route: installing the power lines along Dalcoma Drive, which runs behind Macomb Community College’s campus in Clinton Township.
Gieleghem requested that the Macomb Community College Board of Trustees consider the alternate route, but the board unanimously voted down the proposal on Wednesday (May 21).
Before putting it to a vote, the board heard from Gieleghem and residents about why they believe Dalcoma Drive is a better route for the power lines.
“It’s a viable alternate route (with) no residential impact, it makes sense,” Ridky said.
Macomb Community College General Counsel Jeffrey Steele responded by stating that Dalcoma Drive is not a viable option for the power company, and even if it were, the college wants to preserve its land.
Steele said Clinton Township was asking them to vote on a hypothetical.
“We don’t know if ITC will ever support the Dalcoma route,” Steele said.
The company in charge of the project, International Transmission Company (ITC), responded to a request for comment with the following statement.
“ITC is awaiting action by the Clinton Township Board of Trustees on our application to construct the electric transmission line, which is less than one mile. The 19 Mile Rd route will provide reliable electricity to Henry Ford Macomb Hospital this summer with approval by Clinton Township on the proposed route.
Through extensive engineering processes, ITC determines the best route for a transmission line. The result of that process is the proposed 19 Mile Rd route that is currently before Clinton Township.
Clinton Township initially expressed understanding and agreement with the 19 Mile Rd route, then later backpedaled and introduced barriers to the project. The Clinton Township Board has postponed the approval since fall 2024.
As a community member, ITC is sensitive to the concerns of those directly impacted. We look forward to continuing our work to energize the line to Henry Ford Macomb Hospital.”
International Transmission Company