Addison Township officials received word from Consumers Energy Dec. 27 that natural gas will be coming to their residents.
‘It’s just another step in improving the life of the residents of Addison Township,? said Supervisor Bruce Pearson. ‘I’m really excited about it and am glad we had that many people sign up for it.?
So far, 160 Addison households have signed up to have natural gas brought right to their doorstep.
Pearson said those who signed up should expect to see their heat bills go down by half if not more, once they get the natural gas and it will give them a sense of ‘dependability.?
‘If you put in a whole-house generator now with natural gas hooked up that would be huge, because then you don’t have to worry about propane running out during the middle of an ice storm,? he said. ‘If you do run out in an ice storm, the propane trucks can’t get to you because the roads are impassible and the trees are down. This is definitely going to make it so a lot of elderly people (can) stay in their home(s).?
‘When you live out in the country, you’re dependent on an awful lot of variables,? Pearson added. ‘And this will eliminate one of them, that’s for sure.?
The next step will be for township officials to meet with Consumer’s engineers.
‘They said they would have (it) hooked up somewhere by September (or) October,? Pearson said. ‘So, by the next heating season, everyone should be hooked up and online.?
While he called it a ‘win-win? for everybody, Pearson said he only brought the idea to the township, but ‘it took an awful lot of people to get (it) to actually happen.? To all the volunteers who went canvassing door-to-door, along with Township Clerk Pauline Bennett who put all the paperwork together and Trustee Ed Brakefield and his wife Kathy who also did a lot of footwork, which included phone calls to residents and going door-to-door.
‘It was a big undertaking, it didn’t just happen by accident,? he added. ‘There was a lot of effort that went into this and I just want everybody to know we are looking out for the betterment of the township and this definitely is a big plus.?
Julie Kubacki with Consumers Energy did not return a phone call seeking comment.