Consumers Energy has extended deadlines in a last ditch effort to gather enough applications to proceed further with natural gas mains in both Brandon and Atlas townships.
The utility company wants to offer natural gas service to residents who have asked for it; however, in order to do so, at least 50 percent participation is needed in the proposed project areas.
In Brandon Township, phase II of the gas main extension project had reached 34 percent participation on Wednesday, with Consumers Energy receiving an average of 10 applications per day, said Josnelly Aponte, project lead. The new deadline is this Monday, March 18. Utility representatives have been doing door-to-door visits on main roads including Hadley, Granger, Perry Lake, Seymour Lake, Hummer Lake, State Park, Honert and Glass roads. More were planned for this weekend.
‘The purpose of the visit is to answer questions from neighbors so they can make an informed decision,? said Aponte. ‘If no one is home, doors are tagged with our contact numbers… We will be able to release a couple areas with high participation if the total project is not at 50 percent Monday. But we will continue to reach out to neighbors until we can release all the areas with requests.?
In Atlas Township, project participation is at 28 percent and the deadline has been extended to March 25. Meanwhile, Aponte said Consumers is releasing about 2 miles of gas main for design in the south side of the township, including Horton, Thayer and Ridge roads, all of which have high participation. Homeowners on Atlas, Baldwin, Dutch, Irish and Vassar roads can also expect Consumers Energy representatives to visit this weekend.
‘We continue to be encouraged by the responses we are getting,? Aponte said. ‘Between these two projects we have received 400 applications, so we thank Brandon and Atlas neighbors for considering Consumers Energy as their energy provider. Bringing affordable energy to them is our promise to Michigan.?
Aponte encourages residents to call 1-888-427-6246 for more information on the savings they would receive by switching to natural gas, as well as financing options.