News From Mayor Greimel

Mayor


MESSAGE FROM MAYOR TIM GREIMEL
March 17, 2023

Commencement of Sidewalk Trip Hazard Elimination Project

Good Afternoon Pontiac!

We are committed to helping Pontiac homeowners maintain their property at mandated levels of safety, and, in recent weeks, we kicked off efforts to review and repair sidewalks that pose a problem for pedestrians.

The City of Pontiac has hired a contractor who will conduct Sidewalk Joint Displacement Cutting where there is a tripping hazard adjacent to or near a homeowner's property. Affected homeowners were recently notified that the contractor will soon begin work in their area. If it is determined that the trip hazard is too large to remove by displacement cutting, the sidewalk will be scheduled for replacement at a later date.

Once the area posing a trip hazard is repaired/replaced, the contractor will continue moving down the sidewalk to repair nearby trip hazards. When that area of sidewalk has been upgraded, it will be opened to pedestrians. We anticipate that work on any specific portion of sidewalk may take up to a week to be completed.

It is important to note that, under our city's longstanding ordinance, homeowners are responsible for maintaining the sidewalk adjacent to their property. However, this spring's targeted work is being done with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds in income-eligible areas as a benefit to our residents. You can find a map below that identifies the neighborhoods that will benefit from this program this year. Those areas are: Chamberlain Street, Region 3, Region 5, Region 10 and Region 15* (*Contractor will start improvement work in Region 15 until funding is exhausted).

If you happen to encounter these work zones, please consider:

•    pedestrians are urged to use extreme caution in the areas under construction 
•    access to the homes will be maintained throughout construction 

This construction will be completed as quickly as possible, and we apologize for the inconvenience this may cause. Your patience as we continue to beautify our neighborhoods is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or concerns, we ask that you contact the City of Pontiac Engineering Division at (248) 758-3616. With your help and cooperation, this project will progress to a timely completion.

Sincerely,

Tim Greimel
Mayor

Click here to download a map of the streets included in the sidewalk repair program
Click here for a list of streets included in the sidewalk repair program
Update on Efforts to Repair Potholes

Good afternoon.

Southeast Michigan is experiencing another round of snow this weekend; but so far, it doesn’t appear to be as severe as recent storms. Nonetheless, the extreme fluctuations in temperatures and conditions are wreaking havoc on our roads, producing more potholes.
Our Department of Public Works (DPW) crews patch potholes year-round with two exceptions:
    •  when heavy rains in spring/summer hamper production of patching material
    •  when snow or freezing rain requires DPW crews to be out salting roads
 
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Since December 2022, DPW patching crews have put down a total of 143.25 tons (286,500 pounds) of cold patch material. It’s shoveled into the hole and pressed into place by passing vehicles. Under normal circumstances, this filling will stay in place in the hole until that section of concrete is permanently replaced.However, Michigan winters are rarely normal! The freeze/thaw cycles we experience lead to “heaving” of the road surface. This causes the patch material to lift out of the cavity, break up, and be subsequently carried away when roads are shoveled. This reopens the pothole.
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DPW monitors Pontiac streets to determine the location of potholes. We also encourage residents to log concerns by calling our DPW office and by going online to the city's website. Those service requests are forwarded to a Supervisor or Superintendent who then assigns crews to respond, typically the next morning. Whether the complaint involves a small hole or large sections of road, all reports are prioritized so crews can be dispatched. In the street, workers are usually confined to a single lane of road between construction vehicles and focus on the job.
potholerepairSo as you encounter crews patching the road, we ask you to take the following precautions: 

~ Stay alert and avoid distractions.
~ Slow down so you can maneuver past with ease.
~ Be observant and keep moving. 

Potholes are a by-product of Michigan weather and definitely frustrating to all of us as drivers. DPW crews are doing their best to fill them as fast as possible and as they come to our attention. If you know of a pothole that is a traffic hazard, report it by calling (248) 758-3600 or log on to www.pontiac.mi.us/potholes.

The only long-term fix for our roads is to resurface and/or reconstruct them. This year, we will be repairing Franklin Road, as well as Orchard Lake Road between Voorheis and Old Telegraph. Also, a federally-funded reconstruction project for Bagley and Golf Drive will commence next year. While this is a start, it's just the tip of the iceberg. Adequately repairing all city roads in Pontiac will cost more than $200 million. We are exploring all options in search of obtaining the needed revenue. Until then, our best course of action is to repair potholes as efficiently as we can, weather permitting.

Sincerely,

Tim Greimel
Mayor
DTE UPDATE - FEBRUARY 26, 2023

Thank you for your continued patience. Here is your 2/26 morning update. 

 

DTE's public safety and restoration crews have remained in the field and are making strong progress toward our goal of restoring power to each and every customer. Over 4,000 line workers and staff have supported our power restoration efforts, and other DTE employees made wellness checks on our most vulnerable customers, including seniors.

We continue to urge customers to stay vigilant and exercise extreme caution for down wire. Please stay 25 feet away and do not cross caution tape.

Field Crews Continue to Work Around the Clock

  • As of 7:30 a.m., we have restored power to more than 450,000 customers and are laser-focused on restoring the majority of customers impacted by the storm by the end of the day.
  • Yesterday we made significant progress restoring schools. Today, our focus is restoring power to the remaining K-12 schools, so classes resume on Monday.
  • DTE's outage map remains updated with restoration estimates for nearly all affected customers.
  • Today's weather forecast is sunny skies with temperatures in the upper 30s to lower 40s. 
  • Inclement weather is expected for Monday and Tuesday, which could impact our restoration efforts.

 

 
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Good afternoon.

The severe weather has created a number of challenges in the last few days including power outages across Southeastern Michigan. On Wednesday, out of an abundance of caution, City Hall closed in the early afternoon and all youth recreation programs were canceled for the day. Our street response began early and continued through the night to the next morning. Despite the warmer temperatures, residents are still facing fallout from the storms in the form of power outages, tree debris, and downed power lines. I have personally been in touch with DTE and remain in constant contact with our Department of Public Works.

Pontiac Department of Public Works (DPW) Storm Response
The ice storm caused considerable damage, opening new potholes and bringing down tree limbs. DPW has rented a chipper and is driving through the city chipping whatever can be fed into the equipment. Anything too large for our rented chipper will be reported to our contractor for service. This should result in the fastest possible clearing of roadways for travel. Even with a tree contractor working in the city, we anticipate it will take up to two (2) weeks to clear all of the fallen trees and limbs from public areas. If you have an emergency with a broken or fallen tree limb, please contact DPW at: (248) 758-3600 and follow the prompts.

Update on Power Outages
Your safety is our highest priority. We continue to work with DTE to inform them of any downed power lines brought to our attention. We also know that there are large numbers of households still in the dark. DTE crews have been working around the clock and anticipate at least 95% of locations without power will be restored by Sunday. Click here for updates on the status of outages and DTE's progress in your area.

Warming Centers
The City of Pontiac is activating the Robert Bowens Senior Center as a Warming Center this Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to help residents stay as warm as possible this weekend.

The Oakland County Office of Emergency Management also has information on additional centers in the area. Click here to view those locations if you or someone you know needs to warm up.

As DTE crews continue working to restore power, we urge you to continue taking precautions:

  • Look up: downed lines may be on the ground, wrapped in a tree or hiding behind tall grass or weeds.
  • Stay at least 25 feet away from all live lines and anything that may be in contact with them.
  • Report the downed or damaged line to DTE at 800.477.4747.

Again, we want you to be safe, stay warm and know that our DPW crews are working closely with DTE to make sure its crews are able to travel throughout the city, unencumbered, so they can get power restored to all homes as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Tim Greimel
Mayor
Selection of Site for Youth Recreation Program
The CitYouthRecreationSitey of Pontiac is moving forward with the acquisition of the McCarroll School site for a community center that will house the City’s youth recreation programming.

Click here to read the entire article