Lights out
Many of the lights still are out on Broomfield Road, and no one knows when they will be fixed.
Steve Lawrence, vice president of facilities management, said last week the lights on Broomfield are owned by Consumers Energy, despite the money CMU spent on them.
Consumers Energy spokesman Tim Pietryga said the repairs are an ongoing project and every time crews go out to check electrical lines running to the lights, they find more damage than before.
So two months after construction on Broomfield has finished, the lights still are not repaired.
What is it going to take to repair those lights? Will Consumers Energy wait until someone is injured in a car accident on Broomfield to send out a crew with the sufficient amount of line to repair the problems?
It doesn’t make sense that the crews have been out more than one time, yet the lights remain damaged. Broomfield is a dangerous area because of its heavy traffic, both cars and pedestrians. With winter deepening and days becoming shorter, leaving the road dark is irresponsible.
Why it matters
A portion of Broomfield Road remains completely dark, creating a safety concern
Consumers Energy shouldn’t make excuses and it shouldn’t sit on its hands. The longer the lights are out, the higher the risk someone will pay for Consumer Energy’s slow motion with his or her life.
Isabella County’s Road Commission isn’t blameless in this situation, either. The lights’ remaining out has escaped the attention of Frank Walkington, Isabella County’s temporary road commissioner.
It’s not Walkington’s fault — he’s only two weeks into the job and only standing in until a formal replacement for former road commissioner Jim Miller is found — but someone in the Road Commissioner’s office has to step up and make something happen.
This street can’t remain dark indefinitely, or someone is going to get hurt.
Consumers Energy should get the lights fixed as soon as possible — and Isabella County should pressure the company until it does.
There’s no reason the lights should be out after two months.
With upcoming night football games, Broomfield will see even more pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The chance of someone getting hurt only increases as the nights get longer.
Hopefully that is not what it will take to push Consumers Energy or Isabella County to take action.
