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Health & Fitness

Shelby Township holds town hall to discuss Sunoco pipeline construction

Shelby Twp and Sunoco will be present at 7 p.m. May 30 for a town hall meeting at 52700 Van Dyke Ave. to discuss the work being done on a pipeline that runs through Shelby Twp.

Shelby Township officials and representatives from Sunoco will be present at 7 p.m. May 30 for a town hall meeting at 52700 Van Dyke Ave. to discuss the work being done on nine miles of Sunoco’s pipeline that runs through Rochester Hills, Rochester and Shelby Township from M-59 to 26 Mile Road.

“We want to ensure all of our residents and property owners with questions about this Sunoco pipeline have an opportunity to get answers,” Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis said. “The only way to do that is to bring everyone together, under one roof, and stay there until all parties feel they have a grasp of the issues.”

Shelby Township residents could see workers and equipment from Sunoco throughout May and June and into July as the company performs maintenance on and replaces portions of the Mariner West pipeline throughout the northern portion of the Township.

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The work is largely being done to replace existing lengths of pipeline that have a thinner wall as the company prepares to utilize the line for increased service from its start in western Pennsylvania to Sarnia, Ontario.

“We are working very closely with Sunoco and their representatives to ensure Shelby Township residents know exactly what is going on, literally in some cases, in their backyard,” Stathakis said.

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“Township officials are in contact with representatives from Sunoco on an almost daily basis as they work to make sure our residents are inconvenienced as little as possible during this necessary maintenance to the pipeline.”

Individual property owners within the pipeline’s 40-foot easement, which is owned by Sunoco, are meeting with Sunoco officials to talk about the project, any resulting damage to their property and Sunoco’s measures to remediate the land once the work is done.

 “The Township’s role within this process is to make sure that Sunoco does not go outside of its legal boundaries and any ill effects to residents and property owners are minimized to within what is necessary for Sunoco to complete the project,” Township Attorney Rob Huth said.

The Township is working with officials from Macomb County to oversee the work as it crosses bridges, roads and other forms of existing infrastructure.

“While we understand this project is necessary for a safe and functional pipeline through the community, we also understand the massive inconvenience and upheaval it will cause for our residents,” Stathakis said.

“Our only hope is that, by sharing as much information as we can and being as transparent as possible throughout the process, we can curtail any undue stress and hardship brought on by rumors and unanswered questions.”

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