The City of Detroit suffered massive power outages yesterday as three of the five lines at the ailing Mistersky Power Plant that receive power from DTE Energy failed causing traffic issues downtown. Mayoral spokesman Karen Dumas issued a statement saying that the city believed the outages were due to additional strain on the system in the wake of the recent heat wave.
Buildings that are currently effected are Wayne State University, The Coleman Young Municipal Building (which houses city hall and the courts), the Detroit Institute of Arts, Cobo Hall, the McNamara Federal Building and Detroit’s Tranportation Crown Jewel™, The People Mover. The DIA, which has also assured residents that the collection suffered no harm due to the outages, expects to reopen tomorrow morning while the Municipal Buildings have closed for the weekend and will reopen Monday.
The outages reignite one of the key issues Detroit faces in its revitalization: The sale of Mistersky. Every mayor since Coleman Young has tried, and failed, to privatize municipal power. Without a buyer, the best the city can do is to attempt an upgrade to compete with DTE. However, the city, ravaged with financial difficulties since the late 60s, would not be able to afford such renovations.
