Mold Remediation in Fennville, MI

FENNVILLE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – It’s nearly “job done” for crews looking to restore natural gas service to around 5,200 Michigan Gas Utilities customers in the Fennville-Saugatuck-Douglas area in Allegan County who were victimized by a major gas line leak last week.

On Monday, utility staffers made a second round of visits to about 20 percent of the affected residences and businesses which were vacant during two-plus days of going door-to-door, turning on meters and reigniting appliances. Those meters and appliances had to be shut off following a breach in the area of 57th Street and 122nd Avenue that occurred on Wednesday from an unnamed “third party,” under circumstances that were not initially disclosed.

On Friday evening, workers from Michigan Gas Utilities and line operator TC Energy, augmented by crews from Wisconsin and Minnesota, started the service restoration process. By Saturday, they had visited 60 percent of the affected customers, and the remaining 40 percent were initially contacted by the end of Sunday. The utility had asked customers to have an adult on hand when workers arrived to restore service.

It is believed that those vacant properties whose service wasn’t restored were “summer homes” or “second homes.” Michigan Gas Utilities officials are asking those property owners to contact a trusted neighbor in order for their crews to have access to their property. Those workers are expected to remain in the area through the end of the week. Those with questions are asked to contact Michigan Gas (800-401-6402), and press option 0 to get an operator.

A shelter provided by Third Coast Community Church in Saugatuck, through the Allegan County Emergency Management Department, was open on Thursday evening, but closed on Friday afternoon. The Holland Aquatic Center also had its facility open during regular business hours over the weekend for those who needed showers.

An investigation into what led to the line rupture continues, and any course of legal action to recover costs of the repairs and service restoration is pending.

TC Energy is actively responding to a third-party line strike that damaged a portion of its ANR Pipeline System near Fennville, Michigan, on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in a localized natural gas outage.

The incident, which took place April 9, prompted TC Energy to implement emergency response protocols immediately. The affected section of the pipeline was quickly isolated and shut down to ensure safety and minimize further risk. According to the company, there is no longer any emergency responder presence at the site.

“Our team is working to put in place a repair crew to replace the section of the ANR pipeline that was struck earlier today by a third party,” TC Energy said in a statement issued on April 9. “We worked with first responders to reroute traffic as required and we thank them for their assistance.”

The company is coordinating closely with Michigan Gas Utilities, local emergency services, and regulatory authorities to manage the impact on the community. The gas outage is expected to continue for several days as repairs are carried out.

As of Thursday morning, crews were on site and preparing to work around the clock to restore service to the area. TC Energy emphasized that restoring operations remains a top priority.

“We are focused on restoring pipeline service to the Fennville, MI area as soon as possible,” the company said. “Our team is onsite to start the repair process and will be working through the night to return service to Michigan Gas Utilities as soon as possible.”

TC Energy has not released further details about the nature of the third-party strike or identified the party involved. The company’s response efforts are aimed at ensuring public safety, maintaining coordination with local stakeholders, and resuming normal gas service in a timely manner.

The ANR Pipeline System is a major natural gas transportation network that delivers fuel across multiple U.S. states, including Michigan. Disruptions to its operations can have significant regional impacts, particularly during periods of higher demand.

Residents in the affected area have been advised to remain patient as crews continue restoration work. TC Energy said it would provide updates as more information becomes available.

This incident highlights the importance of pipeline safety and awareness, especially when construction or excavation activities are occurring near critical infrastructure. TC Energy has a comprehensive safety and response protocol in place and is working to minimize any inconvenience to customers and the local community.

Friday afternoon officials announced that repairs have been made to a damaged gas line near Fennville, crews to began restoring gas service Friday evening.

FENNVILLE, Mich. — Crews began restoring gas service to thousands of customers in Allegan County Friday evening. Officials announced in a press conference earlier in the day that Friday evening would see some of the first restorations. Around 9:30 p.m., news came in that utility crews had begun going to residents' homes to restore service.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said a contractor working on a DNR-supported project within the Allegan State Game Area accidentally struck a high-pressure gas pipeline on Wednesday, causing the leak.

As a result, more than 5,000 customers in the Fennville, Saugatuck and Douglas areas were left without gas.

By Thursday, crews had started going door-to-door to turn off gas service while repairs to the transmission line were made.

Officials from the City of Fennville and Michigan Gas Utilities said the repair work was completed on Friday afternoon, and workers would begin going back to all 5,200 customers to turn their gas back on and safely relight gas appliances.

A Michigan Gas Utilities spokesperson said they hope to have service restored to all impacted customers within the next three days.

"We have crews here from Illinois, from Minnesota, from Wisconsin, and we also have some Consumers Energy crews here from Michigan who are helping out," said Brendan Conway, spokesperson for Michigan Gas Utilities. "These men and women, they are ready to get out and do it. They know that it's difficult to be without service in their states, and so they came to Michigan to help."

Conway said that as crews begin going back to homes to turn gas service back on, someone at least 18 years old must be present to let workers inside to complete the work.

"If for some reason, no one's home, no one's able to, it's okay. We'll leave a tag at the door and we will come back. Just call us," said Conway.

He said impacted customers should make sure their contact information is up-to-date on their accounts so they continue to receive the text and call notifications the company has been sending.

Local business owners said they appreciate how quickly officials are working to resolve the issue.

"The mobility that they all had to come to, like I said, our little town, all these people from all over the Midwest, coming together to help us fix our problem as quickly as possible is pretty awesome," said Alec Payleitner, owner of Saugataco in Saugatuck which has been closed since Wednesday.

While he said they were left unable to fulfill some catering orders this week, he is hopeful the busy summer season will help local businesses in the area recover.

"It's certainly a bummer, and obviously we want it to go a different way, but I think everyone is doing their best and keeping smiles on their faces and making the best of a bad situation," said Payleitner.

$50,000 goal to win matching grant through MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places initiative

LANSING, Mich. – The City of Fennville will soon transform a vacant lot in its downtown into a destination called City Square Park. The new park will bring several exciting spaces to Downtown Fennville including an amphitheater, splash pad, and outdoor fireplace. This effort will be fulfilled through the anticipated success of a crowdfunding campaign that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Fennville Downtown Development Authority, and the City of Fennville announced today, which is being offered through the Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by June 14^th, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program. For project details and to donate, please visit: patronicity.com/citysquare.

“City Square Park will create a vibrant gathering space for the community of Fennville where there once was vacancy,” said MEDC Regional Prosperity Managing Director Paula Holtz. “We are pleased to support and provide resources for this project through our Public Spaces Community Places program.”

Fennville's Downtown Development Authority has made providing facilities downtown for communal events a priority, and City Square Park will continue that mission. This park will be a space for events including the Summer Concert Series, Fourth Fridays in Fennville, Goose Festival activities, public movie showings, and live music and performances. This campaign will allow the amphitheater, splash pad, outdoor gas fireplace, outdoor seating area, and a public greenspace to be developed and the park to be completed.

"This project will be transformative for downtown Fennville, and we are excited to see it get underway,” said Kathryn Beemer, City Administrator for the City of Fennville. “The ability to receive matching funds from the MEDC for every dollar raised in the community, up to $50,000, is helping to make the fun aspects of the project, like a splashpad, financially possible."

Public Spaces Community Places is a collaborative effort of the MEDC, the Michigan Municipal League and Patronicity, in which residents can use crowdfunding to be part of the development of strategic projects in their communities and be backed with a matching grant from MEDC. Communities, nonprofits and other business entities can apply at https://patronicity.com/puremichigan.

“This investment in Fennville’s downtown will create a lasting, positive impact that residents and visitors will enjoy for generations to come,” said Dan Gilmartin, Executive Director and CEO of the Michigan Municipal League. “The City Square Park project is taking an unutilized space and transforming it into a hub for the Fennville community to come together. This is what placemaking is all about.”

The Public Spaces Community Places initiative started in 2014 with MEDC providing matched funding of up to $50,000 for community improvement projects throughout Michigan. As of March 31, 2025, MEDC has provided more than $13.6 million in matching grants. Since the launch of the program, 405 projects have been successful in reaching their goal, with more than $15.7 million raised from 74,229 individual donors. Communities have a 97 percent success rate in achieving their goals and earning matching funds.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Recent Press Releases

and last updated 10:16 AM, Apr 14, 2025

FENNVILLE, Mich. — Michigan Gas Utilities says it expects to have visited all customers' homes and businesses by the end of Sunday to restore natural gas service. By the end of Saturday, the utility says its crews will have visited 60% of homes and businesses affected by the outage.

Utility crews started working to restore natural gas to homes and businesses in Allegan County on Friday including in the Fennville, Saugatuck and Douglas areas.

Crews are manually turning on gas meters and relighting gas appliances and and they ask customers not to try to turn on their own service.

"That is unsafe. We are getting to each customer as quickly as possible," Michigan Gas Utilities said in a news release Saturday afternoon.

An estimated 5,200 customers of Michigan Gas Utilities were affected by the outage.

On Wednesday afternoon, a contractor working for the Michigan DNR "unintentionally struck a high-pressure gas pipeline" while working on a hydrology construction project near Fennville, according to a statement from the department. No injuries were reported.

The utility says its crews have focused on critical customers, including hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, wastewater treatment facilities and emergency service buildings.

"If no one is able to provide access when crews arrive, they will leave a tag on the door with a number to call and our crews will come back," the statement said.

On Friday, the City of Fennville, Michigan Gas Utilities and TC Energy — the natural gas company which maintains the transmission line — held a press conference at Fennville City Hall.

Here, City Administrator Katie Beemer detailed the three-phase process of the restoration.

Phase One (Completed)

Phase Two (Friday, from around 4:00pm to 7:00pm)

Phase Three (Friday, beginning around 7:00pm)

Phase Three of the restoration, according to Michigan Gas Utilities, will likely take "about two days.""We're committed, obviously, to get it done as quickly as we can, but also as safely as we can," said Brendan Conway, a representative for MGU.

During the press conference, Conway said utility crews will work until midnight, prioritizing "critical customers," including hospitals and fire departments. They plan to resume the restoration process at 7:00am on Saturday.

Regarding late-night restoration efforts in residential areas, Conway said homeowners should "leave a light on" to indicate their desire for immediate service.

"We don't want to wake up the kids and get the dog barking," Conway said. "If you're okay with us coming back tomorrow, you can keep your lights off and we will [come back]."

"We're really grateful for all the workers who have joined us from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, even the Canadian workers, everyone who's come out to help us, we are really just very grateful," Beemer said.

For more on the natural gas outage, click here.

A shelter operated by the American Red Cross is currently available at Third Coast Community Church in Laketown Township.

For transportation assistance, call Allegan County Transportation at 269-673-4229, or the Interurban Transit Authority at 269-857-1418.

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