A gas leak closed a large portion of downtown on Wednesday morning, forcing an entire block of Broadway to evacuate.
Village contractors from C & P Construction reported hitting a gas main valve just after 8:30 a.m. in front of Patti’s Place, 21 S. Broadway, on the east side of the road.
‘The fire department responded, as did Consumer’s Energy and DTE,? said Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh. ‘We then evacuated the entire one-block area of Broadway from Flint Street south to Front Street.
Narsh said a few other businesses in the area were also closed for precautionary measures, like CJ’s Lakeside Caf? on Flint.
‘I’ve never seen people eat their eggs and sausage that fast,? Narsh said of informing restaurant patrons of the closure during breakfast.
Many of the businesses felt the sting financially, as they weren’t able to reopen until nearly noon.
‘A whole restaurant of business walked out, so it hurt,? said Carl Slomczenski, owner of CJ’s. ‘But I’m glad they got it together.?
A few businesses closes to the leak, such as Elements, Patti’s Place, Stephen Auger + Associates Architects and Totally Hair waiting until after 1 p.m. to open their doors.
‘It’s a terribly unfortunate situation, but obviously safety is our top priority,? Narsh said.
Officials from C & P said the evacuation wasn’t entirely necessary, but they understood the village’s cautious approach.
‘When you go underground there are 100 gas services that are being exposed,? said Fernando Casasanta of C & P. ‘With all the digging, it will happen from time to time.?
The village streets are part of a designated historic district and Casasanta said the basement in the Auger building sticks out under the sidewalk more than it was marked.
He said the leak seemed to be a bigger deal than it was, but business owners like Slomczenski said it’s the contractor that needs to be more cautious.
Five years ago, the Slomczenski’s lost their home on Lake Orion to a gas explosion, and Carl’s wife, Joan was there to witness it.
‘We know the devastation that it can cause,? he said, crediting the expediency demonstrated by police and fire officials.
‘The evacuation was very orderly,? Narsh noted. ‘Everybody was courteous and we thank them for their cooperation.?
He addid it was the second time in as many days that a gas line was reported hit. The Tuesday incident was said to be due to a mismarked line.
Narsh said there is a high probability of seepage into the basements along Broadway because the buildings are so old.
Downtown Development Authority Director Lois Golden said many of the businesses were understanding of the situation, and many called her office to report the gas smell.
Look for more on this story in next week’s Lake Orion Review.