How does a phone call lead to thousands of dollars in savings for a local community? According to DTE Corporate Services Supervisor Jason Biddle, the answer involves a football field, the Trenton Channel Power Plant demolition and a little bit of patience.
A few months ago, Jason received a phone call from former Grosse Ile Township Schools superintendent Valerie Orr asking for help. Jason is friends with Orr’s husband. Thanks to the passage of a recent bond proposal, the stadium at Grosse Ile High School was undergoing renovations.
“They were going from natural grass to astroturf and were looking to get rid of about 8,500 yards of dirt,” Jason said.
The district was ready to truck the dirt out and pay a fee to have it dumped into a landfill.
“They were looking for ways to avoid paying for the dirt to go to a landfill,” Jason said. “The former superintendent knew I worked for DTE, and the district is familiar with our reputation as a community-focused company so they contacted me to ask if we might be able to use the dirt. I said, ‘let me see who I can talk to and find out.”
Jason’s job at DTE involves managing crane and elevator workers, mechanics, and electricians assigned to the company’s Detroit Headquarters Complex. He also has a background in construction management. He knew that DTE was going to need dirt due to the recent demolition of the Trenton Channel Power Plant and construction of the Trenton Channel Energy Center. Jason began contacting coworkers to ask if our company could accommodate dirt from the nearby Grosse Ile High School football field.
It took a few weeks and several phone calls to come across the right person, but eventually Jason mentioned the issue to John Erb, DTE manager of real estate and facility design. John put Jason in touch with DTE’s project management organization (PMO). Jason connected the PMO with the school district and the project began to move forward. After that, DTE’s environmental group took samples to ensure the soil was usable. A few weeks later, Jason got a call saying “hey, it’s going to go through.’”
Since then, DTE has agreed to take fill dirt from other areas of the school that are under construction.
According to current Grosse Ile Township Schools Superintendent Audrie Kalisz, the cooperation will save Grosse Ile taxpayers more than $100,000 in bond funds.
“This collaboration exemplifies the power of partnership and innovation,” the superintendent said. “We are immensely grateful to DTE and to Jason for their proactive support and commitment to finding a mutually beneficial solution. The savings realized will directly contribute to managing the escalating costs of our ongoing bond projects.”
Jason thinks the partnership illustrates DTE’s focus on helping customers. Kalisz agrees.
“We look forward to continuing our partnership with DTE on future endeavors that create positive impacts for our students and community,” he said.