DETROIT – Sunday's episode of Flashpoint started with a discussion about all the struggles for Detroit as springtime approaches. At just over one week into March, 2015 brought infrastructure problems like cracked bridges and bumpy roads. There have also been battles with power outages, a serious issue during the cold Michigan winters.
Devin Scillian says the city's infrastructure is one of the most critical components in the lives of citizens. The state of the country's infrastructure has reached crisis level.
One of every four bridges in the United States is either in desperate need of repair or holding more weight than it was ever designed to hold. Civil engineers say that more than 4,000 dams are completely unsafe. And an estimated one-third of all traffic fatalities are connected to the condition of unsafe roadways.
Devin says infrastructure is what makes a nation truly livable, yet the United States is only ranked 23rd in the world in that regard.
Devin welcomed John Gallagher, business writer for the Detroit Free Press, Steve Kurmas, President and COO of DTE Energy, Carmine Palombo, Dep. executive director, and L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County executive, to join him in the discussion about U.S. infrastructure.
You can watch the first segment in the video posted above.
In the second discussion, Devin asked the panel if the right questions are being answered to improve the state of Detroit's infrastructure.
Gallagher says that some of the right moves are being made, like constructing the M-1 rail. He said that the political will is the hurdle Detroit has to overcome to greatly improve its infrastructure.
Kurmas talked about his role in helping to guide Detroit in the right direction. He said smart economics and engineering have to make the right decisions.
Click on the video below to watch the second segment.
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After the break, Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager Darnell Earley joined the show to talk about his 10-point plan for reducing the district deficit and improving academics.
Earley said one of the struggles is the financial hole the schools are in. That played a major role in the worsening condition of the schools and the time it takes to turn the system around.
He talked about his time working with Flint schools and says they're only a few months away from turning back over to local control. Earley said the difference was a smaller deficit and a lack of third-party debt. He says it was a very different situation than Detroit's, but that cooperation is ultimately what helps put the schools back on track.
You can watch the conversation with Earley in the video below.
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