Briefs: Man pulled from Paint Lake; I-696 work into 2027; Pontiac shelter site gets cleanup grant
A 77-year-old Rochester Hills man is in critical but stable condition after falling into Paint Lake in Oxford Township. MDOT says I-696 construction continues through 2027. A $460,000 state grant will clean up the site of a planned Hope Shelters building in Pontiac.
By OCJ Staff
Rochester Hills man rescued from Paint Lake
A 77-year-old Rochester Hills man was in critical but stable condition after deputies pulled him from Paint Lake in Oxford Township on Sunday, Oct. 25, WDIV reported.
Deputies and the Oxford Township Fire Department were called to the lake's public boat launch around 1:20 p.m. after a caller reported an unresponsive man in the water about 20 feet from shore, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. Investigators said he fell in while trying to launch a boat from the dock and was not wearing a life jacket.
He was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital. The sheriff's office said alcohol is not believed to be a factor.
I-696: more work in 2027
Construction on I-696 in south Oakland County will continue through the end of 2027, WDIV reported Tuesday.
The Michigan Department of Transportation expects the remaining closed lanes between M-10 and I-75 to reopen by early December, according to the station. Westbound I-696 reopened on its rebuilt lanes Oct. 12, and eastbound has stayed closed while crews finish crossover work. Some construction will continue near Orchard Lake Road.
In spring 2027, crews will rebuild both directions of I-696 between I-75 and about Dequindre Road, MDOT spokesperson Diane Cross told WDIV. That stretch couldn't be rebuilt earlier because the I-75 interchange was part of the detour. MDOT plans to keep two lanes open in each direction, so no major detour is planned.
Project updates are posted at DrivingOakland.com.
Pontiac shelter site gets $460,000 cleanup grant
A contaminated site in Pontiac where Hope Shelters plans a new emergency shelter will get a $460,000 brownfield grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, the Oakland County Times reported, publishing an EGLE announcement from earlier this month.
The $7 million project would build a 12,350-square-foot, single-story shelter and warming center mainly for homeless adults on land at 283 Baldwin Ave., 18 Tacoma Court and 155 W. Rundell St., according to EGLE. It is expected to create as many as 32 jobs and open by May 2028. Construction is funded with federal HOME American Rescue Plan money distributed through Oakland County.
The property was part of a railroad starting in 1907 and later held a dry cleaner and an auto parts warehouse, EGLE said. Testing in 2024 and 2025 found chlorinated solvents and metals in the soil. The grant will pay for more testing, removing contaminated soil, asbestos abatement and a vapor mitigation system under the new building.
Sources: WDIV/ClickOnDetroit, "Deputies rescue 77-year-old Rochester Hills man from lake after failed boat launch" (Oct. 26, 2026, 10:37 a.m.) and "I-696 construction update: Reopening timeline and what's next" (Oct. 27, 2026, 7:48 a.m.); Oakland County Times, "Contaminated Site in Pontiac to be Turned into Homeless Shelter Thanks to EGLE Grant" (Oct. 27, 2026), republishing an EGLE release dated Oct. 8, 2026; earlier Journal coverage.