Broken poles abound in Suffolk
Utility companies urged to remove some 11,000 poles
3 comments below
An example of what the utility industry calls "double wood," this broken pole on Sound Avenue in Riverhead remains tethered tied to its replacement. There are some 11,000 instances of double wood in Suffolk County alone.
Riverhead Town Councilman Jim Wooten has a list of about 500 damaged poles still standing in Riverhead alone.
Some poles are so badly damaged they are held up entirely by the wires attached to them, according to County Legislator Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches).
An example of what the utility industry calls 'double wood,' this broken pole on Sound Avenue in Riverhead remains tethered to its replacement. There are some 11,000 instances of double wood in Suffolk County alone.
"I thought it was going to fall down any second," Mr. Romaine said. "That day was so windy and we were just standing there watching this broken pole sway back and forth. And what's worse is that the rope it's tied to is not even taut."
"Double wood" -- the term used to describe an old and new pole tethered together -- "should be in place only for a short period to allow utility companies a reasonable amount of time to move their equipment," Mr. Wooten said. "It's unnecessary for it to take longer than 90 days."
But the county may have no authority to regulate utility poles, according Verizon officials and Legislator Jack Eddington (D-Patchogue). The parties spoke at a meeting last week.
John Bonomo, a Verizon spokesman, said that with LIPA being a state agency, that one utility might not be subject to a county law. "But it was not something that was said definitively," he said. "It was discussed as a belief or a possibility, and would need further verification to determine the appropriate jurisdiction.
Asserting that there are about 11,000 unsightly tethered utility poles across Suffolk County, Mr. Eddington said "we'll have to see" if Verizon officials are correct. So far, the county Department of Public Works has agreed with Verizon, he said.
"If we can't do anything, then I'll just have to figure out how we petition the [state] government on this," he said.
Mr. Eddington and Mr, Romaine have jointly introduced legislation that would require utility companies like Verizon to remove damaged poles within 90 days or face fines. But the question of jurisdiction, especially considering the mix of public and private utilities that have to work together to tackle infrastructure problems, has stalled their proposal.
In most cases, the Long Island Power Authority is first on the scene when a damaged utility pole is damaged. LIPA is usually the one to erect new poles. Cable and telephone lines are left on the damaged pole, which is tethered to the new pole. In most instances, Verizon is the last utility to remove its wires from a damaged pole, making it responsible for the pole's removal.
Verizon is ratcheting up efforts to address the problem, its corporate spokesman said.
"We've been pretty diligent about it because we know that in a lot of cases it creates an unsafe condition, or even an unsightly condition," Mr. Bonomo said. "The rule of thumb is that whichever [utility] is the last off" the old pole "has the responsibility for removing the pole. And we're usually stuck with the job and that's fine. It's been a focus for us in 2009 and we've made some pretty good strides in 2010."
He said he believed local laws would only hurt the company's regional goals for correction the problem.
"The state Public Service Commission already has a proceeding underway that brings together all the interested parties on this issue," he said. "We should let the commission process go through, rather than having one set of regulations in one town or county and another set of regulations elsewhere. That would result in a kind of patchwork system. And that doesn't help anybody."
mwhite@timesreview.com
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3 comments found
No one cares : 3/29/2010
Unfortunately, Long Island just keeps getting worse and worse. I don't see how anyone can deny that. It is becoming a dirty, old looking place that shows no one cares anymore. Our so-called "leaders" don't even care anymore, as long as they are raking in the money & feel they have some sense of power by being a politician. It is very sad.
: 3/26/2010
NOW YOU KNOW WHY EVERYONE IS LEAVING LONG ISLAND!!!!
broken pole : 3/26/2010
We have a broken pole on montauk Hwy. in Westhampton Beach for over a year now I have contacted Lipa, cable, and verizon and all place blame on each other the police dept. says they think its verizon were do I turn now we have a business across the street and could loose alot of business if this pole goes down not to mention the hazard to people driving by
