Dangling utility pole in Clifton Heights can’t be touched by local authorities, says borough manager
Tied back with yellow caution tape and seemingly dangling from its own lines, a utility pole in Clifton Heights Borough has many local residents concerned. To address the worries, the Borough’s Manager, Thomas Micozzie, taken all avenues he can.
“The police and my office are aware of the pole damage,” said the post by Micozzie.
The utility pole in question is damaged at Oak Avenue and Baltimore Pike within the borough.
“This was reported to PECO at the time of the accident,” said Micozzie on the Borough’s Facebook page. “The remaining utilities have been notified to remove their lines.”
While the borough has done the proper notifying, it is limited in what it can do after that.
“The borough is prohibited from touching public utilities lines, poles, or equipment per the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC),” said Micozzie on Facebook.
A one-vehicle accident this past weekend damaged the pole, Micozzie told Fideri News Network.
Micozzie said that the truck “snapped the pole in half,” leaving it hanging on its wires, causing increasing concern in the borough.
He said this type of situation with poles is not exclusive to Clifton Heights, or even Delaware County. PECO has replaced 67 poles in the area, leaving up old ones and instructing any other utility to remove its lines, too.
“There’s a rule: the last person on the pole removes it,” he said. “On this pole, Verizon is still on it and Comcast.”
Micozzie said it is frustrating, as calls have been made to both phone/television conglomerates, but no change has been made.
“You’ll see a lot of spots where a brand new PECO pole is there, and beside it is an abandoned pole,” he said. “Someone never came to remove it, or there will be two lines still on it.”
Micozzie said he has even worked with other municipal leaders and the state’s Local Government Commission to seek phone numbers, other contact information, or assistance with the ongoing issue.
“We’re not permitted to touch it,” said Micozzie.
Calls on the matter to the PUC were not returned to Fideri News Network.
