Broken Utility Pole, Six Months Later - John Dunn, Consultant, Ambertec, P.E., P.C.

The broken utility pole which I discovered in this neighborhood  last June is still broken in spite of my having repeatedly been in touch with the utilities and with government officials. Please see:

http://licn.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/11/municipal-malfeasance-again-john-dunn-consultant-ambertec-pe-pc/comments/page/2/#comments

In addition to the problem of municipal and utility company malfeasance about this, public attitude also seems to be part of the problem:  "..... and all you're concerned about is a stupid pole? It wont fall, its not dangerous.... Get a life".  Please see: 

http://merrick.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/dangerous-broken-pole-continued 

 Astounding.

Comments

[John Dunn]

As of January 8, 2013, this broken pole remains untended to. Having failed to convince the utility compamies to act on this problem, I have contacted government officials. So far, that has also failed.

The most recent e-mail exchanges about this have been as follows.

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2013 9:29 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Broken Telephone Pole on Merrick Avenue

Mr. Dunn, the Helpline has been calling Verizon and LIPA every single day to get them to fix this pole. I understand your concern and we are doing everything we can to get the proper companies to take care of this situation. I will contact you with any updates I get from them. Due to the fact that the pole does not belong to the Town, we cannot fix it ourselves. I am sorry this is taking so long, we will keep on trying.

From: John Dunn [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2013 9:00 PM
To: '[email protected]'
Cc: 'David Denenberg'; 'Michael Ganci'; 'Paul Laursen'; 'Supervisor Kate Murray'
Subject: RE: Broken Telephone Pole on Merrick Avenue

Ms, Cullin -

One point to bear in mind is that I too have spoken with Verizon and with LIPA, but to no avail. In my view, there has been abdication of responsibility by both of them.

Seeking support from government quarters has been a similar experience. Meanwhile, that pole is inching its way forward to collapse. How will the utilities react, how will government officials react, how will YOU react, if that pole comes down tomorrow morning and happens to kill somebody?? You use the phrase “taking so long”. This has been going on since last June, seven months ago. The time for patient waiting is clearly at an end.

John Dunn

[John Dunn]

The pole has finally been removed after seven months. More details later.

[John Dunn]

The broken pole was finally removed after at least seven months of posing a clear and present danger to pubic safety. What I found incomprehensible about all of this, apart from the obvious municipal malfeasance, was the atttiude of at least two local residents that this broken pole didn't warrant such attention, that it would never fall and that I ought to stop pushing the matter.

I'm putting this in polite language. The actual messages I received were not for family consumption, if I may so phrase it.

To me, such attitudes are miscreantic. I now have to wonder how large a percentage of the population shares that trait.