Law To Have Damaged Poles Repaired, Replaced Being Mulled By Greenburgh

GREENBURGH, NY — The Town Board of Greenburgh is considering a law that would penalize utility companies that don’t repair or replace damaged utility poles. There will be a hearing on the legislation at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 24 at Greenburgh Town Hall. The public is invited to comment.

Supervisor Paul Feiner said the proposed law is based on legislation on the books in Yorktown.

The law is as follows:

When the Town of Greenburgh determines that a utility pole on a Town highway, street, road or right-of-way is damaged or otherwise poses a potential threat to public safety, the Town shall provide written notice to the public utilities with a plant on the damaged pole that the pole must be repaired, replaced or removed within fifteen (15) days or such shorter reasonable time period as may be necessary to protect the public safety.

A. When a public utility installs a utility pole which is directly next to or in close proximity to another utility pole on a Town highway, street, road, or right-of-way, the public utility shall, within thirty (30) days of installation of the new pole, provide written notice to all other public utilities maintaining a plant on the existing pole that a new pole has been installed and that the plant on the existing pole must be relocated to the new pole within ninety (90) days of the date of the notice

It shall be the joint and several obligation of the public utility installing the new pole and any other public utility maintaining a plant on the existing pole to remove the existing pole within one hundred twenty (120) days after installation of the new pole.

There will be a $1,000 fine for the first offense.

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