Haverhill

Verizon replaces more than 100 poles in Haverhill, but criticism persists

Residents, city leaders say too many defective poles remain

By Paul Tennant
ptennant@eagletribune.com
Published: January 5, 2009

HAVERHILL — Verizon replaced more than 100 utility poles in the city during the last year, according to company spokesman Stan Usovicz.

That undoubtedly meant many man hours of labor, but the company is going to have to work harder to please city residents and leaders who have complained about poles that are doubled up against other poles or leaning — looking like they are going to fall.

David Swartz, who pushed the utility company to replace poles that were doubled up and had other defects during his time on the City Council, said, "There have been some replacements," but that more must be done.

"You don't have to drive far to see double poles," City Councilor Robert Scatamacchia said.

"I think they take the easy way out," and often fail to take the convenience of the public and aesthetics into account, Scatamacchia said of the company.

As an example, he mentioned that Verizon was going to install a pole near the funeral home he operates on Washington Street about two years ago.

"They were going to put the pole in the middle of a curb cut (for wheelchairs)," he said. A person using a wheelchair would not have been able to pass by, he said. When Scatamacchia asked a Verizon representative why the pole was being placed there, he said he was told that was the most "cost-effective" place.

The company ended up using another pole across the street, Scatamacchia said.

National Grid, which uses Verizon's poles to provide electricity to homes and businesses in the area, asked Verizon to provide the new poles, Usovicz said.

"It is a continuous and complicated effort," he said, noting that the poles carry wires for telephone service, electrical power, cable television, street lighting and fire alarms.

Workers from those different service providers have to be present when the wires are transferred from one pole to another, Usovicz said.

The poles are cut from southern pines.

According to Swartz, a state law enacted in 1997 prohibits double poles from being in place for more than 90 days. By that time, the utility has to correct the situation.

The problem with the law, said Swartz, is that it does not have a provision for fining the utility company if it breaks the rule.

Fining utility companies for failure to fix defective or double poles would probably persuade it to take corrective measures, Swartz said. Assessing a tax on poles might discourage the company from keeping double poles in place for too long, he said.

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