Outage outrage

Officials meet over power outages

By FRITZ MAYER

TUSTEN, NY —Chuck Hoffman asked if customers could file claims for all the food that went bad as a result of the power outages.

The electric company representative said, “You can file them, but unless there was gross negligence, the company won’t pay them.”

The exchange took place at a meeting between two representatives of New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG), several residents, Tusten supervisor Ben Johnson, Highland supervisor Tina Palecek and NYS assemblywoman Aileen Gunther.

Homes in the southern part of Tusten, along Route 97 and Lackawaxen Road, have suffered 12 power outages in the past 12 months, with four coming in the past month.

Hoffman wrote a letter to the New York State Public Service Commission, which led to the visit by LaWanda Ervin, regional manager for NYSEG, and Mark Mahlmeister, a regional operations manager.

Ervin told the group that one of the main reasons for the outages is “this area has a lot of trees,” and when trees fall on the lines, the power can be knocked out.

Of the 12 outages, she said, the average length of time was about 2.5 hours, which was not really too bad.

Residents, however, felt that a big part of the reason power could not be restored faster was that electrical workers first had to travel to Liberty to get a truck and then travel back to Tusten, which translates to a long drive time.

Mahlmeister said that it is a requirement of employment that line workers live within 30 minutes of their base of operations, and reiterated that the 2.5 hour average was only slightly longer than the average of NYSEG’s area, which is about two hours.

Gunther said, “This is a serious matter; we have elderly people on medical equipment here.”

Ervin said NYSEG is going to take action to try to lessen the number of outages. Crews will be inspecting the entire line, which runs from the southern part of Tusten to Yulan. Workers will cut back trees that seem most likely to cause a problem.

Hoffman suggested that because the lines dated back to the 1920s, their age was contributing to the problem and they needed to be replaced. Ervin said the company replaces equipment as it wears out and these lines are still working.

According to the PSC web site, 195 people filed complaints against NYSEG in June.

Residents can find out about those complaints, and how to file one with the PSC, at www.dps.state.ny.us/complaintdept.html, or call 800/342-3377. The PSC also handles complaints against telephone companies, cable companies and water suppliers.