The Town of North Hempstead board is still considering legislation to remove double-poles on town roads.
According to town officials, such poles exist in the Roslyn area, at Roslyn Road between the Northern State Parkway and I U Willets Road and at I U Willets Road between Glen Cove Road and the LIRR Tracks. Town officials added that there are about 10 double-poles at the Northern State Parkway intersection and 8-10 such poles at the Glen Cove Road location.
At the July meeting, the board voted to table public discussion on such a vote to the Tuesday, Aug. 12 meeting. As of this writing, double poles were being removed by PSEG crews on Port Washington Boulevard. Supervisor Judi Bosworth first proposed the legislation at the June 24 board meeting. That legislation would establish a new chapter under town code requiring public utility companies to remove any “decommissioned” utility poles, commonly known as double-poles from town roads.
According to town officials, double-poles occur when poles are damaged and the utility connections need to be transferred or if a stronger pole is needed to support heavier equipment. When the power company transfers its lines to the new pole, all the other utilities, such as telephone, television and computer lines, are notified and instructed to transfer their lines as well. Town officials said that this does not always happen in a timely fashion.
The issue of double-poles is not only an aesthetic one, but also one of public safety, according to Bosworth.
“Often the original pole is cracked, split or damaged and this can cause a safety hazard,” said Bosworth. “The utility companies cannot drag their feet when it comes to removing the old poles within a reasonable amount of time.”
The proposed law would require that when a utility applies to install a pole next to another pole on a town highway or right-of-way, that utility has 60 days to remove the old pole. The penalty for violation is a fine of $500.
