Residents’ concerns over taller-than-normal utility poles aren’t putting a project to install the poles on hold.
Public Service Electric and Gas says it will continue installing 65-foot-tall wooden utility poles in Ridgewood despite concerns about possible health threats.
The utility began erecting the first of 78 that are designed to connect high-voltage lines last month. The poles are 15 feet higher than standard poles and are capable of withstanding powerful winds.
PSE&G halted the project after some residents raised concerns.
The Record newspaper reports PSE&G regional public affairs manager David Hollenbeck told the Ridgewood Council on Wednesday that work would resume on Friday. Hollenbeck says the utility notified the town about the project twice in March.
The utility's lawyer says the town could formally oppose the project, which would suspend work while a review is conducted.
Mayor Paul Aronsohn says he likes that idea.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
“The process was not handled well at all,” Aronsohn told PSE&G officials Wednesday, according to the paper. “Clearly, there was not an appropriate effort to inform residents and the council what was in the works here.”
