The record-setting heat wave that caused widespread power outages all over Baristaville a few weeks back was the last straw for residents of an area in the South End of Glen Ridge.
Their fourth incident during that heat wave, patience ran out and a local activist movement was born. Taking the lead, Adam and Annie Pockriss drafted a letter to Mayor Peter Hughes, which was signed by 20 households and delivered to the Municipal Building today. In their letter, the Pokrisses pointed out that PSE&G workers had confirmed that the section of the power grid that services the neighborhood is in dire need of upgrading or replacement.
“I wanted to be sure that an official complaint was registered, so that it’s on the record that people are unhappy,” Adam Pockriss told Baristanet. “Sometimes you just have to make a little noise, in order to bring attention to a problem.”
Although the Pockriss family moved to Madison Street just a few years ago, he understood the deep-rooted frustration expressed by neighbors who have lived in the quiet kid-dominant pocket around Carteret Park for many years. “I was told that the problem is chronic,” he said.
One longtime Adams Place resident, Karin Robinson, said that she filed an online complaint with the the state’s Board of Public Utilities’ Division of Customer Assistance at the prompting of the town’s former mayor, Carl Bergmanson, who also lives in the affected area.
A few days ago, Robinson told us that she got a robocall confirming receipt of her complaint. Following that she heard from an actual person.
“I got a call from Peter Honan at PSEG, telling me that they are sending crews out to upgrade the wires and reorganize the circuits, so that some of the houses in our area get changed to another circuit to decrease the load,” she said.
Robinson was given the phone number of a supervisor to contact if there were further problems.
According to Pockriss, there is some work going on today, on the north end of town, near the Glen Ridge Country Club, though if it’s the same work that was promised to Robinson, and whether it’ll improve the South End situation remains unclear.
Some power loss victims received an apologetic robo call from PSE&G this week. Did you get one? Does it make it better if they say “sorry”?
To read Pockriss’ letter to the mayor, or add your name to it, click here. (Note, if you’re not a group member of the Glen Ridge Community Page, you’ll have to become one in order to access it).
I have my torch and pitchfork ready should this not work.
Go for it, guys. You can too change the world: I’ve experienced it firsthand on radium and on turf. It just takes a few people to get it done.
Great to see neighborhoods unified by a common adversary as us also the case in Bay St. cell tower fight. That said, he opening paragraph brought back images from a legendary Twilight Zone episode: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monsters_Are_Due_on_Maple_Street
Geoff,
My neighbor name-checked the Maple Street episode while a bunch of us were standing outside during the outage – so many of my neighbors are so young, only I got the reference [sigh].
GR has one advantage over most other towns during a blackout – the street lights stay on.
Carl,
You should mention we were at the only house on the block that did not lose power as they are on a “good” grid.
Yes – I guess we should get points for holding the bi-weekly block party at the one house in the nabe that’s not on our crappy electrical grid…
I got the “sorry” call.
Thought it was nice.
Losing power is no fun. 2 nights in a row is really NO. FUN.
But what are you gonna do? It was hot, everyone is using more ‘electricity than ever (look around your house and all the things that weren’t such a drain a decade ago… Computers, dvr’s, chargers, wii, flat screens, etc.
So, yes. Sorry was nice. And made me feel better.
(But if you REALLY don’t like it, get a generator. And stop complaining.)
You go! Don’t worry, with Carl on your side, PSE&G will cave quicker than the House Republicans.
Prof -
What are you going to do?
In PSE&G’s case – do what you are paid to do, and legally obligated to do – provide and maintain an adequate system.
As far as the customers, we need to put as much pressure on PSE&G – and our elected and appointed officials – as it takes to make them do what they are paid to do, and legally obligated to do. Until we start pushing back, they’ll keep trying to lower the baseline of what is acceptable.
We’ve had 10 outages in the past 15 months or so, at this point they’ve burned-off all the good will and then some – NO MORE EXCUSES. The reality is that PSE&G has cut way back on tree-trimming & line maintenance, upgrading & replacement, and pocketed the savings for themselves – all while the state has mostly stood back & nodded.
And Prof, I got a generator last spring, after 3+ days with no power. While it does make it more tolerable, it does not make it any more acceptable.
Walleroo, thanks for your vote of confidence – Let’s hope you’re right!
Sure thing, Carl. If you don’t make it uncomfortable for them, they’ll never fix it. Why would they?
Though I’m not so sure “quicker than House Republicans” should be encouraging.
Sorry for late 2-cent reply… I called a special PSE&G number a couple of years ago (in Clifton, I believe), when I heard that the grid needed upgrades. The “official” who answered never called back. Maybe now we’ll get some action…I hope! I, too, got an automated courtesy apologetic call. It’s appreciated, but doesn’t do anything toward solving the problem.