Wires Down: Dead Or Deadly?

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Wires Down: Dead Or Deadly?

Written by Katie Piacentini, kpiacentini@antonnews.com Friday, 18 January 2013 00:00

In the continuing aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, readers are still reporting dangling, drooping wires in their towns and villages.

There is a difference between power lines and cable wires. LIPA and Verizon said that the top two wires on utility poles are power lines. Verizon spokesperson John Bonomo said, “The reason that electric is at the top is simply for safety sake, and that no employees of any other utility needs to go near the electric wires when repairing their own facilities.”

Hanging from a pole: Stay clear. “Then, further down on the pole are telecommunications and cable companies, and other services, like a municipality that may have wires running, or fire or police departments for their communications, and others,” Bonomo said. “The dangers are real.”

Laura Schultz, president of Residents For A More Beautiful Syosset, noted that this is not a new problem in the area. “Problems with the wire infrastructure that was displaced during the Jackson Avenue Improvement Project have not been addressed. Wiring was left in a patchwork manner with dangling wires. Repairs from Superstorm Sandy were completed in the same sort of temporary, haphazard manner,” said Schultz. “The Syosset community’s infrastructure is left in a precarious situation, awaiting the arrival of the next storm.”

It could be as dangerous as it looks. Bonomo noted that when drooping, dangling or downed wires are reported to Verizon, the utility inspects them to determine which utility they belong to. If it is not a Verizon wire, it is reported to the responsible utility.

The same goes for Cablevision, said spokesperson Charlstie Veith.

If it is determined that the wire belongs to Verizon, Bonomo said the utility will find out if the drooping wire is affecting service. “If there is no effect on service, we will repair those wires in a timely fashion.”

LIPA spokesperson Mark Gross said that people should report downed wires to utilities and should always assume it is live. To report a dangling, drooping or downed wire, residents can call Verizon at 1-800-Verizon, LIPA at 1-800-490-0075 or Cablevision at 516-364-8400.

News

BCA Votes on Budgets, Candidates

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 00:00

During its April and May meetings, the Birchwood Civic Association welcomed Board of Education members and candidates from the Syosset School District, as well as Board of Education members and administrators from the Jericho School District to discuss budget proposals and issues facing the districts. The BCA voted to endorse both the Syosset and Jericho budgets, as well as the Jericho Library budget, acknowledging that all made a strong effort to retain programs while staying below the state tax levy cap. In addition, the BCA voted in support of Jericho's Proposition 2 regarding the establishment of a capital reserve fund. The Syosset Library budget was not reviewed.

Sports

Syosset Boys Lacrosse Defeats Plainview

Thursday, 16 May 2013 00:00

Enters Playoffs As Second Seed

The Syosset Braves varsity boys lacrosse team (7-1) were victorious over the Plainview JFK Hawks (5-3) last Friday afternoon, 12-5 in Conference I play. The Braves are the number two seed going into the playoffs, and the Hawks are the number six seed.

Ending the first two periods with a 6-2 lead, the Braves’ defense reduced Plainview’s potential comeback to only one goal, while Syosset scored four.