NEWBURGH – Utility companies have submitted plans to rid the area of zombie poles, those utility poles that remain long after they were used to carry telephone, electric and cable TV lines.
State Senator James Skoufis (D, Woodbury) wrote to area utility companies in the fall requesting a plan to remove those zombie poles in his senate district or else face legal action. Every utility company complied.
In September Skoufis, as chairman of the investigations committee, sent letters to over a dozen service and utility provides in his 39th Senate District, demanding that they immediately develop a detailed remediation plan to resolve the outstanding double pole obligations, under the threat of legal action.
Skoufis noted that his committee had identified 157 poles Central Hudson was responsible for removing in his district. The utility was able to identify backlogs and inconsistencies and has committed to removing the double poles as soon as possible. He said as of now, the utility has 15 double poles left to schedule for removal.
