Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 14:51:16 -0500
From: “N.A. Booko”
Subject: Duke Energy- Powerful, but not very nice . .
Last Tue. someone told me that the power company would be “trimming’ the trees and bush growth on the right-of-way, which joins and runs parallel with my property for a thousand, three hundred feet. I had dealt with right-of-way problems when the State ‘took’ three acres of my land in mid 1990s.
I remembered that more than a decade ago, the telephone company, in order to give me better service, re-did my lines and left the line coiled on top of the ground, telling me “our crew will be back in a couple of days to bury the line”- So, remembering that line on top of the ground, I put an eight by eleven bright yellow sign on the wire – saying, “LIVE TELEPHONE LINE’- The following day Wed, the tree trimming crew cut the line- killed the service. The company, Burfords Tree Inc. (Alabama) a contracted firm, were not at all concerned and even seemed annoyed that I was bothering them. They pretended to call someone, but nothing happened.
Thursday morning, a representative of Duke Energy arrived and assured me he would take care of the problem. It is now Sunday noon and the phone line is still cut, still dead. Century Link probably still nursing a hangover.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, while I was away, the tree cutters went over the right-of-way line, on my property and leveled several of my trees, some 20 feet tall. Clear cut the whole area.
Further down the line, in a place they figured I didn’t own, the felled a huge 50ft tall well branched maple, onto my property and just left it there. I don’t think the tree was on the right of way- In any case, they are supposed to cut up and dispose of trees felled.
I called Duke Energy Friday morning, to make sure of the measurements of the right-of-way. What a circus! I was on a friend’s phone for thirty mins, talked with 10 people, just trying to get that little pc of information. One person insisted I give my social security number to obtain the fact. Of course, I did not give it, but in the end, the right of way is thirty feet, 15′ on either side of the pole.
I have the feeling next week is going to be explosive-
N.A. Booko