By Adam Swift
Downed utility lines across the city have been a major nuisance for residents and city councilors over the past several years.
At last week’s meeting, two councilors filed motions looking to address the issue.
Ward 1 Councilor Joanne McKenna filed a motion requesting that the mayor contact the major utilities operating in the city, including Verizon, National Grid, Comcast, and RCN, relative to downed wires in Revere. She said representatives from these companies are advising residents they are required to call in, wait on hold for an hour or more, and create a ticket to address issues with downed wires.
“I’ve been a councilor for 10-½ years, and I’ve never had a problem where I had to call in to put a ticket in to get a wire fixed,” said McKenna. “I have wires down in Beachmont now for about a month with no company that will take responsibility to clear them out.”
In the past, McKenna said she worked with a representative from Verizon who would take quick action to help clear out any problem wires. More recently, she said, she has been dealing with a new representative who has stated that she and other residents can call the company’s 800 number and put in a ticket for the request.
“This is totally ridiculous; what happened to serving our community? It’s gone,” McKenna said. “I am looking for the council and Mayor Keefe to come up with a plan and hold these companies accountable.”
McKenna said Comcast is usually good about getting back to the councillor on issues, but that other companies are not as responsive.
“What if a kid goes up and wants to climb a wire, or what if the wire is live and a kid touches it, what is going to happen then?” McKenna asked. “So we have to do something.”
Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky said the downed wires are an issue the city has been dealing with since RCN came to Revere.
“What they are doing is they are cutting wires from Comcast at the house and letting them fall in the street or they are wrapping them around telephone poles,” he said. “I have called them numerous times, get nothing, and now they are talking about us calling in … We’re not supposed to be doing it, you’re supposed to be serving us, not telling us to call in for repairs.”
Councillor-at-Large Robert Haas III filed a motion requesting the mayor and the inspectional services department investigate the feasibility of creating a fining system and schedule aimed at any utility company that leaves boxes or wires hanging down to the street and sidewalks for longer than 48 hours.
“The goal is kind of hand-in-hand with Councillor McKenna’s motion,” said Haas.
Haas noted that near the Lighthouse Nursing Home there was a huge mechanical box with dangling wires that looked like it was unattended for months. He added that there have also been wires hanging down on his street and his neighborhood for months.
“I just think our residents, they don’t deserve to walk over a wire not knowing what it is, a kid shouldn’t have the chance to climb a wire, jump up and touch a box where you have no idea what it is,” said Haas. “You have people walking dogs, pushing strollers over them; if they are not going over the wires they are going into the middle of the street, and that poses a health risk, a safety risk with oncoming cars. These utility companies make a lot of money off our residents, I just don’t see how these things are allowed to stay there for a week, a month, six months.”
Haas said the city could look at hiring a utility inspector who has the authority to deal with the issues.
