ComEd Drags Out Repair Of Rickety Pole For A Year, Residents Say

BURBANK, Ill. (CBS)--A rickety power pole using two-by-fours to hold up low-hanging wires has some Burbank residents worried.

What's more, the replacement pole has lying on the ground not too far away. That might be understandable if the damage was from last weekend's storm.

But it's not. Homeowner Bob Ptack contacted CBS 2 to say the repair has been delayed for an entire year.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports.

"I think it's absolutely ridiculous, and I think they've had plenty of time to come in and replace it," Ptack says.

The jerry-rigged electrical pole is in Ptack's backyard, snapped in half during a vicious storm last July. Its replacement sits 50 feet away.

An eyesore? Perhaps. But that's not the only concern.

In another yard, the line hovers next to the Kendrick family pool -- one they now can't use. Wires also skim Cliff Kendrick's roof, all because of the temporary pole.

"If I was much taller, I'd be able to actually touch this line," he said.

Frustrations apparently came to a head Friday. Shortly after CBS 2 called ComEd to ask about the year-old pole, a crew showed up to check it out.

Kendrick says the ComEd worker lashed out at him because he'd been called to the house. The worker said Kendrick verbally assaulted him.

Police were called, and everyone settled down. But no timetable was established for the repairs.

Kendrick, Ptack and other residents in the neighborhood say they've also had sporadic power outages since the pole snapped. They say they've made repeated calls to ComEd since the pole went down last summer but no one has ever been able to give them a repair date.

ComEd tells CBS 2 that workers have regularly inspected the pole and wires and there is no safety risk. However, the replacement of the pole is set for next week.