This story has been updated with additional information.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio said July 7 it is looking into electrical supply problems in Barberton after a late-spring, early-summer rash of power outages in the city.
Barberton’s mayor and City Council sent a letter June 30 to the PUCO, calling for the agency to investigate “an unprecedented number of power outages” in the city.
The letter, released July 7, was signed by all members of council.
Barberton residents and businesses have been plagued by the outages this year, causing a litany of problems listed in the letter addressed to PUCO and FirstEnergy Chairman Brian X. Tierney.
Matt Schilling, director of Public Affairs with the PUCO, said in an email July 7 that the agency received the letter July 3.
“We received this city’s letter late last week and will be sending a response soon,” Schilling said. “The PUCO is looking into concerns about recurring power outages in the Barberton area.”
FirstEnergy, in an emailed response July 7, attributed most of the outages to trees located outside its designated right of way.
“While mature trees add beauty to our neighborhoods, they can pose a risk to electrical infrastructure if not properly maintained,” Hannah Catlett, FirstEnergy’s Ohio spokesperson said.
Catlett said the company is also working with state officials to remove osprey nests along some of its equipment in the area, and has completed other repairs to address specific outages.
Catlett said the company planned to share details about plans to strengthen the local grid at the July 7 council meeting.
In the June 30 letter from Mayor William Judge, he writes that the power company hasn’t detailed a plan to address the issue.
“While FirstEnergy has been responsive to our calls, it requires us to reach out,” he said.
In a July 7 phone message, Judge said the letter was written to keep attention on the power outage issue with the goal of achieving a solution to the problem
“(It’s) very important to keep this moving,” he said. “…This is something we’ve been dealing with for quite a while.”
Outages affect public safety, work productivity, letter says
The outages, Judge said in the letter, vary in severity, creating unsafe conditions for residents.
“Such increase produces actual, real economic loss, but most importantly the impact on the health and safety of our most vulnerable residents,” the mayor said in the letter.
A list of impacts includes the loss of food, health and safety concerns, a loss of work productivity, public safety concerns due to the loss of traffic lights and street lighting, increased pressure on first responders and closed businesses.
“We request that PUCO investigate to determine why these outages are occurring at an increasing rate with frequency and duration, improved transparency with reporting and feedback to residents and businesses, and presenting proposed and/or planned solutions to correct this issue,” the letter states.
Barberton council meeting moved because of outage
The outages have been a common topic on Barberton Facebook pages and sparked a change.org petition with 648 signatures by the morning of July 7.
The issue was part of a city council meeting June 23 that had to be moved to the Barberton Active Adult Center because of an outage at City Hall.
Outages have led to the loss of thousands of dollars of product in June for businesses, including Durbin’s Magic Freeze and Leach’s Meats and Sweets.
Councilman Thomas “Bebe” Heitic, who has been a vocal critic of the outages, said in a July 7 phone interview that FirstEnergy needs to take action to fix the problem. The city is acting on an ordinance to address trees on private property that must be trimmed to protect power lines, he said, but the power company has been slow to act on its areas of control.
“We don’t own or operate or maintain the power lines,” Heitic said. “The people who do… need to start doing their jobs and maintain it, operate it, and keep it running.”
Heitic said service interruptions involving another utility, like water, wouldn’t be tolerated by the state or federal government or city residents and businesses.
“Why do gas and electric get a pass when water doesn’t?” he said.
‘We need an explanation’ says Barberton councilman
Ward 3 Councilman Shorter Griffin, in a phone interview July 7, said his ward has been hit hard by the outages, with one area experiencing an outage and another retaining power.
“There are some areas of my ward that have been constantly hit that weren’t a few years back,” he said.
The councilman said he experienced an extended outage at his home in June.
“It was out for almost 12 hours,” he said. “I was getting pretty nervous about the freezers.”
He said he talked to the owner of the Barberton Mini Mart on Snyder Avenue, who told him product had to be discarded because of the outage.
“We need an explanation for people,” he said.
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj or Facebook at www.facebook.com/alan.newsman.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio’s public utilities watchdog ‘looking into’ power outages in Barberton, says official
Reporting by Alan Ashworth, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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