Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • August 14, 2013 Ridgewood Controversial pole installations expected to resume by John Koster The controversial installation of 65-foot wooden utility poles was slated to resume last week after a lengthy, tur- bulent meeting of resident opponents, the Ridgewood Vil- lage Council, and Public Service Electric & Gas Regional Public Affairs Manager David Hollenbeck.At press time, however, Mayor Paul Aronsohn said the installation of the poles would again be postponed. Hollenbeck, flanked by his own experts, asserted that Mayor Aronsohn’s account of how Ridgewood had been misled and did not expect 69,000-volt lines on 65-foot poles was itself misleading. He said that as he remembered the meetings with the Ridgewood Village Council in March, the height of the poles and the voltage had both been men- tioned, though he admitted that the exact route might not have been described. Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli, an attorney, said the information had not been adequate for Ridgewood to inform residents or to make an informed consent. “In my opinion you (PSE&G) circumvented the law,” he told Hollenbeck. Not so, Hollenbeck said confidently. However, he did acknowledge not getting Ridgewood a draft of a PSE&G announcement in time to alert the neighbors. Since the poles are part of a national grid involving sev- eral other states, Ridgewood’s ordinance was superseded and could not have blocked construction. Ridgewood Vil- lage Attorney Matt Rogers had advanced the same concern at the first public meeting with residents some weeks ago. Hollenbeck noted that the utility company had delayed pole installation until the schools closed, but because of the work stoppage demanded by Ridgewood after the Hope Street neighbors and some other residents complained, the pole installation would now be carried on while school is in session in September. He said the company had initially tried to avoid this situation. Nicole Hough, a resident, submitted a petition with 250 signatures asking that the work be stopped. Jacques Harlow, a former council member and an engi- neer, said the utility company should install electric power lines under the street, as in New York City. Harlow said power lines could lead to fatalities if residents stepped on them. He added that, over the long haul, the utility would save money because it would not be billed for power fail- ures or food that is ruined when refrigeration stops during (continued on page 15) Public Service Electric & Gas Regional Public Affairs Man- ager David Hollenbeck speaking at last week’s meeting.