Dominion recently put up 7 new power poles in Beaufort. Why neighbors feel victimized
Residents of a Beaufort neighborhood say Dominion Energy “stonewalled” them when they tried to find out more about plans to install 85-foot-tall steel poles in their front yards, leaving them with no voice until it was too late.
Now they are calling on the city and Dominion to improve communication before more work is done as Dominion plans a larger pole replacement job in Beaufort.
Dominion’s Fraser Drive Rebuild Project, which began at a substation on Depot Road and ended on North Street, involved replacing seven wooden poles with 80- to 85-foot-tall steel poles, which are about 5 feet taller, with broader bases 4 1/2 feet in diameter.
The large steel poles are located on edges of front yards along sidewalks.
Neighbors say the steel poles have given the quiet residential neighborhood with a school an industrial feel.
They’re also disappointed by the trimming of their pines and live oaks, calling it a butcher job.
Residents are most upset about what they say was a lack of communication about the work, saying they feel “blown off” and claiming Dominion would not interact with them.
“It felt like we were stonewalled,” Jeanne Dunn says.
She said she tried to contact somebody at Dominion a year ago after neighbors saw workers in the area and learned work was pending. She was told repeatedly to call back. Dunn was so upset by the larger replacement pole in front of her house that she left town when it was installed. She used to plant flowers around the old wooden pole.
Dominion says replacing older, wooden poles with steel poles is critical to keeping the lights on, especially during hurricane season.
Trees remain the No. 1 reason for outages, the power company says, and they require regular trimming.
“We apologize for any delay that our customers may have experienced while communicating with us on these projects,” said Paul Fischer, a Dominion public affairs specialist. “We will continue to remain engaged with residents and the City of Beaufort to further improve communication as we move forward with this important work.”
With poles in the ground, it’s too late to make changes now, said Dunn, adding that residents feel victimized.
“But it might not be too late for another community,” Dunn said.
Beginning in early 2022, Dominion is planning to replace 6 miles of old wooden poles with 85- to 90-foot-tall steel poles from the Burton substation near Broad River Boulevard to the Frogmore substation on Lady’s Island.
The Burton-Frogmore Rebuild Project will cross Robert Smalls Parkway and continue through Salem Farms, crossing Battery Creek.
It will run parallel to the Spanish Moss Trail for about 2 miles and follow Brotherhood Road and Southside Boulevard before crossing Ribaut Road and ending at the Beaufort River, where lines will be buried to Lady’s Island.
The new poles, about 10 to 15 feet taller, can withstand 135 mph winds compared to 90 to 95 mph for the wooden poles, said Matt Talley, Dominion’s manager of electric transmission engineering.
The work is part of Dominion’s efforts to replace aging transmission line to ensure power to 3.3 million customers in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, Talley said.
Nobody in the group of Fraser Drive neighbors is a “serious agitator,” Dunn said. But they’ve taken their concerns to the Beaufort City Council.
“Just seeing it just turns my stomach,” said Councilman Neil Lipsitz said. Dominion needs to “look at people’s lives when you’re doing this.”
Mayor Stephen Murray is recommending that Dominion and the city get together to talk about improving communications with the public.
Fraser Drive residents also are calling on Dominion to install landscaping at a nearby substation along the Spanish Moss Trail to shield what they say is an eyesore.
“This is a school-friendly type neighborhood, and now it has the appearance of an industrial park,” said Sue Partridge, another Fraser Drive resident.
This story was originally published June 2, 2021 at 12:00 AM.
