Phone company cutting trees down (Johnson City, Kingsport: power lines, houses, cost of)

[dreamofmonterey]

Well- this is going to be bad. When they started doing this in NY they butchered the beautiful trees. Now, because there are too many overhead wires (the fault of the phone co- not putting them underground) they have to start cutting.

I moved here to have peace and quiet- if they start cutting trees now, that's a BIG negative.

sunny

[JMT]

Originally Posted by sunnyhelena

Well- this is going to be bad. When they started doing this in NY they butchered the beautiful trees. Now, because there are too many overhead wires (the fault of the phone co- not putting them underground) they have to start cutting.

I moved here to have peace and quiet- if they start cutting trees now, that's a BIG negative.

sunny

I sure do wish utility lines were underground, too! I know it's a lot more expensive, and the lines have to be replaced more often than overhead lines (according to a recent article in the Tennessean) but it woud sure help during ice storms, and it would mean less hassle with cutting all those trees.

[dreamofmonterey]

If they did it nicely it wouldnt be a problem- it RUINS the look of some houses in front- isnt there some law/curb-appeal thing a homeowner can use?

[alleycat]

I'm a little surprised it's the phone company. Around here the phone company has put almost all of their lines underground. The electric is still mostly on pole and sometime they can do a really poor job of trimming.

You don't have much say in the matter, I'm afraid. That's a public utility easement they're cutting in. However, the best thing you can do is complain and get all your neighbors to complain and send letters to your local paper. That's what they've done here in Nashville and they seem to be better now about how they trim.

[dreamofmonterey]

actually we are in an incorporated city/Washington County- I think it may have been them- guess they have nothing more major to worry about!


sunny

[mbmouse]

I agree about the way they trim the trees, you'd think they could do it more aesthetically. I have heard through the grapevine that Kingsport is talking about putting the power lines underground in the near future, I hope Johnson City follows suite. But then again, if they do, that may mean higher electrical bills to cover the cost of doing so. I guess it is kind of a toss up.

[dreamofmonterey]

I dont care if the bills are higher. I like mature trees, and they are still cutting them down- the neighbors had a beautiful maple- it is all chopped to bits- this is really bad.