Page 6
June 5, 2019
photo by d anny p eterson /t he p ortland o bserver
A three-barrel transformer-mounted pole was installed just steps
in front of Mary Batson’s northeast Portland home without her
notification, which caused a water main break. Pacific Power
accepted responsibility but may also have to move it because it
was installed improperly.
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Pacific Power acknowledged
the broken main was their fault
and paid for the damages, which
included reimbursing her for the
over $1,600 water bill that en-
sued, plumbing costs, and other
expenses, she said.
Batson also complained of a
humming noise coming from the
transformers, but the company has
said they haven’t been activated
yet, so the noise couldn’t be from
them.
“While we appreciate her con-
cerns about the placement of the
transformers, when operating cor-
rectly they should not be a noise
problem. Should noise become a
concern after the transformers are
in service, which will be a few
months, we can look at the issues
that may be causing them to be too
loud and work from there,” Pacific
Power stated Monday.
Batson lives with her 68-year-
old sister Virgie Ruiz, though Ruiz
also owns a home elsewhere in the
neighborhood. Batson’s residence
is two doors down from a new up-
scale, 6 story, 70-unit apartment
and business complex being built
called The Canyons and slated for
opening in summer 2020.
The pole had been installed on
the extended property line in front
of her house, i.e. the strip of grass
in between the sidewalk and the
street.
Another three-barrel transform-
er bank was placed on an existing
pole near her neighbor’s house,
adjacent to the construction site.
Unsatisfied with the placement
of the pole, Batson contacted the
power company to see what could
be done. At first they said they
would investigate the matter but
soon her calls went unreturned,
she said. Batson then reached out
to the city’s ombudsman office,
who told her that the power com-
pany did not have a permit for the
pole and that its placement was
temporary, she said.
Batson then contacted the Or-
egon Public Utility Commission
which found the opposite: Pacific
Power did have a permit and the
pole was permanent. In documents
from the commission, the utility
maintained the pole’s placement
was “within our right of way and
standards, to support the construc-
tion of a new development in the
area.”
The utility also told the com-
mission it would charge the home-
owner “in excess of $20,000” to
have it moved somewhere else on
the block.
Batson rejected the offer.
“I don’t have $20,000 to pay
them,” Batson said.
Representing the city’s trans-
portation agency, Brady said the
pole’s placement didn’t do enough
to avoid being a nuisance.
“[P]oles should be placed on
the property line between build-
ings to avoid having a pole in
front of someone’s house, so you
don’t have as many issues with
vision obstruction…that’s the sort
of standard practice, is to put it on
the property line between build-
ings.”
Pacific Power has acknowl-
edged working with Batson on
the issue for several months.
They cited city zoning ordinances
C ontinued on p age 15