Drop JCP&L, Montville Residents Say
Citizens suggest ways for township committee to communicate better during storms.
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Get rid of Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) or find some way to hold them accountable.
That was the overall consensus from Montville residents who gathered at the special township committee meeting Saturday morning to discuss the township’s response to Tropical Storm Sandy.
Mayor Tim Braden said that all of Montville was familiar with the “failure of JCP&L to effectively communicate with our residents,” but that he wanted to focus on residents’ suggestions for improving the committee’s communication to the public during similar situations. However, most of the members of the public, who packed the room in attendance, spoke about frustrations with JCP&L and pressed the committee to look into the possibility of changing power companies.
Words used were colorful; all of them were negative. Resident Vincent D’Orazio depicted the company’s performance as “abysmal” and “an accident waiting to happen” while Chuck Fisher called JCP&L's distribution system “decrepit.” Another resident said JCP&L should be “burned in effigy.”
Frances Fano, of Nathan Drive, said she does not believe JCP&L has any motivation to restore power to Montville.
“Certainly, they are not going to put on extra personnel that is going to cost a lot more,” Fano said. “They are going to just make us wait and keep the incompetent staff that they have.”
Resident Christine Fano suggested dumping JCP&L for Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G), stating that, at the very least, the latter company is based in New Jersey and has good relationships with mayors and town council members. Doremus Drive resident Bernard Albanese agreed, saying that PSE&G “always does a better job.”
“[JCP&L] was a disaster during the ice storm last year,” Timber Drive resident Jennifer London said. “I know a lot of townships got together and dumped them.”
Another member of the public advised the township to consider partnering with or modeling a power distribution system on Butler Power & Light, which purchases power from JCP&L but distributes itself. The mayor said dropping JCP&L might be difficult because the company owns the equipment, power lines, transformers and substations that power Montville.
“For that equipment and infrastructure to be seized from them, it would have to come from the top,” Braden said. “We can petition the governor to do that.”
Resident Sue Karl requested that the township ask JCP&L for grid maps outlining what houses are on what grid. However, Township Administrator Victor Canning said he believes power grids are considered part of the state’s critical infrastructure, meaning they could be used for terrorist actions if placed in the wrong hands.
“I don’t think we will ever be able to get a hold of those grid maps because of the potential danger that is involved,” Canning said. “That is a conversation that we all have to bring to the governor to see if there is a way to address that.”
The mayor said that an invitation to attend the meeting had been extended to JCP&L. However, he said they declined.
Improving Communication Within the Township
Many offered suggestions for better communication, on part of the township committee, to residents, a few offering dismay at not receiving much information from the committee members.
“There’s a common misperception that, because of the positions we hold, we know more than you do,” Canning said. “Unfortunately, in this case, we did not.”
Both Braden and Canning explained that the JCP&L area manager assigned to Montville had been present at an October committee meeting. During that meeting, he had assured the public that the company, armed with updated protocols and storm management procedures and notifications, would be ready for any storm.
“However, in the first 10 days following the storm, we were only able to make contact with the area manager four times,” Braden said. “Each time, we were given information that was either incorrect or grossly inaccurate.”
Both Braden and Canning said that, as a result, the administration and committee did not feel comfortable disseminating information to the public that was incorrect.
Albanese suggested calling for the area manager to get fired. Christine Fano advised that the committee issue statements to the local press, which she said would prod the power company to provide the information.
“I see the East Hanover mayor in the paper making comments, and that’s what you need to do,” Fano said. “I do a lot of advocacy. You can’t just be silent.”
Many residents said they wished there had been more police presence, or at least somebody driving down their streets to see if they were OK. Pine Brook resident Walter Rickett, who said he and his wife were “trapped like rats,” said nobody came to see if they were safe.
“On the edge of my property was a telephone pole and a gigantic tree,” Rickett said. “On the other side of my property was another telephone pole with another gigantic tree. Nobody came and said, ‘Do you need any help, buddy?’”
Pine Brook resident Mike O’Brien brought up starting a citizens' task force – a suggestion seconded by the mayor and a few residents – that would help to act on some of the ideas mentioned throughout the morning.
“I think we should set this up, organize and have this underway so that people in this room who have such great ideas can walk out of here and say, ‘Things have begun, things have started and we’re already moving on,’” O’Brien said.
Other suggestions – both regarding communication and storm response processes – from residents included:
- Phone call updates twice daily during similar storms
- More communication about food banks in the area so residents without power can donate refrigerator and freezer foods
- Fire department offering a class or information on how to use a generator
- Putting more pertinent information on electric road signs
- The township consider setting up an emergency battery store
- Consult the township’s technology committee to help remedy communication technology issues
- Develop a plan to maintain the township’s bigger trees
- Disseminate paper fliers to homes or have them available at town hall
Residents did have some positive things to say about the township’s response. Frances Fano said she appreciated the Nixle alerts that were sent out, although a few residents said they did not know about Nixle until the day before. Additionally, many residents said they have Sprint phones and could not receive Nixle alerts. Canning said the township will look into a different alert messaging system, especially since township administration phones are Sprint-owned.
Julie Ballentine said she was impressed that she received a phone call about a shelter being opened up at the fire department to keep people fed and warm. Additionally, close to a dozen residents expressed their thanks – followed each time by thunderous applause – to committee member Scott Gallopo, who posted updates on his Facebook page and Twitter handle throughout the storm.
Liz Kril
6:47 pm on Saturday, November 10, 2012
PSE&G customers had the same frustrations as we did with JCP&L. It seems that people didn't realize that it wasn't just the lines that were down, but the transformers were damaged. They had to ship the transformers from other parts of the country, and that was part of the delay. Areas of Union county received power on Wednesday, Nov. 7th as we did in certain areas on Montville as well. NJ is not accustomed to a hurricane of this magnitude. Changing companies is not the solution.
Deborah
7:20 pm on Saturday, November 10, 2012
Maybe, maybe not, but the residents of Montville Township had a right to know the reason why their power was still off after ten days. JCP&L communicated nothing and didn't even attend this meeting which speaks volumes. If what you wrote is accurate, why didn't a JCP&L representative explain this or have a webpage that posted daily of their progress? All they had was a generic map letting us know who didn't have power. I would think THAT was pretty obvious.
Liz Kril
9:55 am on Sunday, November 11, 2012
Deborah, Your right, they should have communicated with us. That was my gripe as well as yours and everyone elses'. I spoke to people in Penn. and they knew about the shortage of transformers, perhaps they read it in the paper or on TV. I'm worried that PSEG will have too much power over us and I would rather have a choice than a form of monopoly.
michele caron
7:15 pm on Saturday, November 10, 2012
A special shout out to Scott Gallopo, his communications and suggestions were comforting and valuable.
As a Montville Enviromental Commissioner, I volunteer to start a "Shade Tree Committee" to go street by street to view and determine the status of all the trees that may need to be trimmed and cared for. Thus eliminating all of the uneccesary damages. At our next EC meeting I will be sure to have this on the agenda.
There is no budget for this Committee, but I personally will volunteer my time to get this project off the ground. In town there are many civil engineers, arborists, and landscapers who I am sure would volunteer to help their fellow residents. As a volunteer team managed by our great Township Administrator Vic Canning...we can get this done. 11 days without power is unacceptable. Many lessons have been learned. I am willing to do my part to make sure nothing like this happens again.
Mom Tlm
11:07 am on Sunday, November 11, 2012
A volunteer group would be great and save the town some money. Mr. Canning also mentioned the likely need to have an arborist on staff which many towns do.
Also, haven't seen anything written in the above article to use a system such as Honeywell like our Dept of Education does. This would be fantastic because messages can be sent through a regular cellular phone with no need for the fancy Iphones!
melikric
8:13 pm on Saturday, November 10, 2012
While the mayor was imparting baloney from JCPL and delivering homilies to the citizens of Montville, Scott Gallopo was communicating and offering leadership. No wonder why the mayor is allegedly upset with him.
margot
7:12 pm on Monday, November 12, 2012
i agree...The reason Scott got so many compliments at the meeting was not because of his face book page...it was because he showed a genuine concern for those who spoke with him. Dont be mayor of a township if it takes up too much of your time Tim. Its a responsible job and it wasnt funny the remark you made about Scott G. My husband is out of work too.
fjd
9:46 pm on Saturday, November 10, 2012
Our "mayor" was obnoxious, condescending and unprofessional throughout the meeting. At times I think he thought he was there to do a stand up routine. I don't know Scott Gallopo but Braden's comment about Gallopo show that Braden is insecure and an ineffective leader.
Andie
10:36 pm on Saturday, November 10, 2012
I am glad to have power after the wirst storm in history. Thank you Toledo Edison. It is easy to crticize, but they had to fix every corner it seems. Next time lets make sure our seniors keep warm.
jk
7:00 am on Sunday, November 11, 2012
Allowing jcpl to police themselves and dealing with compromising conditions such as rotted or cracked poles,hanging wires,over grown trees and branches is one of the main problems we should be assessing the situtaions as a community on an on going basai and hold them accountable to be dealt with or resolved.
This is a first step ,that we should be able to accomplish, and would help protect our community as a whole
Larry D'Oench
8:08 am on Sunday, November 11, 2012
I think Tim Braden did an excellent job moderating the meeting. We all have limited time and if people ramble on repeating themselves and what others have already said it soaks up valuable time that could be spent offering constructive suggestions. Save the complaining for our neighbors to hear. Tim did what needed to be done to keep the meeting moving.
art daughtry
11:39 am on Sunday, November 11, 2012
Victor - Look further into getting the grid maps. Sub stations might be off limits however, I don't believe the circuits/loops are. Besides the point to getting the grid maps is the information on them. If the actual maps become an issue then there are other ways to collect the same info. Either way this would, at the very least, provide essential information to the citizens regarding their vulnerability when a storm hits as well as where they stand regarding restoration time frames.
Here is a specific example: Dey Court off Woodshire - The folks on that street where out for 9-10 days. They are on a dead end street on a dead end leg off a circuit with only one feed which is off Passaic Valley Road. These folks are in trouble both ways, no loop on the main curcuit and on a dead end leg. In this example the township and power company, working together, might look into a second feed into that area, Thus if the main leg goes out they open a fuse/switch and isolate the fault and the majority of the folks get power back from the other feed. The concept is very similar to fiber optic self healing rings in the communications world. The other feed should come off by Cedar Hill School thru High Ridge and up Nathan because they have a similar problem with a single feed. Problem for the power company is that is all buried plant between the circuits. Hence it would be expensive to complete a ring thru high ridge to connect to the passaic valley road circuit.
Cynthia
2:06 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
Mr. Daughtry, you often have such good ideas and thoughts. Thanks for doing what you have done for this town.
I have a question for you or anyone else that is able to answer. Is something like you describe above with the loops, etc., a town responsibility or a JCP&L responsibility?
From my very naive perspective, we pay the utility company to do a job and they should wire things up perfectly so they don't fail. Period.
If there are trees to cut, fix it. If there are termite infested telephone poles, fix them. If there are old substations, fix them. Whatever it is. And do it routinely, not after we have another blackout.
We pay them thousands of dollars a year, each of us. At one point, I believe they said we had 10,000 'customers' (I still don't know if that means houses or people) without power. If there ARE that many accounts and each one pays, on average, $3,000 per years, that's $30M just from Montville annually. I have no idea how much it costs them to deliver the energy to us, but wouldn't you think there might be some room for them to 'plan' to fix everything they have let go over the years?They seem to always run at a profit.
Why should our tax dollars go towards help from the town, in effect costing us taxpayers even more? Why shouldn't we just expect them to provide uninterrupted service?
Again, thank you!!
Scott Lavenburg
5:04 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
Scott you did a great job. It takes a lot of time and follow up to stay on top of communications like that. Thank you.
May I point out the big problem was communications from all parties involved. The good thing is this is easily remedied. As an electrician I was still receiving phone calls from residents about repairing their electrical service on their home as the utility would not connect to it as is damaged. I tried to reach out to as many as possible so homeowners would be ready. I did see one post on the Montville page but that was it. This is vital information that should have been posted everywhere.
Another thought is why not contract the local tree Co. and landscapers to get the roads clear. This could be put in place before such a disaster. The same for electricians. There are a lot of us in town. As long as the contractors are licensed and insured there is no reason not to use the experienced man power. The town needs to keep a list of local contractors to offer to all of our local residences. Many people simply do not know where to look for reliable and reasonable help. As a contractor and knowing most others in the town I can certainly say we are here to help as neighbors. Fortunately this type of disaster does not come often. So lets take the time and come together with a superior plan that works for all.
Thanks again Scott for a great job!
art daughtry
9:44 am on Monday, November 12, 2012
Hi Cynthia
Thank you for your kind words!
The "loops/circuits" are JCP&L's responsibility with official reporting and safety reviewed by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU). Unfortunately the BPU was a throw back from the 60's and 70's prior to deregulation of the telephone and power industry. Back then this board had real control of rate increases and quality of service. Now it is nothing more than a place to park political friends of the current governor regardless of party. This same board also has oversight of your cable company and its rate increases. The rotted telephone poles are a direct result of Verizon doing away with the pole inspectors. There used to be 90/60/30 day red tags placed on poles by inspectors and proactive pole replacement based on those inspections as well as reconnecting bonds and grounds on poles. Again the governor's office needs to force this board to protect the public and appoint members that are qualified to serve and have the public's interests first.
Regards,
Art
D Ambriano
12:33 pm on Monday, November 12, 2012
Agreed. While nobody wants to see their trees cut down, it appears that both PSEG and JCPL are more interested in maintaining their "big" lines than our piddly street lines. I have had tons of people clear cutting along both lines that run through my property, and NONE maintaining the lines on the street despite repeated requests. Every time, I am told "that's another company".
James P. Page
12:52 pm on Monday, November 12, 2012
It's true, and it took less key strokes than your post to GOOGLE it.
Asplundh Tree Experts
margot
7:09 pm on Monday, November 12, 2012
Every time there is the least bit of inclement whether our power goes out on Tomalyn Hill Road. The grids and the crumbling wires need to be replaced. the money Pres. obama gave the township to fix infrastructure was never used for what it was supposed to be used for . The board knows our wires are old and crumbling. I did not like Tim Braden's attitude either. he appeared bored with the whole meeting. He was either looking sideways, yawning, or giving the Romney smirk. I know he works full time and did not like his comment either to Scott Gallopo. Very rude and insensitive.