Some residents of East Lansing are concerned with the Lansing Board of Water and Light’s tree trimming practices to prevent power outages and oppose the practive. Several residents insist BWL’s practices are not adequate.
Glencairn neighborhood resident Elias Strangas has a sign in his front yard prohibiting BWL from the entrance without a written order to trim the trees in his property.
“What I want is yes, to trim the trees regularly. Not every five years,” Strangas said. “I want them to use no herbicides at all ... and I want to inspect the people who do anything.”
Strangas, who has been living in East Lansing for 28 years, was without electricity for one week after an ice storm struck the power lines serving his neighborhood in December.
“What makes things worse was that the Board of Water and Light was entirely incompetent in taking care of outages,” Strangas said.
After that weather-related event unfolded, BWL was recommended to start a cycle of intensive trimming every five years, BWL Director of Communications Stephen Serkaian said.
“Since the ice storm there were two external community reviews from the community review team and the Michigan Public Service Commission that found that BWL should maintain a five year trimming cycle in its service territory and remove trees above power lines to ensure electric reliability and also the safety of our customers and workers,” Serkaian said.
Strangas, an electrical and computer engineering professor at MSU , said he is concerned about the practices BWL will use to trim trees in the five-year cycle proposed. He said BWL has not met with them — the board has communicated with them through letters.
“We’ve been meeting with customers in East Lansing and other neighborhoods in Lansing and elsewhere explaining the need to trim those trees,” Serkaian said. “The BWL has the right to maintain its utility lines, whether it be in a formal easement document or any other implied or equitable right as a matter of law. Each parcel of property is evaluated differently relative to utility rights and utilities ability to maintain the integrity and safety of it power lines.”
Although BWL claims to have a legal right to trim trees in private properties, Strangas said going into his property without the proper documentation is wrong.
“Legally they might do that, but if they use this right to cut the trees in my yard and use herbicide — that I consider an abuse of any right they have,” Strangas said.
East Lansing Environmental Services Administrator Cathy DeShambo declined to comment on the issue, citing the city is in conversation with the board about the trimming of trees in East Lansing communities.
