Every year, Chuck commits to traveling to all62 counties in New York to meet with constituents.
On February 16th, 2016, at the Wallkill Town Hall in Middletown, NY, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on telecommunications and utility companies in Orange County to immediately remove their redundant utility poles. Schumer said the companies responsible for the poles are ignoring their obligation to remove these old poles when new poles are installed, usually just a few feet away. Schumer said that the poles are not only an eye sore for residents, but they could also be hazardous to the surrounding areas, if the poles are simply left to rot. Schumer said responsible companies should work with the local community to promptly remove the redundant and potentially dangerous poles.
“The utility service operators, in this case mainly Frontier Communications, in Wallkill are simply not being good neighbors. Not only are they blatantly ignoring the concerns of local residents and Town officials, they refuse to admit to owning the redundant, unsightly, and sometimes even unstable, utility poles in Wallkill,” said Schumer. “The residents of Wallkill, who work hard to maintain their properties, deserve better – these poles not only threaten the character of their neighborhood but also public safety when they are left to rot on the side of the road. That is why I am urging our Orange County utility companies like Frontier Communications, Time Warner Cable and Orange and Rockland (O&R) Utilities to work together to address this issue and rid the Town of these double poles once and for all.”