I just reno'd my front this fall, first time I've ever done such a thing, and its turning out awesome. ...I get home from work today to see the power line company just staked my yard for a new pole! This means they're going to rut-up and destroy everything I just did! All that time, money, and effort down the frickin' drain!

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I know it's a pain. When i was renovating the front yard, i had just seeded the sidewalk strip and a utility worker decided to do telephone line work. He propped over his little stool over the grass and began to dig into the ground with that thing. It annoyed me. Then, I realized, "I don't own these sidewalk strips and also part of the slopes of my front yard, they can destroy this at anytime."

In fact, during my renovation, they "paint marked" right over my lawn. The utility worker told me that the lines marked where the underground utilities were located and the company wanted to know where they were. So, that could mean a future date could throw all that work down the tubes. Especially around the slopes which has been very hard to maintain grass there with the shade and the 70 degree angle.

I would look at it as a challenge even though you feel like wringing their neck.

That sucks!

I fear that one day I'll face the same. I think like 10 feet off the road into my lawn is utility right of way. They can trash it, and I'm just out the time and money that I've put into it.

But, you did it once. You can do it again. Still doesn't make it suck less, I know.

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Yeah, I know, I did it once and I can do it again. I actually had plans to dormant seed another area of the yard this winter, looks like I'll just be putting down a little more seed than originally planned. However, on my way home for lunch today I saw them out replacing poles on a street near mine - they didn't appear to be as invasive as I had imagined...so that's a plus (gotta think positive, as there's no other options here).

Where my house is located is kind of convoluted. My street is technically a private drive, not owned by the city or the county. Instead, there's an "association" set up where the 12 of us who live on the street all have an easement to use it. Nevertheless, the utility companies still have their right-of-way to do whatever, whenever, and I can't say boo about it.

I have heard from the grape vine that some utility companies throw generic "whatever" seed down sometimes after they are finished to get at least something growing there.

Just a heads up you might want to ask the utility company. That would be one less thing you have to fight to get right next year after you dormant seed!

JC Paint Workz wrote:I have heard from the grape vine that some utility companies throw generic "whatever" seed down sometimes after they are finished to get at least something growing there.

Just a heads up you might want to ask the utility company. That would be one less thing you have to fight to get right next year after you dormant seed!

HA! I'd be surprised if they put anything down around here. I know one of the guys on the local crew from church...I'll talk to him and see if I can't keep them from putting any seed down. I have 125lbs of TTTF in the garage - I think I can handle the seeding.

Yea i just heard some do and it would save you the trouble down the road

Holy cow that's a lot of seed haha

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JC Paint Workz wrote:I have heard from the grape vine that some utility companies throw generic "whatever" seed down sometimes after they are finished to get at least something growing there.

Just a heads up you might want to ask the utility company. That would be one less thing you have to fight to get right next year after you dormant seed!

Rest assured that they will put some sort of crap seed down and then toss some straw over top of it. Whenever we had Verizon FIOS coming through our neighborhood, I told the guys to please just skip my yard when they were putting down there seed and to place the sod back as best they could and I'd take care of the rest. I don't know what they use, but it's not fescue and it's full of weed seeds.

So sorry to hear about all of your hard work being torn up. That is sooo frustrating!

flo

Looks like I made this original post on Nov 10th. That's when the utility company stuck a stake in my yard for a new pole. Then about 2wks ago they laid the new pole in my yard. It sat there up until this past Wednesday when they finally put it in the ground. I can't "really" complain. The ground temp that day was 31F and had been there for a couple days. They left impressions in the yard with their truck, but I wouldn't go as far as calling them ruts. It's hard to say. We had about 1" of snow on the ground, then it snowed another 2" that night after they installed the pole. I think/hope the impressions they left was just laying over the grass blades. If it's much more than that, I'm hoping the freeze/thaw cycling in the spring will relieve it.

By my sidewalk strip is a utility pole that leans to the right very noticeably. Before that they dug a hole ( a large hole) and left it there for over a year. Then they planted a leaning light pole that everyone comments on.

I have been asking them for 2 yrs to replant the pole so it is straight. The utility has not done it and the city won't help me either. I am sure once I renovate in 2012 they will decide it is then time to dig everything up...I feel for you.

Oh yeah, sometimes they put down nothing and sometimes they put down junk seed with straw on top...

The best part is, I don't think its over with. (I gotta take a picture and post it). They planted the new pole, moved over the transformer and security light to the new pole, then chopped off the top 6-8ft of the old pole. NOW, I have 3/4 of the old pole right next to a nice new pole. The cable is still connected to the old pole. Supposedly the cable company is supposed to come out and move there stuff, then the power company will come out again to remove the old pole. I only have 1/3 the ruts I'm going to ultimately end up with! I hope they wait a while now. The ground was frozen-ish the day the power company was here, then we had a bizarre warm week here in December with temps in the mid 50's. I just hope things freeze up again before anyone comes back out.