A damaged lamp post on Park Ave. near ‘Five Corners’ is illuminating citizens’ concerns over its safety by its precarious-looking lean.
Prince Rupert resident James Rennie expressed concerns to The Northern View on March 27 about the condition of the street light that has caution tape and pylons cordoning it off. He said the lamp standard has been on a dangerous lean for more than four weeks and it needs to be replaced due to safety. The pole is dented but still attached to the concrete support base. It is the support base that has become dislodged from the sloped ground it was cemented in which is causing the post to lean on a steep angle, he said.
“It’s a danger. How that one has slipped by the City of Prince Rupert or anyone else is beyond me,” Rennie said. “I know the dangerous response timeframe and it sure is a lot less than three weeks.”
As a previous highway contractor in a managerial role, Rennie said he knows the system and has tried addressing his concerns with the ‘powers that be.’
While the lamp standard is a street light in the city along a sidewalk, it is not a city item to be maintained but belongs to the Ministry of Transportation, Rosa Miller corporate administrator for the City of Prince Rupert, stated.
Rennie said after three of weeks of seeing no repairs on the lamp standard he attended the Ministry of Transportation office on March 26 in Terrace in person to report what he perceived as a dangerous situation.
“Someone has placed the caution tape there. It’s haphazard the way it’s done. If left it will fall with the high winds and rain we’ve been getting,” Rennie said.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation, Danielle Pope, stated in an email to The Northern View that the Ministry is aware of the issue.
“The maintenance contractor informed the ministry of the damage to this lamp standard shortly after it occurred on March 14 when the pole was struck by a vehicle. The lamp is scheduled to be replaced and the base reset in early April.”
Pope stated that it is common practice when an electrical pole is impacted, that a timely inspection takes place to determine if the pole needs to be removed immediately or if it is safe to remain in place until the repair can be scheduled.
In this circumstance, it was determined that the pole poses no harm to the public and was stable enough to leave in place, she said.
“This three to four-week timeframe is not unusual for repairs, as parts need to be ordered and special equipment scheduled,” Pope stated.
K-J Millar | Journalist
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