Is a picture worth a thousand words? You be the judge.
This past weekend a homeowner who asked to remain anonymous emailed KnoxTNToday. He supplied pictures vividly documenting the substance of his complaint to KUB. The email, lightly edited, and KUB’s response to our inquiry are below.
“As a private citizen, I am not seeking publicity, but I feel like the plight of <me> and my neighbors on Afton Drive in Halls that border Beaver Creek and that have the TVA power lines running through our backyards warrants some attention. Words cannot describe the damage done to our yards as a result of TVA’s decision to perform the job of replacing the transmission lines’ wooden poles with metal poles during the wettest time of the year!
Contractor’s truck stuck in the mud in Afton Drive backyard.
“TVA commissioned KUB to let a contract to replace the wooden poles with metal poles starting in December 2019, during the wettest time of the year, and these contractor trucks have destroyed our backyards. The contractor’s utility truck with a cherry picker got stuck in my yard two weeks ago, and I have had 3-foot ruts of mud in my back yard. Descriptions can’t do this justice until you see our yards.
“I have taken multiple pictures to document the damage, as have my neighbors. I have contacted KUB and they claimed that TVA would not let them perform this job during the drier months of the year when the damage to the yards would have been less extensive. Our backyards look like a construction site!
“Our main concern is the fact that Beaver Creek does flood often in our backyards with excessive rain, and even if KUB’s landscape contractor repairs the damage, excessive rain with Beaver Creek flooding into our yards will erase the reclamation work done. I have expressed this concern to KUB, and they say that they are aware of these implications; for the reclamation work … <may have to be performed> multiple times … because of the flooding. I feel that this shows the power that TVA wields with little regard for their customers’ property.”
KUB Responds
“During the recent rainy weather, a KUB contractor bucket truck got stuck while performing work as part of an electric system upgrade project near Beaver Creek. This truck remains stuck in the customer’s yard, and due to the frequent heavy rain, the truck cannot be moved at this time. As soon as the ground is dry enough the contractor’s truck will be removed. KUB will ensure the contractor performs full and complete restoration of the customer’s property.”
Larry Van Guilder is the business/government editor for KnoxTNToday. Contact him at lvgknox@knoxtntoday.com.