Working For You: AEP plans to fix broken utility pole in Niles

By: Jess Arnold

Posted: Oct 31, 2017 10:41 PM EDT

NILES, Mich. - Last Thursday, a viewer contacted ABC 57 about a utility pole in Niles being patched up with tape for weeks. To confirm its safety, ABC 57 reached out to AEP for answers.

The tape on the utility pole in Niles says 'danger,' and that's what neighbors and the man who owns The Pop Shop next door were thinking.

“Visually, it’s scary. It looks like a strong wind might bring it all down," said the owner of The Pop Shop, Bill Mitchell.

One of our viewers, April, sent us the following Facebook message last Thursday:

"This has been like this for over two weeks and nothing has been done. Please check into this before someone gets hurt."

ABC 57 checked it out on the corner of State Road 933 and State Line Road in Niles and called AEP for answers.

On Tuesday, a representative for the company said, "the pole has been secured following a car accident on October 10."

There's a flag stuck in the ground near the pole that confirms a crew with AEP cleared it on October 11.

AEP also said:

"The pole has been secured by wires and the integrity of the pole is not compromised. It is not vulnerable to falling down during normal conditions."

The representative said the 'danger' you see on the tape just serves as a message to the public that AEP is aware of the problem, and they intend to fix it.

You should see a crew on SR 933 in the next five to 10 days.