Woodpecker Evicted from Beverly Hills Digs

by Karen Johnson

In mid-July, Edison installed a composite/fiberglass pole in Beverly Hills.

It all began with a customer complaint: a woodpecker had taken up residence in one of our wood poles and was disturbing the sleep of an Edison customer.

Service Planner Marcus Bland investigated, and determined the complaint could be resolved by installing a new type of pole.

Edison has partnered with fishing rod manufacturer Shakespeare Company to purchase a composite/fiberglass utility pole, employing the same technology used to design their fishing rods. With 3,600 of our 1.5 million wood poles scheduled for replacement annually, some of those replacements will be the new composite/fiberglass pole.

This pole has many benefits for Edison.

Weighing in at 475 pounds, the 43-foot fiberglass poles are much lighter than wood poles. "They weigh less than half of what a wood pole weighs," said Art Peralta, Wood Products Specialist for Edison.

They can be used for special situations, and can also be used to replace wood poles that are being destroyed by woodpeckers.

There are other benefits as well. "In most cases, it only takes one crew to install a fiberglass pole. This frees up time for other duties such as maintenance and trouble orders," said Peralta.

Since then, "Woody" has moved to an undisclosed location. And the customer who  complained is finally getting some sleep. Now our customers can get relief when a woodpecker makes his home nearby.

Aahh... the power behind peace of mind.

Special thanks to Foreman Adam Juarez, and Crew Ben Morales, Bill Sease, and Russ Wimmer.