A couple who thought they found their dream home have been left angered after an energy firm erected a giant utility pole just feet from their house.
The three foot metal pole was was installed almost directly in front of the door of their property on the intersection of Fairview and Park Street in Montrose, Houston, Texas, just two weeks after they closed in on the deal.
Unbeknownst to them, the pole was installed by CenterPoint Energy as part of an ongoing project to upgrade transmission structures in the area, according to the company.
The new homeowners have now likened the wide column to a ‘trampoline’.
And local residents have also been left baffled as to why it was necessary to position the giant pole so close to their homes on the leafy green neighbourhood.
The self-supporting three foot metal pole was was installed almost directly in front of the door of a home on the intersection of Fairview and Park Street in Montrose, Houston, Texas
The home before the grey column was erected in May 2022 (left) versus what it looks like now (right). Residents have been left baffled as to why it was necessary to position the structure so close to their homes
One resident has been left concerned that the pole is a safety hazard for those either driving on the road or trying to cross it
Has your home been blighted by a ghastly utility pole? Email: [email protected]
Speaking out about their anger, the homeowners, who have remained anonymous, told abc13: ‘We saved a lot for this house and put a lot into this. It’s upsetting they can do this.
‘When they first poured the base, I said it’s the size of a trampoline. It’s huge. It clearly belongs on the side of a highway, not a neighborhood.’
They added that the pole has become an attraction in the neighborhood – but for the wrong reasons – and is a complete eyesore.
The couple say that people stop outside their home and apologise for the ghastly grey pole that sits just outside their porch.
And their frustrations are shared with the neighbours, who have been left worried that the column will decrease the value of properties around it.
Steve Wiese, a neighbor, said: ‘They are a utility company, so they can do whatever they want, but what’s it doing to the property values?
‘This can’t be good.’
Another person told Abc7News: ‘I think that is everyone’s question. Why does it have to be in front of a house?
‘Why can’t it be outside the neighborhood? On the street. Not in front of all these houses? It clearly doesn’t belong here.’
While a third resident has been left concerned that the pole is a safety hazard for those either driving on the road or trying to cross it.
This isn’t the first pole of its kind to have cropped up around the city, or in fact the US, as locals have taken to forums to question why the metal poles have unexpectedly been popping up around the areas they live in
A spokesperson for CenterPoint Energy said that it is not required to contact residents before taking on such mammoth tasks
Pictured: the pole in front of the home during construction. A spokesperson for the Department of Administration and Regulatory Affairs said that it is aware of the erection of the pole and the impact its installation has had on residents
Another CenterPoint Energy pole was spotted far way from Texas, at an undisclosed road in Fort Branch, Indiana. Residents there were left concerned for those with disabilities
They said: ‘Anyone trying to cross Fairview, the problem is you just can’t see to your left-hand side.
‘I think the solution would be to put one of those half-round mirrors, the ones that give you a 180-degree view, and then you would always be able to tell what is coming in that lane.’
But in defending the structure, a spokesperson for CenterPoint said that it is not required to contact residents before taking on such mammoth tasks.
The structures are located in the City of Houston’s road right-of-way, according to the electric services company.
And the pole at the intersection is a self-supporting 90-degree structure and provides for the removal of five other electric poles and numerous guy wires, they say.
In the statement, a spokesperson for CenterPoint said: ‘The Public Utility Commission of Texas does not require utilities to file a certificate of convenience and necessity (CCN) for routine activities associated with transmission facilities such as upgrading to a higher voltage not greater than 230 kV, as was performed for this project (from 69kV to 138kV).’
The spokesperson added: ‘We acknowledge that we should have engaged our neighbors about this pole. We will strive to ensure that such communications occur in the future’
CenterPoint Energy have been contacted by MailOnline for a further comment.
And in a bigger blow to the couple and residents of Fairview and Park Street, the City of Houston said that the State of Texas gives public utilities the right to construct equipment on public rights-of-way within neighborhoods under section 181.042.
A spokesperson for the Department of Administration and Regulatory Affairs said that it is aware of the erection of the structure and the impact its installation has had on residents.
The spokesperson told abc13: ‘We are investigating any enforcement actions that may be available to us, up to and including legal action against CenterPoint if we find a violation of any kind.’
But this isn’t the first pole of its kind to have cropped up around the city, or in fact the US.
Locals have taken to forums to question why the metal poles have unexpectedly been popping up around the areas they live in.
These hard-to-miss utility poles have sprouted up in rows along Oak Forest in North Houston, near the intersection of Pinemont Drive and Ella Boulevard.
And another was spotted at an undisclosed road in Fort Branch, Indiana. Residents there were left concerned for those with disabilities, as the pole was erected directly by a dropped kerb.
