Bill Fritz can count at least four light poles that are down near his home in Midtown Harrisburg.
It’s not that the light bulbs are out–the poles themselves are actually missing, the victim of car crashes or storms or whatever caused them to tumble over.
“One of the poles just rusted off at 3rd and Cumberland streets,” he said. “Nothing is being done, and it’s a breeding ground for people committing crime.”
Ernie Hoch, the city’s director of the Department of Public Works, listened with concern as Fritz and more than a dozen other Midtown residents gathered recently to ask questions and get some answers.
Does Hoch know about the downed poles? Yes. In fact, he knows exactly how many there are (39 city-wide) and where they are.
Does he know the locations of scores of lights that are out? Yes again. Does he know that many streets need to be striped, where illegal dumping is occurring and where sinkholes are about to pop up?
Yes, yes and yes.
Hoch said that his employees and residents keep him well-informed of the many critical infrastructure, maintenance and sanitation issues that need to be addressed in Harrisburg. He’s just asking for a bit more time, patience and, fingers crossed, resources.
Hoch’s been in his position more than a year and has spent much of that time trying to undo the damage of the previous administration, which delayed critical projects, such as street striping and repair, again and again, he said.
“When I see what was going on around here for the past 30 years, I almost can’t believe it,” he said.
Moreover, he’s had to deal with what he calls “crazy contracts.”
The Reed administration, for instance, bought the city’s lighting system from PPL Electric around 2000, then turned around and gave the company a 10-year maintenance contract that, with escalation clauses, was costing the city $400,000 a year for bulb replacement and pole repair, he said
Hoch said he’s now taken those functions in-house, which has significantly cut the cost.
“Every deal I look at and unravel, it’s like an onion, with so many layers,” he said. “It makes no sense.”
In addition, the department’s utility funds were constantly raided to make up for shortfalls in the city’s general fund.
“It was a shell game, moving things from here to here to here.”
To make matters worse, a series of severe storms have knocked down many old trees, destroyed light fixtures and diverted resources. Then there’s the city’s financial crisis, which has taken a toll on his budget.
The residents, assembled by Friends of Midtown, were generally sympathetic. They know that Hoch is under sever constraints, but they still want their lights fixed.
“There are four lights out just on my block,” said Don Barnett, Friends of Midtown president.
Hoch said that his department “has been catching up quite a bit” with light outages, which have been unusually severe because, a few years back, the bulbs were all replaced and are now blinking out simultaneously.
As for pole replacement–the 2012 city budget should be sufficient, he said. His department is ordering new fixtures, which will be installed over the next few months.
Otherwise, Hoch hopes that the city receiver’s financial plan, due for release this month, will provide more resources for his department.
Manpower is desperately needed, as Hoch constantly has to divert employees just to pick up the trash. He estimates that, due to vacation, sick and personal time, only 70 percent of his sanitation staff shows up for work on any particular day.
Asked how residents could help, Hoch said that people can ensure their blocks are kept tidy and community groups could “adopt an area.”
“It does help a lot if we are working together,” he said.
