In response to the flood of inquiries and information we've been getting from throughout the county about Dominion's Mt. Storm - Doubs 500kV transmission line rebuild, Patience and I took a little field trip yesterday to see for ourselves.
We came away with the general feeling that on a planning and process level, Dominion isn't doing too badly (yet), but all the careful planning taking place in office buildings in Richmond isn't translating to "boots on the ground" behavior in Jefferson County by Dominion's contractors. For instance, at one work site clearly marked "stay on mats," the only vehicles we saw onsite were parked off the mats! In another example at a different site, a gate with a sign reading, "Keep Gate Closed at All Times" was open and chained to a post, with the closest visible crew at least 1/4 mile away on the other side of the road. Either Dominion's contractors can't read their own signs, or they just don't care. If this is how Dominion's contractors adhere to their own rules here at the beginning of the project, what's to happen in the future when activity speeds up to meet tight deadlines?
We came away with the general feeling that on a planning and process level, Dominion isn't doing too badly (yet), but all the careful planning taking place in office buildings in Richmond isn't translating to "boots on the ground" behavior in Jefferson County by Dominion's contractors. For instance, at one work site clearly marked "stay on mats," the only vehicles we saw onsite were parked off the mats! In another example at a different site, a gate with a sign reading, "Keep Gate Closed at All Times" was open and chained to a post, with the closest visible crew at least 1/4 mile away on the other side of the road. Either Dominion's contractors can't read their own signs, or they just don't care. If this is how Dominion's contractors adhere to their own rules here at the beginning of the project, what's to happen in the future when activity speeds up to meet tight deadlines?
One of the things we found most frightening is the proximity of some of these towers (both existing and marked new) to occupied homes, certainly within the fall zone. I'm sure Dominion has a plan to get new towers constructed and old ones demolished safely, but I wouldn't want to be there when it happens if they can't even follow simple instructions to close a gate or stay on a mat.
And the flow of public information from Dominion remains a dry well, and the inquiries from curious folks continue. This demonstrates Dominion's fear of dealing with landowners collectively. They'd much rather keep you isolated and feeling intimidated, powerless and dependent on the company for information. This strategy does not demonstrate respect for landowners.
And the flow of public information from Dominion remains a dry well, and the inquiries from curious folks continue. This demonstrates Dominion's fear of dealing with landowners collectively. They'd much rather keep you isolated and feeling intimidated, powerless and dependent on the company for information. This strategy does not demonstrate respect for landowners.
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