News Flash RE : Tree Trimming

News Flash – Urgent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Public Hearing: Tree Trimming Practices by Utilities

On October 9, 2008 at 10:00am in the House Chambers on the third floor of the Statehouse, a joint committee consisting of eleven (11) members of the Indiana Senate and twelve (12) members of the House of Representative will hold a public hearing on Tree Trimming Practices by Utilities.

Hundreds of property owners have been victims of over-zealous and abusive tree trimming practices. Proposed Legislation to address these issues will be considered. Under regulations passed by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC), utilities have the authority to go onto private property at any time they choose to trim trees near electric lines in any manner they choose without any consent of the property owner and over any objections of the property owner.

The IURC and the utilities choose to override the rights of all property owners in an effort to cut outages and expenses. Millions of dollars in damages statewide have already occurred. The IURC, the electric utility association and the individual utilities have chosen not to notify property owners about this public hearing and are fighting to prevent any changes in the law which would restore the rights of the property owners over the type of cutting/trimming practices and the utilities ability to trim trees on private property during routine maintenance without the property owner’s consent.

My name is Charles H. Goodman, and I am a 68 year old senior citizen and a victim of the lies and deceptions committed by the Indianapolis Power and Light Company. Along with hundreds of other homeowners statewide, I realized something needed to be done. Unlike the utilities, I do not have the money to take out ads to alert the public to this critical public hearing. I am, however, pleading with you for your help to publicize this meeting so all homeowners statewide can have the opportunity to respond either in person, by letter, e-mail and/or phone. Few property owners actually realize they have “no” say even when it comes to their own property and the trimming of their trees to ensure electric line safety. This will change but only if we all speak out. Can you, will you help?

NOTE: This is not an effort to stop all trimming, rather to restore some common sense and preserve the natural appearance of all trees. In defense of the utilities, trees planted underneath electric lines should be replaced with low growing trees or bushes. As you can see compromise is the goal, and without a very strong public response, property owners’ rights will not be restored. This a David vs. Goliath fight.

Can’t come? - Write, e-mail and/or call your State Senator, State Representative and all Committee members.

Send copies of written responses to:

Charles H. Goodman
2313 N. Graham
Indianapolis, IN 46218
Phone: (317) 356-2499
Cell: (765) 228-1137

These will then be given to each committee members.

The Regulatory Flexibility Committee consists of:
Sen. Brandt Hershman, Co-Chairperson(Senate) – S7@in.gov
Rep. Dave Crooks, Co-Chairperson (House) – H63@in.gov
Sen. Beverly Gard – S28@in.gov
Rep. Chester Dobis - H13@in.gov
Rep. Dan Stevenson – H11@in.gov
Rep. David Frizzell - H93@in.gov
Sen. Dennis Kruse – S14@in.gov
Sen. Edward Charbonneau – S5@in.gov
Rep. Edward Soliday – H4@in.gov
Rep. Jack Lutz – H35@in.gov
Sen. James Merritt, Jr – S31@in.gov
Sen. Jean Breaux – S34@in.gov
Sen. Karen Tallian – S4@in.gov
Rep. Kreg Battles – H64@in.gov
Rep. Robert Behning – H91@in.gov
Rep. Ryan Dvorak – H8@in.gov
Sen. Ryan Mishler – S9@in.gov
Rep. Sandra Blanton – H62@in.gov
Sen. Sue Errington – S26@in.gov
Sen. Sue Landske – S6@in.gov
Rep. Timothy Neese – H48@in.gov

Traders Point Creamery to double sales in 12 months?

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Traders Point hires former Ben & Jerry's exec

Norm Heikens - nheikens@ibj.com

IBJ staff

Zionsville-based Traders Point Creamery has named a former Ben & Jerry's executive as president.Charles "Chuck" M. Green said he plans to double sales to more than $5 million within the next 12 months, possibly by forming a cooperative with farmers to supply milk from grass-fed cows. Traders Point produces organic cheese, milk, yogurt, ice cream and beef.Traders Point plans to start small by adding Indiana farmers. It then might expand the concept to the East and West coasts."We're going to grow this business in the model we're in," Green said. "The idea is to influence farms that this is a great thing to do."Green was general manager of Ben & Jerry's Boston sales territory, the largest for the famed Vermont ice cream maker, before it was acquired by Dutch conglomerate Unilever in 2000. At Unilever, Green was senior vice president of strategy for all North American ice cream.

Tree Cutting Article in Star today

September 11, 2008
Neighbors question planned tree trimming Traders Point area worried; IPL, state say utility has the right to cut on private propertyBy Robert Annis robert.annis@indystar.com
Mary Ann Stevens and her neighbors may have received a temporary reprieve from the moment they've been dreading for three years.
For several months, Indianapolis Power & Light Co. told Traders Point residents of an upcoming tree trimming and cutting, but that has been pushed back, likely until next year, because of internal scheduling issues. Residents have questioned the trimming or removal of trees in a 2-mile swath from Lafayette Road to I-465 along 86th Street.
"IPL isn't accustomed to being questioned," Stevens said. "It's a protected monopoly, used to getting its way."
IPL routinely trims trees to keep branches from getting entangled in the power lines. The utility estimates it controls 25 feet around each pole, letting it trim back or cut down any high-growing trees, even if they aren't close to the wires, said IPL spokeswoman Crystal Livers-Powers.
"Tree trimming is an emotional subject for many people," she said. "It's not something we like to do, but we have an obligation to provide power to our customers and keep people safe. When we're doing this type of work, we can't always provide a solution that feels good to both parties."
A trained arborist supervises the work, Livers-Powers said, and homeowners can set up an appointment to discuss the trimming beforehand. The utility listens to complaints, she said, as does the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.
IPL has trimmed trees near power lines since Traders Point resident Jerry Baker bought his home in 1981. He said IPL began getting more aggressive in 2005, when IPL contractors marked more than 1,000 trees around power lines to be cut down.
Neighbors negotiated with the electric utility for eight months in 2005 trying to find a compromise when IPL ended talks and began cutting the next day. Shocked neighbors watched as IPL contractors butchered trees, Baker said, and "behaved badly when doing it."
At least one resident, a 64-year-old, was handcuffed and detained by police after she was accused of either shoving or poking an IPL worker in the chest. She was released after about an hour.
The poles often stand so close to the property line that 138,000-volt lines hover above private property, neighbors claim. Because of the lines' location, IPL has trimmed or cut down trees on private property. Neighbors claim IPL shouldn't be allowed to do this without an agreed-upon easement, but IPL has refused to negotiate that point.
"It's a fine line," Baker said. "They think they can do whatever they want just because it's for the public good, but we have our property rights."
The IURC gives utilities the authority to cut trees on private property if needed, Livers-Powers said. IURC spokeswoman Danielle Dravet agreed. "Utilities can go on private property to do trimming, just like they can for meter readings."

Traders Point Sign Safe and Sound

In many respects this weblog is dedicated to sharing snippets of historic Traders Point that have been lost to time. Some of the stuff of history is passed down through spoken and written records and in the case of Traders Point, most evidence resides only in the memories of people who lived there. But a small amount of physical evidence remains. Yesterday, during a visit to a neighbor's office, I saw one of the original highway signs for the town. This sign was probably removed from Lafayette Road in the 1960s, maybe later.

There would have been two of these. One sign was located north of the Eagle Creek bridge on the eastside of Lafayette Road (referred to as Highway 52). The sign for southbound traffic would have been located on the westside of Lafayette Road near Wilson Road. I will ask him where and how he came to acquire this sign. The two signs were only a few hundred feet apart. Not sure what happened to the other sign but it's nice to know one of these is still in the area.