Electrical utility poles don't typically draw a lot of attention, but if you're a homeowner who finds one suddenly in your way, they can be a big hassle. In my Sunday column, I wrote about a St. Paul couple who noticed earlier this summer that a pole in the alley behind their house had been damaged. They expected that Xcel Energy would replace the pole, but instead workers moved the pole about five feet away. Chuck Marshall had been planning to knock down a shed on his property to build a new garage and the pole was now blocking the space that would be his garage door.
After Whistleblower inquired about Marshall's situation, Xcel Energy said it would move the pole when Marshall received a city building permit for the project. Even though Marshall's situation appears to be on its way to resolution, I thought other homeowners might be interested in his experience trying to resolve the problem.
