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Entergy cites coordination gaps with AT&T and Cox for delayed pole removals in Kenner
Summary
An Entergy representative told the Kenner City Council that utility pole removals have stalled because AT&T and Cox have not completed required transfers, and pledged more internal oversight while acknowledging limits on Entergy's authority.
An Entergy representative told the Kenner City Council that removal of utility poles in Kenner has been delayed after Entergy completed its work but AT&T and Cox did not finish their transfers.
At a council meeting, the Entergy representative said Entergy had set poles and initiated transfers but that "there are a lot of instances where we are putting the engines ticket into the system as, hey, we've set the pull, we've transferred, and they haven't gone out there and done that." The representative said they do not have access to the "engines" ticketing function used by other utilities and that a separate department enters those tickets for transfers to happen.
Why it matters: poles left in place can create ongoing public-safety and right-of-way concerns and complicate post-storm recovery. Council members and residents raised the slow pace of removals during discussion, and an elected official thanked Entergy staff for responsiveness while pressing for faster resolution.
The Entergy representative said coordination among providers is difficult because schedules rarely align: "We've tried you, me, Christine, Eric, to just sit down. It seems like with everybody's schedule, it's almost impossible to get 3 of us," and proposed convening a meeting with Cox and AT&T to "hammer this home." The representative said Cox currently has an acting vice president covering the prior contact and had been responsive in recent contacts.
The representative acknowledged some work remains for Entergy as well: "That's on us, and we'll do a better job moving forward," referencing at least one pole that Entergy had not yet removed despite transfer activity earlier in the year.
Councilman Bridal (District 4) praised Entergy's responsiveness and cited the broader recovery work after the hurricane, saying the utility had "filled big shoes" and complimenting staff who return calls and questions promptly.
The Entergy representative noted the utility's resiliency work in the parish and said, "there's never been a more exciting time on our side of it with Entergy... with the resiliency plan that's been approved for $1,900,000,000." The representative positioned further coordination and a possible three-way meeting as the next practical step.
No formal council action on the pole removals was recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. Council members discussed next steps and expressed interest in a coordinated meeting among the utilities to complete outstanding transfers.
