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Board traces outages to feeder/transmission issues, cites equipment lead times
Summary
Board members said many outages stem from feeder/transmission lines and not from local distribution equipment; the board noted that repairs can be delayed by the need for specialized equipment (a 100‑ft bucket truck) and that transformers take about 1.5 years to procure.
Board speakers told residents that not all outages reflect local equipment failure; many are caused by transmission or feeder lines that bring power into the system. A board member explained that when a feed drops, the plan is to build redundancy so power can be switched from another feed in roughly an hour.
The board described a recent incident in which a local line fell onto the external transmission line; restoration required a 100‑foot bucket truck that had to be sourced from Utica, prolonging repairs. Staff also said that ordering long‑lead items such as transformers can take "about a year and 0.5," creating multi‑year timelines for full reliability improvements.
