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Resident accuses utility crews of trespassing, property damage during pole work
Summary
Resident Bill Ziders told the borough council that crews he identified as working for 'MedEd' have been entering posted private property, cutting sidewalks, leaving concrete, and damaging a handicap ramp; he said he contacted the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and threatened criminal trespass charges.
Bill Ziders began public comment by naming a series of complaints about utility-pole work he said has damaged private property in Palmyra. "They don't have a right to come on your property and that if it's posted," Ziders said, adding that crews had left concrete and cut sidewalks and that a truck placed equipment in his alley and "cracked my handicap ramp." He told the council he had contacted the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and was told crews are limited to rights-of-way "10 to 20 feet from the center of the road" and that he measured 24 feet from his road to centerline, which he said put crews off limits on his property.
The council did not take formal action during the meeting on the complaints. Ziders urged the borough to address alleged safety hazards, including open holes and poles left near sidewalks. He also described a neighbor's pole that was reportedly drilled through a sewage pipe; Ziders said the pole has been tied to adjacent infrastructure and left in place for years. The council acknowledged the comments and noted enforcement and utility-jurisdiction questions were being handled through staff and appropriate state regulators. Ziders closed by saying, "if any come on my property, I will press charges for criminal trespassing."
