Town, LIPA Agree to Remove 'Eyesore' Telephone Poles from West Islip Streets

Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan announced Wednesday that the Town and LIPA have reached an agreement to remove all telephone poles that were installed on residential streets in West Islip during the summer.

"The utility to their credit, they worked with us and we all worked it out," Nolan said.  "It's a good sample of people reaching out to their elected officials, and us doing what we're supposed to be doing for them.  At this point in time, we're very happy with the outcome"

Residents began complaining as the structures, most of which reached 60-feet in height, were being erected on the front lawns of homes in late July. Tom, who's a resident of Pease Lane, was one of the first to call the Town.

"It was directly across the street, so that when I sat on my porch, I look out and see these giant structures," he said.  "We made a few phone calls and they responded quickly and got the job done."

Most of the poles on Pease Lane and Milligan Lane have already been removed.

In August, Patch reported that the to halt LIPA from installing more power poles in the vicinity of Pease Lane.  The poles were part of a plan to replace outdated power cables that run across the bottom of the Great South Bay that helped power Fire Island.

Suffolk Legislator Tom Barraga, who also worked with residents and the Town to reach a solution, said the poles wil be re-installed along Montauk Highway, and not on any residential streets.

"A lot of people criticized LIPA, but in this particular case, they cooperated and said they'd take the poles out in a week and they were gone in a week," Barraga said.