ASHLAND, Pa. — UPDATE WEDNESDAY: After an inspection, PPL Electric Utilities crews are removing four downed streetlight poles in addition to two more that we are removing proactively. Six streetlights will be replaced on Wednesday with new fiberglass poles. An updated story is posted HERE.
Original story:
Centre Street in Ashland is quite a busy road.
"The dump trucks come through; we get 3 to 400 a day. A day," said Ashland May Daniel Weikel.
While these light posts usually light the way, they are now smack dab on the pavement.
"It's nerve-racking because I walk these sidewalks every single day," said Ashley Diehl of Ashland.
Earlier in the month, two light posts came crashing down. Then, during the recent storm, two more followed suit.
Mayor Weikel says the lights have been up for 56 years, and they're completely rusted out.
"They're laying out in the middle of the street. They're out by the yellow line. If one of these trucks go through, someone's going to get hurt bad." says Weikel.
Payne's Flower Shop sits along Centre Street.
Employees inside are more worried about the lights still standing. Right outside of the shop, a leaning streetlight is held up by a wire.
"Nobody here wants to park by a lightpost anymore. And that's what I said. I said all it's going to take is for that wire to snap, and that one will be on the ground too," said Liz Pastula, Payne's Flower Shop.
The bigger problem than the light post itself is the fix.
The lights are owned by PPL, but the mayor says he is having a hard time getting the company to check it out.
"When the first two fell, they wouldn't do nothing. Now, two more fell. What do we have to do to get them down here? I don't think they sent anyone to come and inspect them." said Weikel.
We have reached out to PPL. They say they're aware of the situation and are working with the borough to address it, which includes a visual inspection of all the streetlights on Centre Street in Ashland.