10.10.2013 - Nat'l Grid put uility pole up...in wrong place!

A busy and exciting day!  Jim took off early to go to the land - I of course was busy with fire school work this morning.  I had to get some flyers printed at Staples so I took all of my paperwork and went back to the DMV - and I am now the proud owner of New York plates!  They aren't on the car yet and I still have to get my inspection done, but it's progress.  I didn't fare so well with the NY driver's license - I had the form, passport and my OH license but then they said I had to have my social security card too, which I never carry.  A job for another day.  I had to do a little grocery shopping and learned another new fact...they don't sell wine in grocery stores in New York!  They sell beer but not wine - you apparently have to go to a state liquor store.  Which seems odd to me. 

So while I was busy doing all that, poor Jim was back on the chain gang digging ditches.  I stopped by on my way home around 1:00 and he had gotten tons done.  He has made a lot of progress on the trench going down the hill.  Plus he got the upper portion done with a layer of sand on top so it's all ready to go.  All of that has to be done by hand now too...he puts the sand in the Bobcat and shovels it in and then goes down and uses the hoe to get it all level.

 

I was just getting ready to take off and get my groceries home when Jim heard the rumble of a big truck and saw that National Grid was coming up the driveway!  There were two guys in the truck and they drove up to the top to see where the transformer is going to be placed and how Jim had everything done.  They seemed impressed and also very helpful - they are going to put the transformer in a certain way that will make it easier for Jim to hook up the temporary service.  Jim is doing this a little different than most - we are going to have 2 separate meters - one for the carriage house and eventually one for the house.  So they talked through all that and they even said they would help Jim with the grounding rod he has to put in which will be great.

 

They headed back down and were joined at the street by another truck with our first pole!  It was interesting to watch the process.

They use this giant auger to drill a hole for the pole - there is so much rock by the street because of the stone wall right there that they really pounded and pounded.

Then they have to sink the anchor to help hold the pole - again they just use the truck to pound it into the ground.

A couple of issues with all of this...if you look at this picture and see the marking on the street that says Pole with an arrow...and notice all the stone wall and stumps gone in front on that area and then look at the far left of this picture where the first cone is - that's where they are putting the pole!  Which means that Jim now has to remove all that stone and clear all that area out.  Frustrating! 

There was so much rock in that area that the utility guys finally left and are planning to come back tomorrow with a backhoe.  Jim is going to try and see if they can move the pole to where it was supposed to be so he doesn't have to do all that work.  We'll see how that goes - I'm praying that they move it if they have to come and dig anyway.

 

I stopped up a little later and Jim had really done a lot of work - he is probably half way down the hill clearing out the trench by hand and even has all that part done with its layer of sand too!  So much manual work -800' of trench to crumb out!