Carol Stream officials to meet with ComEd

Carol Stream leaders will meet with ComEd officials Tuesday to diagnose ongoing power outage problems in the village.

The meeting comes after a storm last Thursday knocked out power to about 5,000 homes in the village. The storm also led to uprooted trees and branches on roadways, leading Village President Frank Saverino to declare a state of disaster that paved the way for mutual aid assistance from other DuPage County towns.

Nearby Glendale Heights also issued an emergency declaration.

Carol Stream Village Manager Joe Breinig said during a village board meeting Monday that he asked to sit down with ComEd even before the most recent storm. The village recorded 2,200 outages following major storms that passed through the area July 11.

Village President Frank Saverino said he’s asked ComEd for a list of all outages in the village and reasons for why they occurred.

There could be a public meeting held in the future with ComEd, but village officials want to meet with representatives from the utility first, Saverino said.

“I wanna try to keep cool heads,” Saverino said. “I want them to be able to tell people what they’re going to do.”

Some residents who spoke at Monday’s meeting, such as Michelle Blakeley, expressed frustration with ongoing power problems.

Blakeley, who lives near Armstrong Park, said she and her family have spent nights at friends’ houses, while buying ice to keep food cool.

“Our power has been out five in the last 17 days — every time the wind blows,” she said.

Breinig said all residents had their power restored by noon on Sunday.

Meanwhile, village trustees praised village staff for a swift response to the early Thursday storms.

Trustee Mary Frusolone said she saw firsthand how village staff, police, fire, public works and others worked together from a command center on Thunderbird and Arrowhead trails.

“This was not one department that got it accomplished,” said Frusolone, who heads the village’s disaster preparedness committee. “This was a team effort and I truly thank you.”

Trustee Pam Fenner, who started the committee following floods in July 2010, said she received several updates via phone and email from the village’s emergency notification system.

“You guys let us know what was going on,” she said.