ComEd unveils plan to improve service in Buffalo Grove
ComEd representatives unveiled a plan to the Buffalo Grove village board Monday aimed at improving the reliability of service following a summer of persistent and lengthy outages.
The presentation comes after ComEd officials appeared before the board Aug. 8 and heard blistering criticism of the utility’s response over the summer.
Trustees especially were frosted by the lack of accurate and reliable information about when power would be restored. They also voiced concerns that upgrades to the Aptakisic substation had been the source of power outages in nearby Lake County subdivisions.
Ken Cicirale, ComEd’s manager of engineering, detailed upcoming technical improvements, including lightning protection, installing an automated system to detect outages and restore power, cable replacement and tree trimming in targeted zones.
He addressed specific subdivisions, saying that the Woodlands of Fiore will receive additional lightning protection along Route 22 and Route 83, enhanced tree trimming along Route 22 and automation near Route 53 and Route 83.
The Rolling Hills subdivision will receive additional lightning protection and targeted tree trimming along Aptakisic Road, he added, and cable would be replaced underground on the north side of Old Oak in Cook County, as well as on the north side of Deerfield Parkway in Lake County.
Cicirale attributed the vast majority of the summer’s power issues to lightning.
“We’re not seeing any other trends, mainline cable or equipment malfunction or trees where we can say ‘Wow, there is the smoking gun,’” he said.
Cicirale added that a study of outages in the area of the Aptakisic substation showed that the frequency was low, even when residents had been switched to a new circuit.
“Obviously we’re watching,” Trustee Jeffrey Berman told ComEd officials. “And I appreciate the attention that is being paid. It’s unfortunate that it took this substantial incident to call your attention to the ongoing problems of this area.”
On the nontechnical end, Art Barsema, ComEd director of external affairs, said the utility is looking at plans to enhance the reporting it provides to municipalities, including emergency contact information.
“That’s great for the long term,” Village President Jeffrey Braiman said. “But I’m also concerned about the short term.”
In particular, Braiman said ComEd needs to provide better and more accurate information about the causes and locations of outages and when to expect repairs. He said residents were told their power would be up and running within 24 hours, only to get their power back four or five days later.
“(ComEd representatives) didn’t even know what the cause was,” he said. “How can they give me accurate information about when it’s going to be fixed?”
Barsema said ComEd has learned lessons from the last storm and has plans in place to bolster communications. They include additional phone lines into the call center, as well as putting in place systems that would communicate with each other to ensure more consistent information over the Internet and through text messaging.