Kawehno:ke Hydro Pole Replacement
Mohawk Council of Akwesasne in cooperation with Cornwall Electric FortisOntario
Cornwall Electric has been granted permission by Council to replace existing hydro electric utility poles with new ones starting from the corridor, International Road heading east on the main Island Road up to the former Iroquois Water Plant location. Cornwall Electric has hired a national company named ‘Valard Construction’ who specialize in electrical utility services to do the installation. The work will start during the week of August 20th and run for six weeks.
A public meeting was held at the Kawehno:ke Recreation Centre on August 20th, and Cornwall Electric confirmed that all necessary safety precautions will be taken to ensure there would be limited disruption to the community for traffic, access to work areas, and electric service to individual homes.
The Contractor is specialized for use of “live line” techniques, to minimize electrical down time. They follow Canada Electric standards and are trained in roads safety. The poles would go in first and the transfer of the line is last.
The following list outlines interactions that homeowners who reside in or near the project area might expect:
- Homeowners will be contacted directly for localized outages and can expect up to no more than 4hour power disruptions for each pole transfer.
- Notifications about power outages to 10 or more homes will be provided in advance. The Island may also experience widespread system outage for a short timeframe, Cornwall Electric will notify the community when this may happen.
- Permissions by homeowners for access or tree trimming for the overhead electrical lines.
- Any restoration of yards for those affected by the pole removal and installation will occur at the end of the project.
- Cornwall Electric will take photos of each pole area before it is disturbed to ensure restoration is complete.
- It is essential that anyone who relies on power supplied medical devices to contact Cornwall Electric directly so that they are made aware of any immediate medical conditions.
Cornwall Electric Hours of operation: 7am start to 5pm and possible 7pm duration. 3 1/2 days a week.
The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Department of Technical Services and Cornwall Electric thank you in advance for your patience while this project is under construction.
If you would like to learn more about this project, appointments can be made for individual meetings at your convenience, or if you have comments, questions, or concerns you would like to make known, please call the Department of Technical Services 613-575-2250 ext. 1003.