{"id":92412,"date":"2025-07-25T21:39:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T21:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/92412\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T21:39:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T21:39:13","slug":"centerpoint-responds-after-poles-left-in-houston-neighborhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/92412\/","title":{"rendered":"CenterPoint responds after poles left in Houston neighborhood"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><strong>HOUSTON<\/strong> \u2013 For weeks, residents in the Briargrove neighborhood were left with questions and carefully navigating around massive utility poles that appeared seemingly out of nowhere on streets, sidewalks, and even lawns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The poles weren\u2019t just unsightly. They were dangerous, disruptive, and confusing, neighbors told KPRC 2\u2019s Rilwan Balogun.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWe noticed these poles being dumped here and there around the neighborhood,\u201d said David Phillips. \u201cWe make jokes when we go walking and running, like maybe they\u2019re just decorations. But it really didn\u2019t look like there was a plan when they dropped these off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CenterPoint Energy crews at Briargrove neighborhood. Neighbors say they called the company for weeks to remove the poles without any luck. (Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Phillips\u2019 drone footage from earlier this month shows one of these large wooden poles floating down the street during street flooding. It eventually had to be moved by police and CenterPoint to restore traffic flow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cIt blocked the road, and then three big trucks came to move it. And then it was like\u2026 they just dumped it on someone\u2019s grass,\u201d Phillips recalled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Barbara Justin, another resident, said the unexplained presence of the poles has been ongoing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cIt\u2019s just kind of been dropped and abandoned,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p>Briargrove homeowners say CenterPoint pole seemingly showed up out of nowhere. CenterPoint said poles were placed as part of resilience initiative. (Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Residents like Justin tried to get answers by contacting Houston\u2019s 311, only to be bounced between agencies. First, they were told the pole might belong to AT&amp;T. Then an inspector claimed it was a CenterPoint line. Still, weeks passed without resolution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWe\u2019ve been calling CenterPoint for three or four weeks,\u201d Justin said. \u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cIt\u2019s a street not a place to store poles,\u201d she added. \u201cThis one in particular is offensive because it\u2019s been here so long. No explanation. Nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">With no progress from utilities or the city, neighbors turned to KPRC 2\u2019s \u201c2 Helps You.\u201d Within hours, CenterPoint sent crews to remove both poles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cIt not only killed the grass,\u201d Justin said, \u201cbut it went right down to the dirt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The indention of the pole in Briargrove neighborhood where residents say the pole lied for weeks. (Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">In a statement to KPRC 2, CenterPoint Energy explained the situation:<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cAs part of CenterPoint Energy\u2019s ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.centerpointenergy.com\/en-us\/Corp\/Pages\/GHRI-2-0.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.centerpointenergy.com\/en-us\/Corp\/Pages\/GHRI-2-0.aspx\">Greater Houston Resilience Initiative<\/a>, we are working to strengthen our electric infrastructure through a combination of pole replacements, enhanced vegetation management, and the strategic undergrounding of power lines.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">In some cases, older poles may remain temporarily in place until all equipment is safely transferred, and final removal can be scheduled. We understand this may cause some inconvenience and appreciate the community\u2019s patience as we complete this important work.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">According to CenterPoint, 26,000 poles have been replaced across the Houston area since Hurricane Beryl last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">For the people of Briargrove, it\u2019s not just about one pole. It\u2019s about communication, accountability, and ensuring neighborhoods don\u2019t become dumping grounds in the name of progress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cIf you\u2019re going to lay down a pole, then for goodness sake, come back\u2026 and use it,\u201d Justin said. \u201cIf you\u2019re not going to use it, please don\u2019t drop these gigantic things in people\u2019s yards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 For weeks, residents in the Briargrove neighborhood were left with questions and carefully navigating around massive&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":92413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[61171,61170,22520,22522,61172,4345,358,3187],"class_list":{"0":"post-92412","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-briargrove","9":"tag-center-point","10":"tag-centerpoint","11":"tag-centerpoint-energy","12":"tag-greater-houston-resilience-initiative","13":"tag-houston","14":"tag-texas","15":"tag-tx"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114916043263480688","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}