Ruth to the Rescue: Utility pole problem in Detroit

Detroit couple fed up with utility pole eyesore call Local 4 for help

DETROIT – For one local couple, a utility pole that was supposed to be a light in the darkness became an eyesore instead.

Last October, David and Joy Holliday heard a loud crash in the middle of the night.

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"My husband and I hear a crash. The next morning I got up for church I noticed that the street light was halfway in the street. It had been cracked so I assumed a car had hit it," said Joy Holliday.

The Detroit couple says DTE came out to untangle the wires and take the damaged pole away. A few days later, they say the City of Detroit dropped off a replacement pole, but never finished the repairs.

Now eight months later, the pole is still sitting on their front lawn. Holliday says she called both DTE and the city numerous times, but was always given the run around.

She called DTE to ask them if they would fix the job. She says their response was, it's not our responsibility and DTE told her to call the city.

"So, I called public lighting and they said, 'Oh no, that is not us, if there's a light fixture on it, it belongs to DTE,'" Holliday said.

Finally, Holliday says, she called Ruth to the Rescue.

"I had to call Ruth to the Rescue because we need this fixed," she said." It is very dark at night, very dark. And we want everyone to be safe."

Ruth steps in:

Once Ruth to the Rescue got involved, DTE sent out a crew to inspect the damage. A company spokesperson said the city is in fact responsible for the repairs. Further, he says DTE has no record of responding to any call at that intersection going back to August, 2012.

After contacting the city, a crew came out and removed the pole, but the job remains unfinished.

"The problem's not fixed," Holliday said. "That pole should have gone into the ground where the broken one is, and the broken one should have been taken away."

A city spokesman says the Public Lighting Department is still trying to determine who is responsible for the repairs. He says if the city is responsible, it will take action to get the light back up again.

Ruth to the Rescue will be watching until that light is back on to make the Holliday's neighborhood a little safe.


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