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Politics & Government

PECO Promises Doylestown Better Service

Recent power outages are seriously affecting the community and their ability to make a living, business owners said Thursday.

Power outages that hit during the busiest times for downtown Doylestown's bars and restaurants are hurting business, and PECO must do better managing them.

That was the clear message from several business owners Thursday at a Doylestown Borough committee meeting.

“You cripple us,” said Rich Wylie, noting that PECO repair times starting at 10 p.m. cut into the prime hours of Doylestown nightlife. “We need to do our jobs too.”

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Wylie, a bartender of 29 years and manager of on Main Street, said a transformer explosion under his bar cost him $2,000 in damage and lost business. Anticipating further outages, he said he is most upset about losing business in October, which is the bar’s busy season.

Other business owners echoed Wylie's concerns Thursday at a meeting of Doylestown Borough's public works committee.

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At issue was the way PECO is handling both the underlying problems that have caused power outages in the borough since January, and the planned outages when the company intentionally cuts off the electricity so it can repair the infrastructure.

In January, and more recently on Aug. 14 and Sept. 11, the failure of underground equipment prompted PECO to replace transformers and fix switches in downtown Doylestown. The fixes sometimes required planned outages that affected many of the businesses, restaurants and bars on State and Main streets.

“We weren’t probably the best at communicating the equipment replacement,” said Ted Dorand, PECO external affairs manager for Bucks County.

“I know you know that because in many cases, you lived it,” he said to the crowd.

Further investigation of the equipment failure is planned for the first two weeks of October.

Many representatives from downtown businesses attended the meeting, expressing their frustration at having to close during prime hours of business or throw out food that spoiled when the power went out.

“The business environment here is different, so you have to look at the situation differently,” said Jesse Crooks of the , which, along with many Doylestown businesses, operates during evening hours.

Borough Manager John Davis and Dorand agreed that the best resolution would be to include local input in PECO’s plans for scheduled maintenance. Hopefully, that would allow the company to pick a compromise time frame to complete the necessary five to six power interruptions, which last about six to seven hours each.

Still, other Doylestown businesses operate during the early morning and during the day.

“I get there at 4 a.m. to open at 6 a.m.,” said Patrick Murphy of the on E. State Street, representing the opposite time frame of the borough’s bars and restaurants.

Murphy asked if PECO could help out by providing dry ice or generators for customers forced to endure power outages.

Although the answer to that question remains up in the air, Dorand and the business owners agreed that the quicker the maintenance could be completed, the better for everyone.

Dorand also said that PECO will be taking a three-pronged approach to ensure that business owners as well as residents of the borough have as much notice as possible for the impending outages.

He said PECO will send letters to its customers stating the time of the outage, what will take place and how long it will take. The company also plans to place automated phone calls and provide borough officials with lists of addresses to be affected.

“If we have the ability to make some door knocks, we will try to do that as well,” Dorand said.

Contrary to previous reports received by the borough council, PECO stated that the recent equipment failures are not related to bad weather and that, if sealed properly, transformers are all-weather resistant. Age is not a factor either, PECO added.

Dorand said PECO will continue to improve its reliability through the end of the year by investigating and replacing equipment.

“I would ask that [PECO] go above and beyond [its] normal procedures,” said Marlene Pray, a Doylestown resident and owner of two borough properties. “Because it’s a serious problem.”

“Doylestown is a unique community,” added Nathan Hugill of M.O.M.'s on Main Street. “We have to have a voice in this.”

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