In the News

Pioneer Press, September 29, 2008

Residents of Northbrook's Colony Court hope recent improvements by ComEd will end the electricity inequity that long has divided the north side of the block from the south.

Resident Frank Dusek sought the help of Northbrook officials and legislators in June, when homes on the block's south side lost power for more than nine hours. The electricity was on for the north side of the block, which Dusek said has been the case during frequent power outages in the 18 years he's lived there.

"I had enough. I wanted power service as good as my neighbors had," Dusek said. "My wife got tired of looking outside of the front window at the neighbors on the north side with their lights on."

Dusek, a certified public accountant, enlisted state Sen. Susan Garrett, D-29th, state Rep. Karen May, D-58th, and Northbrook officials to press ComEd for a solution.

New circuit breakers utility workers installed in the last three weeks along the circuit serving the south side of Colony Court -- which has been on the list of ComEd's worst performing circuits -- may finally provide relief.

Special meeting set

ComEd representatives explained the improvements at a Wednesday meeting at Northbrook Village Hall that was attended by Dusek, two of his neighbors, local ComEd activist Judy Linklater, the legislators and Kelly Hamill, Northbrook's assistant director of public works.

"The consensus was we'd give it another nine months and see what happens," Hamill said. "Barring any major storms, they feel it's an improvement that should help."

The south side of Colony Court is at the end of a long, reverse Z-shaped circuit serving 1,330 customers. The north side is served by a different circuit.

"This neighborhood wasn't just complaining; they had real serious issues," Garrett said. Residents believed "they're the last to get service restored."

Eric Duray, the ComEd external affairs manager for Northbrook, wouldn't comment on the meeting, and directed inquiries to company spokesman Joe Trost.

Trost would say only that, "We continue to work with the municipalities and local officials to handle any issues they have with any of our equipment."

Legislators push

Garrett acknowledged her and May's involvement may have helped persuade ComEd to address the neighborhood's issues.

"I was gratified because it showed they were being responsive. That's ultimately what we want," she said. "ComEd understands that we're not going away, and that we're very tenacious and serious about making sure our constituents have the same type of improvements that others are getting and that their quality of energy service has not been compromised."

That ComEd is working on a neighborhood problem, as opposed to village-wide concerns, indicates progress to Hamill.

"We can get the right people at the table to help get it resolved, versus a couple of hundred people in the board room complaining about (problems) all over the place," Hamill said.

Dusek said he feels ComEd's "finally taking it seriously," he said. He'll wait and see if the power outages continue, and he again will have to run a cable to a north side neighbor's home to keep his sump pump running.