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Ridgewood Residents Voice Concerns Over Tall Utility Poles

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Ridgewood officials are asking Public Service Electric and Gas to stop installing 65-foot-tall wooden utility poles until the town can get some answers about their safety.

The poles are 15-feet taller than the standard poles and are made to withstand powerful storms, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.

The 78 poles are being installed in order to respond to increased demand for power, PSE&G spokeswoman Barbara Lynch told The Record newspaper.

NJ town voices concerns over tall utility poles

Some residents call the poles an eyesore and are concerned they could pose a health risk and decrease property values.

"The town needs to do more to rectify this situation, these poles need to be taken out," one resident said. "An eyesore to most, but they are more than just that, they are monstrosities."

"They're twice the size of our houses right now," another resident told WCBS 880's Alex Silverman. "They could fall down, number one; number two, they're not zoned to be that high, they should only be 35 feet."

NJ town voices concerns over tall utility poles

Some residents along Spring Street, who claim they were not informed by the town or PSE&G of the new poles, plan to complain about the project during a council meeting on Wednesday night.

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