Community Watchdog

Business partners and neighbors Doug Wise and Michael Sweeney worked together to get an old utility pole removed from their street in Blue Point.
Newsday photo by Gwen Young

We try to help readers who have trouble getting quality-of-life issues resolved despite multiple tries, and who often end up in a bureaucratic tangle.

But Mike Sweeney and Doug Wise of Blue Point didn't need our help to fix their neighborhood problem. Maybe their story will help you solve an issue on your own.

If you’ve been able to solve a neighborhood problem yourself, tell us how you did it. Write to Newsday’s Community Watchdog, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747, or email watchdog@newsday.com with the details.

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It took Wise and Sweeney 40 days to get this damaged pole removed from their street corner.
Photo by Michael Sweeney

Accidents happen. This one was at the corner of Eatondale and Park Avenues in Blue Point a few months ago, when a car slammed into the utility pole by Michael Sweeney’s house.

A new pole was quickly installed but the splintered pole was left there.

Sweeney and his business partner, Doug Wise, who lives across the street, started a marathon of calls to get the damaged pole removed but were stymied.

Sweeney contacted us for help, but ultimately, the two-man team got the job done within 40 days.

“Persistence wore down their resistence,” Wise says.

And they used a non-hostile approach. “We were nice,” Sweeney said, “very nice.”

They’d faced frustrations early. Whenever a repair crew arrived from LIPA, Verizon or Cablevision, workers ended up leaving the broken pole. “They’d say it’s the other’s responsiblity,” Sweeney said.

When a utility pole is replaced, all three companies have to move their wires to the new pole before the old pole can be removed. The last utility company to move its wires is supposed to take away the old pole. But travel around Long Island and you’ll see plenty of forgotten old poles next to new ones.

“Basically, you have to coordinate between LIPA, Verizon, Cablevision and the towns,” Sweeney said. “They don’t talk to each other.”

The partners were polite but relentless. “You gotta be nice. You gotta be persistent - no screaming, no yelling and just don’t give up,” Sweeney said.

Recording information is essential, said Wise. “Everybody I speak to, I make sure I get their names, the correct spellings...I speak to their supervisor, find out what their job entails and what they’re responsible for,” he explained.

When crews showed up, “We made sure we met them here, and we coerced them into doing their job. Had we not been here when they came, the pole would never have been taken care of.”

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Kenneth Kmetz wouldn't give up his quest to get the memorial brick he'd paid for to honor his deceased parents.
Newsday photo by Gwen Young

Every week, we try to help readers who have trouble getting quality of life issues resolved, people who have been unsuccesful despite multiple tries and who end up in a bureaucratic tangle.

This week’s column on Sunday will feature two problems that were solved by readers without our help. The key to their victories can be summed up in one word: PERSISTENCE.

We hope their stories will give inspiration to readers who are trying to resolve issues on their own. Today’s blog is about Kenneth Kmetz of Mattituck.

If you’ve been able to fix a problem yourself and think your story can help others, tell us how you did it and what it took to get the issue resolved, leave a comment here or email details to watchdog@newsday.com.

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In December 2006, Kenneth Kmetz of Mattituck, paid $50 for a memorial brick to honor his deceased parents. Kmetz bought the brick after seeing a sign at a local park that read “Help support Pike Street Park. Extended buy-a-brick program.”

He called the telephone number, paid by check and waited. After a few months, he called the contact person who told him to wait three months. After three months, Kmetz called again and was told to wait another three months. That scenario was repeated several times, but Kmetz wouldn't give up.

In April this year, Kmetz wrote to us for help. He felt he'd waited long enough. We asked him to call one more time. Finally, he was told the brick was ready to be picked up at a local store.

When he went there, he was told the bricklayer had retired and another mason would have to be found before the brick could be laid at the park.

Kmetz read the three engraved lines stamped in black on the brick:
IN MEMORY OF
STEPHEN J. KMETZ
DOLORES KMETZ

He made a decision. Instead of finding someone to install the brick at the park, he took it home and placed it in a special front yard garden.

Despite the long wait, Kmetz is pleased with the result.

“The moral is, even though you have an obstacle thrown in front of you, and you feel like you’re never going to see the end of the tunnel, there is an end to the tunnel,” he said. “You just have to pursue it and keep going after it, and don’t let it get you down.”

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