Plastic, Locking Panels Solve Cities' Streetlight Pole Problems
From Chicago, to Westerville, Ohio, to New York City, municipalities acknowledge the need to aggressively combat exposed light pole wires. These cities and many others have elected to purchase plastic, locking door panels rather than repair or replace the original metal covers. And many cities boast positive results from plastic panels purchased from <%=company%>.
"We're in the process of repairing every light in the city, to prevent vandalism," said Chicago Streets and Sanitation Department's Public Information Officer Ray Padvoiskis. "The plastic panels eliminate vandalism for profit, because there's no market for plastic, so to speak. People had been stealing [the door plates] for scrap. In this day, 40 cents a pound for aluminum is a big deal for people. [The door plates] are a more secure device."
There are many other reasons city officials now favor plastic panels. The Kelly Group's Access Ready Panels take just seconds to install. They fit nearly ever variation of street pole. They stand up to weather.
Westerville, Ohio's Maintenance Manager Jim Wright switched to plastic panels because he found it difficult to get the right metal plates to fit the older light poles. He is satisfied with the purchase of plastic door panels. "Everything's working great," he said, adding that The Kelly Group was "absolutely" a top quality supplier.
Anthony Massero, who heads the maintenance department at Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, agrees. Massero discovered The Kelly Group through an advertisement , and chose its product because of its internal locking device and high-quality plastic.
"Other plastic I looked at used a metal banding strap that can be cut," Massero said. "My workers like the ease of installation; the enclosure is safe; and Casey Kelly has been great to deal with."
City officials seem to agree it's not a question of if the holes need to be covered — only how.
"You've got to cover up electrical wires," said Brian Murphy, head of Chicago's Bureau of Electricity. "We went to plastic trying to alleviate theft and corrosion problems out there. We're expecting maintenance to be a lot easier; we're expecting to see good results by the end of the year. We just feel like it's a good solution."