Michael Leblond is a resident of Berkeley Heights

Dear Mayor Devanney and members of the Town Council,

I am writing to express my growing concern regarding the frequent power outages in our community and their negative impact on daily life. As a fifteen year resident of Berkeley Heights, I believe it is essential that our local government addresses the ongoing power issues to improve the quality of life for all residents, business owners and students.

Over the past decade, power outages have become increasingly common in our area, often lasting for hours or even days. These disruptions continue to cause significant inconvenience to families, businesses, and essential services. Many households are left without heating or cooling during extreme weather, which can be especially dangerous for the elderly, children, and those with medical needs. Just last week, part of our school system was forced to close early, denying our students their education and our remaining schools were left without internet access for most of the day due to power issues.

The reliability of electricity is a fundamental service that affects all aspects of life, including safety, comfort, education and productivity. I am concerned that these ongoing power outages indicate a larger systemic issue with the infrastructure or maintenance of the electrical grid in our area. It is crucial that steps be taken to resolve these issues before they lead to more serious consequences for the well-being of our community.

I urge you to work with the NJBPU, FirstEnergy/Jersey Central Power and Light and our local departments to investigate the root causes of these outages and implement solutions that will ensure reliable and consistent power for our community. Whether it be upgrading outdated infrastructure, increasing system maintenance, replacing our repairing leaning poles, many of which are close to the municipal building or  it is essential that we take action now to prevent further disruptions.

I appreciate your attention to this matter and trust that you will take the necessary steps to improve the power infrastructure in our area. Thank you for your service to our community, and I look forward to hearing about the actions being taken to address this critical issue.

Sincerely,
Michael Leblond

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