If you spot a crew poking around the base of a utility pole in your backyard easement this year, that's Xcel Energy checking whether it's still sound. The city says contractors will hand-dig around pole bases, sound poles with a hammer, drill small inspection holes and check overhead equipment as part of the utility's pole maintenance program.
The work is part of a statewide push: Xcel expects to test more than 85,000 wooden poles across Minnesota this year, with inspections running from mid-March through October. In Bloomington, crews may show up in street right-of-way as well as backyard drainage and utility easements throughout residential areas.
Two contractors are doing the actual digging and drilling on Xcel's behalf: Davey Resource Group and Osmose Utilities Services. Residents whose poles are up for a distribution-line check typically get an automated phone call from Xcel one to two weeks before crews arrive; transmission-pole work instead comes with a mailed postcard, and crews may leave a door hanger if they need access to a yard.
The city notes that all Xcel employees and contractors carry company identification and drive clearly marked vehicles, so residents can verify who's on their property before letting anyone into a fenced yard or gated easement. Crews are expected to backfill any excavation and plug drilled holes before leaving each site. If a pole fails inspection, Xcel will send a separate crew back later to make repairs or replace it.
Bloomington residents with questions about the testing can call Xcel Energy's customer line at 1-800-895-4999, or reach the city's Public Works Department at 952-563-8700 or [email protected].