The Alternative Press

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ - While repairs to the Southgate substation have been completed, according to New Providence Mayor J. Brooke Hern, the main feeder line to 3,350 Borough households cannot be energized because there are more than 50 tranformer and telephone pole repairs that need to be made before the feeder line can be activated.  As a result, JCP&L's optimistic projection for most of New Providence to have power by now has not been realized.

Hern told TheAlternativePress.com that there are 5 feeder lines at the Southgate substation, which serves New Providence, Summit and Chatham.  The line most important to New Providence has been quarantined and cannot be activated until the 50 repairs are made.  JCP&L informed the Mayor that they will next update him about the progress on Saturday.

Meanwhile, JCP&L told the Mayor that during a quarantine, the workers must stay in the Borough and work on other issues until the quarantine is lifted.  However, Hern said he had the Borough Administrator and the Director of Public Works survey New Providence by car and foot this morning and they did not find a single JCP&L truck in the Borough.

"Why?  Where are they?" Hern said.  He has been following up with JCP&L since the Borough Administrator and Director of Public Works returned with their reports. 

Expressing frustration with the failure of JCP&L to deliver on their representations to him regarding the restoration of power, Hern said, "I am doing everything I can to ensure JCP&L stays here until our power is restored."  He concluded,  "I am not taking their word for it.  I am checking and verifying what they are telling me.  I am demanding specifics."