Working on pole replacement in Minden, Nevada is the NV Energy crew of (from left) Erik Hall, Lineman; Frank Ortega, Apprentice; and Scott Lawler, Lineman.
Apprentice Frank Ortega clears the way for the new conductor.
The NV Energy crew of Scott Lawlor, Erik Hall and Frank Ortega were preparing to set three new poles and replace the power lines in an alley off of Eighth Street when the Utility Reporter passed through Minden, Nevada over the summer.
“These poles are old,” said Lawlor, a 13-year IBEW member working as a foreman on temporary upgrade. “The pole we took out the other day was so rotten you could stick a screwdriver through the butt.”
Lineman Erik Hall, whose home local is IBEW 111 in Denver, clears away the branches cut by Frank Ortega.
While waiting for additional materials to arrive, Apprentice Frank Ortega, a seven-year member, gave a haircut to some trees that were trying to invade their work area. “When you’re setting a pole you don’t want any of this in your way,” Lawlor noted.
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when pole replacement wasn’t a very big priority for management, but NV Energy has been stepping up its game since being acquired by Berkshire Hathaway Energy in 2013.
“The company is going a lot more maintenance now,” said Lawlor.
Photos by John Storey