Patience, Mayor Lowery, Patience

Another storm hit the St. Louis area and about 60,000 houses lost electricity early Monday morning. Florissant’s mayor, Robert Lowery, thinks some of those power outages could have been avoided if power lines had been moved underground. Yet, according to the Mayor (via KMOX), Ameren is dragging its feet:

Florissant Mayor Robert Lowery is getting very impatient with Ameren. He says they promised to put a number of electrical lines underground…and he hasn’t seen any digging.

Ameren responded that Florissant is first on its list to receive underground lines, but it is still doing the design work. Now, I know Ameren has been criticized for its response to the freak storms that hit the region during the past year, but when it comes to installing power lines, there should be an understanding that it takes time, planning, and finesse — you can’t just start digging in residential neighborhoods when you have to avoid gas and water lines. Mayor Lowery is understandably frustrated that Florissant’s residents always seem to be the ones to lose their power, but patience is necessary if we want Ameren to avoid a gas or water main break.