On Wednesday of this week, I traveled north with Klint Weaver to observe the Grawn, Chanda Yard, and Atlanta crews change out a bad transmission pole near Boyne City. The pole tested bad in Wolverine’s eight-year test cycle, so we needed to replace it. Adding to the pole change-out risk was the fact that the pole resided adjacent to a road crossing and a Great Lakes Energy (GLE) primary distribution circuit. The pole was part of a Wolverine 69,000-volt radial line that had to remain energized, and the line ran over the top of GLE’s three-phase circuit, which also needed to remain energized. So this pole change-out, in particular, tested our linemen to formulate a plan and execute it safely, with a number of hazards close by and with little space to work in.

Jerry Galer ran the digger truck, moving and setting the new pole. John Hayka operated out of the little bucket, prepping the old pole for removal and extending the old conductor out onto hot sticks to provide safe clearances. Chris Romel and Steve Robbins worked out of the 100-foot bucket, hot sticking with John, prepping the wire for transfer, and then later landing the conductor on the new pole. Apprentice linemen Nick Ochampaugh and Adam Kelley assisted from the ground, and Adam got some hotline training near the end of the job, removing armor rod from the conductor and cutting the remaining top section from the old pole with the hydraulic saw.

Trevor Stratton ran the job site on this particular day and conducted the tail board briefing prior to starting the project. I witnessed a lot of positive leadership from Trevor and the crew. I saw a well-managed job site, attention to safety and protective equipment, good communication, time spent coaching the apprentices, and listening to feedback from the crew on safety and set up as the job progressed.

Great job to our north-end crews for their hard work on a complicated pole change-out. This is a common job for them, but it was a particularly satisfying day for me, and I appreciated the chance to witness their quality work.