Homeowners in Pittsburgh-area community ask for help after logs left in yards
PENN HILLS, Pa. (KDKA) — Some homeowners in Penn Hills are asking for help after piles of logs were left on their property.
It all starts with Duquesne Light, which contracts companies to cut and trim trees near power lines to maintain the lines. Now, residents on McCutcheon Lane and Shenandoah Drive are frustrated after looking at the logs for weeks.
The manager of Penn Hills said a contracted company through Duquesne Light has been working in the area for at least a year. The manager said Penn Hills has no legal jurisdiction over Duquesne Light or any utility company, meaning the company is not required to haul it away. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has jurisdiction.
"In my backyard, the majority of my trees are stacked up there," Penn Hills resident Sheila Greene said. "There's nothing I can do."
She said she called the municipality asking for ways to get rid of it.
"I called Penn Hills Municipality and they did give me the number of a tree company in Monroeville that got rid of them, but you have to take them there," she said. "I cannot lift all those limbs back there."
Greene's neighbor Mark Nelson is also dealing with the headaches. Even with heart problems, he started cleaning up the mess on his own.
"I had a heart transplant about six years ago," Nelson said. "I had no choice. I got tired of looking at it. I picked them up myself, loaded some of them in my car, took them to Monroeville and they charged me for that for getting rid of them."
KDKA-TV's Jennifer Borrasso: "What do you want to happen?"
Nelson: "I wanted them to come take these logs and give me back my money the roof that got messed with it from the branches. They kept trimming my tree back."
The Penn Hills manager said he doesn't want the logs or debris ending up in storm sewers and roadways. A spokesperson for Duquesne Light said the company is looking into the situation and encourages customers to contact Duquesne Light directly.
