A right-of-way is defined as "a legal right of passage over a property owner's parcel of ground." SCREC, by way of an executed right-of-way form, has been granted legal rights to traverse member's properties to access the cooperative's established distribution infrastructure for the sole purpose of operating and maintaining said infrastructure. The property owner always maintains ownership of the ground a right-of-way is located on.
To ensure reliable electric service, routine right-of-way clearing is necessary to prevent any overgrown trees and brush from coming into contact with the electric line. A properly maintained and cleared right-of-way tremendously speeds up electrical service restoration time during outages and is crucial to safely and reliably provide electrical service to our members.
Contracted crews from Spako's Tree Service provide this service to the co-op. During routine maintenance, crews may perform the following work to meet required specifications for right-of-way clearance:
- Trim and cut trees.
- Mow brush along and under the electric line.
- Remove dead and dying danger trees beyond the right-of-way that could fall on electric lines.
- Apply spray to stumps to prevent regrowth. This is NOT a broadcast spray and will ONLY be applied to the stumps of trees that are cut.
Spako's Tree Service does not knock on doors or notify you of when they will be performing work on your property. Members will be notified in advance via postcard. We appreciate your cooperation and patience while this work is being performed.
To avoid any future problems, please keep any rights-of-way on your property free from obstructions which include, but are not limited to, plants, trees, pools, ponds, sheds, homes, etc.
More details on rights-of-way can be found in our brochure, bylaws, membership application form, and right-of-way form, which are all available below:
Or, if you would like to discuss a right-of-way or tree-related question further, please contact Todd Molyneux, Manager of Electric Operations, at 570-924-3381.
