Residents of James Island are starting to see “double wood” utility poles disappear from the island.
A ‘double wood’ utility pole happens when a new power pole is installed next to an older one, but the old pole is left standing instead of being removed.
City of Charleston councilwoman Leslie Skardon started an island-wide effort to remove the extra utility poles that litter the streets and skylines across James Island.
“The real issue here is that once Dominion moves their electricity wires, the remaining wires on the poles are from the telecommunications companies,” Skardon says. “And there’s no real incentive, either a carrot or a stick, for them to move their wires over. So when I got on council, I said, let’s actually do some work here to hold these companies accountable and find a better process and a better way to have them move their wires over and get rid of all of these extra utility poles we see.”
So far, Dominion Energy has removed 101 of these poles in a single five-week stretch across James Island.
There are still another 21 that are ready to come down, but another 196 that they are waiting on the telecom companies to act on.
Dominion Energy says once they replace an old pole because of system improvements, construction, routine maintenance, or storm or vehicle damage, the old pole may remain in place temporarily until all telecommunication lines and equipment are relocated to the new pole.
“Dedicated crews across our system work year-round to systematically identify and remove poles once all the attachments have been cleared,” Paul Fischer, a Dominion Energy spokesperson, says. “We appreciate the continued collaboration with our municipal partners and other stakeholders as we work to ensure a safe, reliable, and resilient system across the communities we serve.”
Dominion says they will continue working in the James Island area over the next several weeks to remove the remaining eligible poles.
“This is really just about quality of life, enjoying and protecting the beauty that we have here and holding companies accountable,” Skardon says.
For James Island residents like Daniel Ledbetter, some have the extra poles right in their back or front yard.
“Just get it out of here,” Daniel Ledbetter, a James Island resident, says. “It’s a safety hazard at this point. It’s unsightly.”
Ledbetter says he’s had to wait on building out his yard because of the old pole in the way. He’s also seen cracks over the years and feels the pole itself is unstable.
“I am concerned that if a big storm comes in, it isn’t particularly structurally sound,” Ledbetter says. “There’s lots of cracks. I’ve found handfuls of splinters of it just in the yard strewn everywhere.”
He hopes telecom companies can move quickly to move their wires.
“They have no problem raising our bills every couple of months for no particular reason,” Ledbetter says. “So maybe use some of that money to move the wires or whatever you need to do.”
Rotting or damaged old poles can create risks for pedestrians and traffic, can be an eyesore in public spaces and could even be a legal liability if an abandoned pole causes an accident or property damage.
Skardon says she’s been continuing to follow up with the telecommunications companies like Comcast, WOW and AT&T to continue her efforts. While Skardon says they have been responsive, she’s still waiting to see action.
“It’s just a matter of persistence,” Skardon says. “So one of my theories of governing is persistence with a smile. So I’ve been working hard. I follow up every two weeks. We’re down to three telecommunications companies left. And then once those wires are removed, Dominion can then come back in to remove the poles.”
‘This is about holding companies accountable’: Skardon pushing for city of Charleston to adopt a utility pole ordinance
In the meantime, she’s working with city council to try to find a better solution to avoid these issues in the first place.
“What I would actually like to see in city council, and I’ll be proposing this, is an ordinance to provide some guidelines and some carrots and sticks around having this be a formal process,” Skardon says. “So it’s not up to just one or two elected officials to keep emailing people and calling people, but that we actually have a process so we can apply this effort to everyone across the city.”
She also pointed to Beaufort’s draft ordinance that she’s pushing for the city to do.
Read the full article here: https://www.live5news.com/2026/11/12/double-trouble-push-double-wood-utility-pole-removal-effort-james-island/