4-County Plans Pole Inspections in Lowndes, Oktibbeha

Inspection and treatment of wooden 4-County Electric Power Association poles begins in late December and early January for parts of Oktibbeha and Lowndes counties.

The work will be performed by contract workers with Osmose. These workers inspect and treat every wooden 4-County pole. The work requires digging around those poles, which means Osmose employees will be working in 4-County members’ yards. The workers will be wearing clothing clearly identifying them as Osmose workers and their trucks will also have 4-County contractor signs.

4-County Manager of Engineering Lynn Timbrook says the work is part of an overall plan to inspect and treat every pole in the 4-County system. “Our plan calls for every one of our poles to be inspected and treated on a 10-year cycle. We do this to identify any poles that need to be replaced and to extend the lives of those poles that remain in service. This helps on reliability and safety issues and keeps costs down for our members,” Timbrook said.

Osmose, a New York-based company with offices around the country, has been providing services to utility companies since 1934. “4-County, along with many other electric cooperatives in the United States, has had a long working relationship with Osmose,” Timbrook explained. “They are the acknowledged industry leaders in pole treatment and inspection.”

The pole inspections, consisting of approximately 6,525 poles, in the Oktibbeha and Lowndes county areas are expected to last six months. The areas being worked include east of Starkville in Oktibbeha County, extending north and south of Hwy. 182 into Lowndes County. Other areas include Hwy. 45 Alt., north and south of Hwy. 182. Parts of Old West Point Road fall into the inspection area.

Timbrook says if members have any questions or concerns, they can contact the Starkville or Columbus District Offices by calling 662-327-8900.