Utility pole moved from center of sidewalk after resident turns to Ted

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Driving by, it looks like any other power pole, but stop for a second and you realize that isn't where that's supposed to be.

It's right in the middle of the sidewalk and right in the middle of Bobby Lewis' walk to Walgreens.

"I'm thinking I'm having a walk around and I'm an able person, but a handicap person would definitely have some troubles getting around this pole," Lewis said.

When Lewis first saw the pole, it was new enough to still have a pile of dirt around the fresh dig, but old enough to have started attracting trash. He knew it needed to move and this experienced Houstonian knew who to call to get it done.

"I want it done quickly, so let me call it Channel 13," Lewis said told Ted Oberg.

We called CenterPoint Energy and they called their contractor who put it in the middle of the sidewalk.

After we called, Lewis snapped a photo of the crew working early Saturday morning to get it out of the way. It's now gone and fresh cement have replaced the dirt and trash too.

CenterPoint sent us this statement:

"CenterPoint Energy is continuously improving the quality and reliability of our customers electricity service with major initiatives, including inspecting, replacing and upgrading utility poles and electrical equipment. The pole on the southwest corner of Washington Avenue and Memorial Heights Drive was inadvertently misplaced. We are taking steps to relocate the pole to the grass area and out of the sidewalk, which will be repaired to its original condition. The work should be completed next week. We apologize for any inconvenience."

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