Bernardsville Outages Up, Few Remain in Bedminster

The number of power outages being reported in Bernardsville by JCP&L on Tuesday afternoon went back up, a situation that Mayor Lee Honecker said has made him "livid."

In Bernardsville, the JCP&L map said there were 164 power outages remaining at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday. Honecker said the number had declined into the 80s on Monday night, which he said also displeased him.

The figure was at 115 at 4:30 p.m.

He said he isn't sure where all of the outages are, but believes that most are on Bernardsville mountain. He said police have been driving around trying to find homes with outages.

Bernardsville officials also are asking those without power to call JCP&L and then to email the Bernardsville police department at police@bernardsvillepd.org so the borough also can officially notify JCP&L.

Want to know that no homes are left behind

Honecker said borough officials want to make sure that no homes are left without restoration now that crews finally have arrived in Bernardsville. For example, he said five homes on Stevens Road were still without power on Monday afternoon.

Honecker said he received a report that the Twin Lakes area, with about 40-50 homes, had been restored at 4:20 p.m. Monday, and the Round Top Road area also reportedly got power back at about 3 p.m.

Honecker said on Monday night he called the borough's JCP&L representative about the noted increase, and said that some outages may have been tripped when other customers were restored. However, others went out on Tuesday, and the mayor said he doesn't know whether those were people who had previously had power restored.

In Bedminster, Mayor Robert Holtaway said there were only about five remaining customers without power in town at the end of the weekend, when the govenor's deadline for power restoratation had passed. Holtaway said he knew of two homes in particular without power, and one had been restored on Sunday.

But the remaining problems, Holtaway said, are due to property issues.

However, by about 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, JCP&L listed the number of Bedminster outages as back up to 21.

"These lingering problems are due to damage on the property with either utility or owner issues," Holtaway said. "The thrust has been to get the pole lines operating, then do these other issues."

Holtaway said it is his understanding that all the pole lines through Bedminster are energized, and the final few are being addressed, but there is no final schedule for restoration.

"A number of them are due to trees pulling the service off the house, and the owner having to repair their side before the utility could turn them on."

Bedminster Township Police Chief Pat Ussery said he sent out a Nixle alert Sunday evening saying that JCP&L has estimated that all customers in Bedminster were restored.

Those who do not yet have power are advised to call JCP&L at 1-888-544-4877.

Police Chief Kevin Valentine said that Chapin Road and Dryden Road still were without power on Monday afternoon.

Honecker said he was hoping that along with about 20 homes in the Round Top Road area, the Laurelwood development had come back online.

Shelter still open at Bernards High

The Red Cross shelter in the lower gymnasium at Bernards High School had remained open on Monday, and shelter manager Janet Murnick said she at that time also was helping people who had power restored return to their homes. As before, she said the shelter would be open as long as needed.