TULSA, Okla. — A north Tulsa neighborhood is in the dark after neighbors say their streetlights aren’t working. Karla Ricard reached out to the Problem Solvers with her concern.
“All the streetlights are out,” said Karla Ricard.
It’s a problem Karla Ricard has been dealing with for months.
“There you can see the streetlight that’s inoperable,” said Ricard.
Driving through her neighborhood on Elgin near 46th Street North, she says it’s too dark to see.
“It is totally pitch black,” said Ricard. “Totally pitch black.”
She first noticed the streetlight in front of her home wasn’t working back in March. She says she called PSO, and eventually, a contractor came out.
“He said it’s just not yours,” said Ricard. “I said Oh. He said it’s your entire area.”
It’s happening on Elgin from 46th Street North to 48th over to Cincinnati Pl.
2 News counted 14 lights not working.
Ricard says the lights you can see are coming from people’s homes.
“Here we are 7 months later and no resolve,” she said.
With the sun setting earlier and kids walking home from the bus stop, Ricard wants the lights fixed for safety.
“I would hate for my child to be in that type of situation,” she said.
“We want open communication, and let us know when we can expect our lights to be back on in our neighborhood,” said Ricard.
After reaching out to PSO, a company spokesperson said,
“PSO equipment near 46th Street North and Elgin was damaged due to repeated vandalism and copper theft in the area, even after initial repairs were made, impacting nearby streetlights.”
When asked about the number of lights impacted, PSO responded,
“While I don’t have an exact number of streetlights, I do know that the majority of lights in that neighborhood were affected. The equipment impacted by the copper theft/vandalism was not the streetlights themselves, but underground wire/equipment that connects to those lights.”
The company says they’re working to fix the problem and get the lights back on.
“We're actively working on a safe and effective solution to repair the damage and are evaluating more secure options to prevent the situation from happening again in the future.”
The company also says:
“Theft or vandalism of any PSO equipment can have serious impacts. Not only does it affect the ability to deliver safe and reliable power to customers, but it poses a severe safety risk that could result in injury or fatality. We ask customers to report any suspicious activity in and around our facilities or equipment.”
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