After living in Kenmore for 20-plus years, I am finding myself wondering, for the first time, if I should restock my freezer or will it just be a waste because the power will go out again.

I would like to encourage everyone in Kenmore to do their part in improving the reliability of our electricity. If the problem in your area of Kenmore is trees on the lines please report this to Puget Sound Energy (PSE) at vegetationmanagement@pse.com. But before you do this, let me share a few things I learned recently when I asked PSE to look at 73rd Avenue Northeast between Northeast 185th and Northeast 204th.

The large diameter, black colored, lines on the west side of 73rd Avenue Northeast that run about half way up the power poles are phone lines, not electric wires. The small diameter, silver colored, wires on the east side of 73rd Avenue Northeast that run about half way up the power poles are cable television wires, not electric wires. PSE’s electric wires are at the top of the pole and on 73rd Avenue Northeast this is predominately on the east side of the road.

The tree trimming that PSE contracts Asplundh to do is only for the PSE electric wires; they are not concerned about the phone lines or cable television wires. After sending PSE an email reporting trees near the electric wires a representative from Asplundh will look at the location and call you to report their findings.

When the power does go out, please report this to PSE at www.PSE.com or 888-225-5773. At the Kenmore City Council meeting of Nov. 23 the PSE representative spoke of these outage reports like this was the primary way PSE has of knowing when a small area is having an issue. We can’t complain of the lack of response by PSE unless we have told them our power is out.

So, please do your part to improve the reliability of electricity in Kenmore. Before the next storm hits please report trees that are near electric wires. When the power does go out (note I said when, not if) please report the outage to PSE.

Katrina Rose, Kenmore