The in basket: On my intermittent trips between Port Orchard and Belfair, I’ve noticed that the underbrush has been removed from beneath the power lines on the west side of Highway 3 between Gorst and Sunnyslope Road. The clearing is about the width of a road, but with the power poles in the way, that didn’t seem like a probable explanation for the work. Trucks for Potelco, Puget Sound Energy’s repair contractor, are often in the area.

I asked PSE what’s up.

The out basket: Akiko Oda, spokeswoman for PSE replied, “We have several projects along State Route 3 slated for this year:

– A tree wire project along SR 3 beginning at Sunnyslope Road to the end of PSE’s line, just south of Lake Flora Road (about 4.3 miles). This project replaces the center conductor with tree wire.”

Tree wire is a specially coated, overhead wire that’s designed to prevent an electric short (and subsequent outage) when a tree limb falls into a power line, a PSE Web site says. “Where installed, it significantly reduces the frequency of tree-related outages, but cannot prevent all disruptions (e.g. if an entire tree falls into a power line),” it says.

”As a permitting requirement, we’ll be working 20 feet from the fog line and also conducting some night work, which will require closing a lane of traffic,” she said. The work began last month and is expected to take four months.

– “Overhead and underground construction work along SR 3 from North Birch Avenue W to Sunnyslope Road. We’ll be installing a second circuit and rebuilding the existing circuit using tree wire (about 1.3 miles).

– “Rebuilding the distribution line from SR 3 along Victory Drive, east along Old Clifton, stopping at Feigley Road (about 2.8 miles).

A PSE Web site has more information, under its “In Your Community” link

The in basket: Bob Gordon writes, “The street sweeper never comes through our street (Green Glenn Lane) and it is covered with pine needles, branches and  the like. What is the rule about getting it swept up after a storm?

“Some of the residents go out and sweep it up but what are we paying taxes for? I realize that this is a cul-de-sac but there is a way in and a way out for the sweeper to come through there.”

The out basket: Like many roads in Kitsap County, Green Glenn Lane was never accepted by the county for maintenance. Doug Bear of the county’s public works department, says, “NE Green Glenn Lane is a private road. Maintenance on that road is the responsibility of the property owners along it.”

Usually, being accepted for county maintenance requires having the road brought up to county standards. I would guess the street sign has a “pvt” for private on it and maybe even a “U” if it’s unmaintained.