http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06148/693838-58.stm

Living off the grid might be free, but it's not easy

Sunday, May 28, 2006
By David Templeton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Allegheny Power can use a guy wire to anchor a utility pole in a person's front yard if it has secured a right of way.

That's the law.

But debate rages between a Washington County man and the power company over that issue, with the power company winning each round to date in Magisterial District Court.

And even though he's repeatedly lost in criminal court, William Williams, 76, of Cecil, vows to continue removing the guy wire and its anchor in his yard each time the power company replaces them.

He served 26 days in jail this year for his wire-cutting actions, with more jail time expected in subsequent charges.

It's all part of Mr. Williams' campaign to declare himself free from all public utilities in a case of independent spirit vs. public utility, private rights vs. public service.

But the battle has escalated. Mr. Williams has dug a five-foot hole in his yard to remove the guy-wire anchor. And he knows the likely result: More charges, more jail time.

"I don't bother anyone. Why should they bother me?" he said.

But Allen Staggers, manager of corporate communications for Allegheny Power, said all power company facilities, including guy wires, were on rights of way the company has purchased. With old lines, the right-of-way agreement could have been reached decades ago.

"It's dangerous for people to tamper with our equipment, whether it is a live wire or a guy wire," he said. "[A utility pole] is big, it's heavy and you don't want to compromise the integrity of it. It can result in a power outage or someone getting hurt."

Mr. Williams uses no public utilities at his house on Reissing Road and vows never to use any. He's neither wired, plugged in, tapped in nor in the pipeline.

A self-proclaimed arch enemy of utility companies, he said, he stands determined to show the world how to stretch a dollar, reduce reliance on foreign oil and live the simple life. He also vows to fight for the right to refuse to use any public utilities.

So the man, who dons a trademark orange tassel cap, said he was proud to be off the grid, despite efforts by some utility companies to force him to tap into their lines.

His anti-utility philosophy has landed him in hot water.

He's faced charged three times for cutting the guy wire securing an Allegheny Power utility pole to his property. After each conviction, he's refused to pay restitution, court costs and fines on claims the company is encroaching on his property.

"I won't put up with it," he said. "I'm hard-headed."

Cost is the main reason he weaned himself from public utilities. He retired from Homestead Valve in 1974 and lives on his Social Security check and a $198-a-month pension.

But he said he preferred living without utilities because they are monopolies whose policies and prices threaten one's property rights and financial independence.

Rather than tap into a public waterline, he collects rainwater from his roof gutters in a holding tank. The water flows through a filter into a basement sink.

He uses a septic system, despite the fact Cecil has a public sewage system.

He's placed solar panels in the windows of his beige brick house to power a rechargeable battery for limited electricity.

For nine months, he refused to pay a service charge for electricity because, he said, he was using none. Finally, Allegheny Power removed the electrical lines.

Mr. Williams uses propane, kerosene and wood for what little heat he needs.

Owning neither a clothes washer nor dryer, he does his laundry in a bucket of filtered water and dries it on a backyard clothesline.

He recently gave away his unused refrigerator, preferring to store perishable food in his cool basement.

He never watches television but does listen to a battery-powered radio. Natural gas lines never were installed on his property.

And he has no telephone.

With no utility lines or pipes attached to his house, Mr. Williams is an island of independence in a world of interconnection.

"You have to learn to stretch dollars, and they will stretch," he said.

He cut the guy wire the first time because, he said, he kept tripping over it while collecting berries in his yard. Cecil police cited him for criminal mischief, intentionally damaging property, negligence and reckless endangerment.

But District Judge Valarie Costanzo, of Cecil, dismissed the charges after advising him not to repeat the misdeed.

The second time he cut the wire, he pleaded guilty to the charges and paid $400. He was sentenced to serve 19 days in the Washington County Jail, 17 of which he served after refusing to pay all costs, fines and restitution. Before that, he served seven days in jail for failing to respond to a court order in the case.

The most recent criminal case against Mr. Williams was transferred from Judge Costanzo's jurisdiction to that of District Judge Jay Weller in North Strabane, who found Mr. Williams guilty of the same four charges and assessed him $827 in fines, costs and restitution. Refusing to pay, Mr. Williams said he expected more jail time.

He contends Allegheny Power has no right to use his property to secure its pole because the guy wire and anchor are not within the company's right of way. He said the rights of way were not listed on his deed.

But Allegheny Power officials said the company owned the right of way, or it would not have installed the guy wire and anchor.

He could face even more problems if he doesn't tap into the public sewer system. Its officials could file a lien against his property if he doesn't connect.

For Mr. Williams, it's all a matter of civil disobedience. He said he refuses to surrender his property rights to the utilities.

"I don't owe [Allegheny Power] anything, and I'm not going to pay," he said. "They were on my property, and their right of way ends right here."

Apparently this guy is not aware that we are only borrowing property from the government. They will take it back as soon as there is a politcal justification. He pays taxes. He should used to government taking property from him by force to give to others.

I think I hear Thoreau clapping.

I wouldn't go THAT far, but if a utility company pays for a right of way, they pay for it. This guy, or his predecessor in interest, got paid something for this right at some point.

I can respect him not wanting to have any utilities, but he can't go destroying the lines.

This guy won't be so endearing when the pole he keeps fucking with falls on a person and kills them.

Thats what I got from the article - it would appear that somewhere in the deed or related documents that the power company received this right from the original property owner.

That's how rights of way work. It's right there in the title report.

It's the same reason I have a god damned easement in the middle of my backyard.

I'm currently negotiating with a landowner to allow us to run a 15 inch sewer main across his property.

If he refuses, the Town has agreed to exercise their power of eminent domain to condemn an easement for us.

It's good to be the king.

uummm Ever Heard of Dancing Rabbit ...

living off the grid is the most responsible act any human can do during this life, if even for a short time...it all matters.

ps...Hi Scott, i've missed you. Cheri`


http://www.dancingrabbit.org/tour/

What's an easement?

An easement is a property right owned by someone other than the owner of the underlying property, usually limited to a specific use. For example, the electric company most likely holds an easement on your property to build and maintain electrical lines that cross your property. It may be limited to a slice of your property, or it may cover the whole property. If I own property behind your property and I have no access to the road, you may grant me an easement to build and use a driveway for access to my property. That sort of thing.

, an easement covering a whole plot of property would seem pretty shitty...does this have any relationship with eminent domain?

Not directly. An easement is a private right, usually bargained and contracted for (although it generally runs with the land, so it may have been placed on your property decades ago). A municipality may use its eminent domain power to condemn an easement if needed, but it is not the preferred method.

Thanks, so eminent domain is kind of the final salvo if all else fails; I can see the use of eminent domain causing a bit of a rift in a town between the citizens and the local officials.

Theirs like a bazillion different types of easements too. Drainage, water, sanitary sewer, dry utilities (natural gas, cable, phone, electric), trail, access, maintenance, etc.

If you are buying a house and or property, read the title report or better yet view the plat or final record drawings. These should be made availabe to you as the buyer. If you have questions about what kind of easements are on your property, ask first, buy second.

I spent my afternoon yesterday at the City of Arvada, discussing trail and access easements. It was soooo much fun.

Lets not even discuss mineral or water rights, eh.

Sadly, few people ever see the raw documents that apply to their title. They get a title commitment and it lists exceptions under Schedule B, but they are very vague. If possible, people should always request a copy of the “Schedule B Docs” along with their commitment so they can truly see what they’re buying.

how true.

also, depending on where you live you should also ask for a soils report and an explanation on what it means.


...back to the original post...the guy is an idiot. I hope he gets the pole where the sun don't shine while he's serving his days.

Remember folks, call before you dig. It just may save your life.