HOUSTON — **UPDATE** We have new information about a leaning, splintered utility pole that was in Houston's Near Northside neighborhood. After Katiera Winfrey's report, KHOU 11 confirmed the pole was taken down, though it's not clear who took it down. We reached out to Houston Public Works who told us the utility companies they reached out to said they didn't own the pole. But an inspector went out and confirmed it was down.
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Residents in Houston's Near Northside neighborhood want help getting a splintered utility pole removed. They said it's been hanging over the sidewalk for nearly two months and they haven't been able to find out who's responsible for its removal.
The pole is splintered at the base and it looks like wires are the only thing keeping it standing. KHOU 11 News reached out to multiple agencies on Wednesday trying to figure out who's responsible but it's still unclear whose problem it is.
Jose Trevino said the problem at the corner of Gentry and Boundary is nearing dangerous territory.
"If they don't hurry up, it might come down on someone," he said.
Sometime around late February or early March, something happened and the pole was left splintered and broken. Trevino said that despite multiple calls for help, nothing has happened and the pole remains perched on its cables.
"We are neglected in this area. We don't get the attention," Trevino said.
For months, he said calls have gone out to 311 hoping to figure out who can fix it. He said he feels no closer to finding a resolution than he did nearly two months ago. The common response he said he's been getting has been "it's not our pole."
"All of a sudden that report is dead in the water. They just say it's already been fixed. And as you can tell, it's not fixed," Trevino said about the reports he's provided.
The splintered and unsteady wood is an eyesore, but more importantly, it's dangerous.
"I have faith that y'all are here and this is going to get done," resident Delphina Del Torres said.
She has lived in the area her whole life and said if something isn't done soon, the next call could be for more than the utility pole.
"There's a lot of walkers -- a lot of parents walk their kids -- so they can be dangerous. So, if the wind is high, you don't know if that pole is going to fall," Del Torres said.
Del Torres and Trevino said it’s frustrating but it takes a village to get a job done and have faith that continued calls will lead to action.
"Man, I would hate to have to go to a funeral," Trevino said.
The City of Houston said it's checking its departments to find out who would handle this. Meanwhile, we've also reached out to CenterPoint, AT&T and Comcast to try and figure out who's responsible for the pole and the cabling. We'll keep working to get answers.