A community art project that saw hundreds of BC Hydro poles in Victoria painted in bright designs is being shut down by the Crown corporation over operational and safety concerns.
“It made me scratch my head,” artist Beth Threlfall said.
“Through the 11 years of doing this pole-painting project, we certainly never had problems with safety.”
Threlfall created her first “soul pole” in 2008 after noticing the wooden BC Hydro poles near her Victoria home were looking shabby.
“I knew that as an artist I could make a difference that way,” Threlfall said.
Despite a policy that bans artistic painting of wooden poles in the province, BC Hydro said it worked with various communities, including Victoria’s Fernwood neighbourhood, on a pilot project to allow decorative painting of its utility poles as a way to deter graffiti.
Threlfall and her neighbours thought the Fernwood Pole Painting Project was a great partnership to keep their community looking clean and fresh.
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“It’s become a beautiful landscape for Fernwood,” Threlfall said.
“It’s really touched a lot of people’s hearts.”
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Eleven years after it started, BC Hydro is pulling the plug on its support for the project.
“It’s not an issue about art, it’s an issue about safety,” Ted Olynyk of BC Hydro said.
The Crown corporation says painting the wooden poles could cover up markers placed on them to identify safety issues for work crews and contractors. Decorative painting could also hamper Hydro crews’ ability to easily detect defects in the pole during maintenance.
It could also leave the Crown corporation on the hook if any painters were hurt.
“Our poles are right next to roads,” Olynyk said. “If somebody’s injured, Hydro could then be liable.”
Threlfall says the possibility of anyone being struck by a vehicle while painting utility poles never crossed their minds.
“People really love the project and don’t want to see it be done,” Threlfall said.
“For it to end, people are feeling pretty sad.”
No more pole painting won’t mean the end of their artistic effort to brighten up the neighbourhood. Threlfall says she will consult with her neighbours and they will use their imaginations to see what they can paint next.
“Stopping painting poles is not going to stop Fernwood.”
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