'Special Master' to Eye Underground Explosions

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has voted unanimously to request Jersey Central Power & Light appoint a "special master" to investigate the rash of underground explosions that have occurred in Morristown, the most recent prompting a Morris Township resident to require medical attention.

The BPU, at its regular meeting on Wednesday, voted 4-0 to direct JCP&L to hire a special master, an engineering expert, "to review all the incidents and report back to the board any potential causes, actions and solutions," said Greg Reinert, communications director for the BPU. "Then the board will address that."

The order by the BPU directs JCP&L to give the utilities authority its recommendation for the reliability special master in time for the BPU to review and approve at its Oct. 13 board meeting. 

Ron Morano, communications for JCP&L, gave a statement saying, "We will fully comply and cooperate with the BPU request."

Judy Stein-Loewenthal, of Morris Township, provided testimony to the board in Trenton Wednesday regarding her injury from a manhole cover that exploded late last month at the corner of South and James streets. She had to be taken to the hospital for burns sustained to her arm, which was in contact with the fire that shot out of the manhole immediately following the explosion.

Witnesses in the area described their shock from the blast. Morristown resident Safi Furlow, who lives at 181 South Street in the South Street Apartments, was at his home near the site of the explosion when it occurred. "It sounded like a C-4 blowing up," he said at the time. "It was dark black smoke. Pretty scary."

Kristen Wedderburn, assistant to Mayor Tim Dougherty, said of the manhole cover that "it must have blown 30, 40 feet into the air." Of all the similar incidents in Morristown, she said, "it was the loudest I've ever heard."

The "similar incidents" part is one of Dougherty's main concerns. 

"It's a shame the reaction was after another incident with our manhole covers," he said. "We've been screaming for 19 months, since I took office. Especially since ."

, in June, saw thick black smoke spew from a grate outside Walgreen's and shut down South Street. That incident and another earlier this year,

"What is going to take, someone getting hurt," Dougherty asked. "I'm grateful no one got killed."

"We share their concerns," Reinert said. "There has been a series of incidents. That's why the special master is being appointed, to get the technical expertise to determine whether there is a link between the causes of the incidents."

Dougherty said he had a sense the BPU would request a further investigation, following its visit to Morristown following the manhole cover explosion.

"I have all the confidence they will do their job to make sure our network is safe," he said. "If it needs to be upgraded, they'll make recommendations."

The mayor said a meeting was scheduled Friday at between the Office of Emergency Management, mayors, BPU and JCP&L, to discuss Hurricane Irene, which also recently battered the area. He expected some discussion of this issue to occur, as well.

A public meeting, inviting people to discuss how the state handled the hurricane, also is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday in Morris Plains. Dougherty said he would be in attendance.