CLEVELAND — Collinwood business owners and residents said they are frustrated with recurring power outages.
They said the Cleveland neighborhood has experienced frequent outages this summer, even on days with clear skies and no rain.
"It's really an inconvenience. It shouldn't be happening. It's time for an upgrade," Sharlee Brown said.
Brown owns Shazii Chic Salon & Boutique on East 185th Street.
Since the salon opened last year, she said power outages have become a problem. She said the most recent one happened last week.
"I just so happened to just finish my client," she said. "Right when I was leaving, closed the door... bloop! All the lights went out."
She is concerned she won't be able to serve her customers the next time the power goes out.
"I need to be able to have power to be able to finish a service," she said. "As a hairstylist, I can't complete a job without being able to blow-dry your hair or use my hot tools."
Ward 10 Councilman Mike Polensek said Brown is not alone. He said multiple business owners and residents have complained to him about power outages in their neighborhood this summer.
"I can't tell them what's wrong with the system, except from what they're telling me. It's the feeders, it's this, it's squirrels, da-da-da," he said. "Well, how many frickin squirrels are there that they knock out this system all the time?"
One resident shared a spreadsheet that lists the dates of outages that occurred while she was at her home.
She documented 16 separate outages over the last two years.
"It don't even have to be storming. It don't have to be a thunderstorm. Nothing. It just goes out," Frank Brown, Sharlee's dad, said.
He said Cleveland recently invested in new streets and sidewalks on East 185th Street. He said the city should invest in Cleveland Public Power too.
"I'm very angry because it's stopping her [Sharlee] from making progress because she can't do some of the things that she want to do," Brown said.
Brown said she wants to grow her business, but it's harder to do that when the power keeps going out.
"It's really an inconvenience," she said. "It's time for an upgrade."
News 5 Investigators reached out to Cleveland Public Power for a comment about the power outages in Collinwood.
We did not receive a response by our deadline.
