CoServ linemen power growth in Pilot Point

Once the pole is placed, linemen fill in the hole with a rock and dirt mixture and tamp it down. Photos by KEN OLTMANN
Once the pole is placed, linemen fill in the hole with a rock and dirt mixture and tamp it down. Photos by KEN OLTMANN

DECADES AGO, a single-phase line was enough to power all the CoServ Members in the Mobberly Farms area of Pilot Point.

Now that the land is being transformed into residential and commercial development, it will require much more power. In April, CoServ linemen installed new concrete poles that will carry double, three-phase circuits with enough capacity to serve thousands of new homes in and around the next phase of Mobberly Farms.

This project will be a little different for linemen as Fenton Parkway curves through the neighborhood. The angle of the curve puts extra stress on the utility poles, requiring the use of 8,000 to 9,000-pound concrete poles rather than traditional wood poles.

“CoServ brought power to this area decades ago, transforming lives with the power of electricity when the for-profit utilities said it couldn’t be done,” said Tracee Elrod, Director of Relationship Development at CoServ. “To this day, the electric cooperative business model has proven to be the best way to unite communities while delivering reliable, affordable electricity.”

And this is just the beginning for Pilot Point.

Commercial development is planned at the corner of FM 1385 and Mobberly Road, which includes apartments.

Just north of Mobberly Road, the 1,000-acre Bryson Ranch project is planned with single-family lots and multi-family units. Bryson Ranch is being developed by Blue Star Land and Development, owned by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Like Mobberly Farms, these projects will be powered by CoServ.

Just north of that is Eland Farms that will bring additional single-family units as well as a proposed mixed-use development, which will also be serviced by CoServ.

This is representative of the type of growth happening throughout CoServ’s service area as the co-op adds an average of 1,200 electric meters a month to the system. Despite the fast-paced growth – we stay committed to providing safe and reliable electricity to our Members, both new and established.

Linemen installing concrete poles in the far eastern Pilot Point area. Moberly Farms Neighborhood.
Linemen installing concrete poles in the far eastern Pilot Point area. Moberly Farms Neighborhood.
CoServ linemen install the drilling bit on the boom tip.
CoServ linemen install the drilling bit on the boom tip.
CoServ Journeyman Jacob Barreiro 
digs the hole for the concrete pole.
CoServ Journeyman Jacob Barreiro digs the hole for the concrete pole.
Linemen installing concrete poles in the far eastern Pilot Point area. Moberly Farms Neighborhood.
Linemen installing concrete poles in the far eastern Pilot Point area. Moberly Farms Neighborhood.