It’s a classic image: a bunch of construction workers standing around, leaning on shovels, as one poor schmuck stands in a hole, digging away.

Folks in the small Stonesthrow neighborhood on the eastern edge of Colorado Springs say it’s not just a cliche. They say Colorado Springs Utilities had seven men doing exactly that — standing around watching one guy dig — as a new streetlight was installed on the corner of Stonesthrow View and Tee Shot Drive in Stetson Hills a few weeks ago.

The neighborhood had requested a light be installed on the corner and agreed to pay for the luxury.

Some residents thought it was overkill — eight men and three large trucks — just to install a new light pole. Then the residents became angry when they got the bill from Springs Utilities and it was $800 over the original estimate of $3,400.

Here is a look at the neighborhood from www.FlashEarth.com:

Colorado Springs Utilities says its crews were not just standing around, loafing. They were in training and the neighborhood was not charged for their time.

A Utilities spokesman said the new light was not a simple job. It required an expensive transformer to be installed at more than $1,000 and a nearby handicapped-accessible sidewalk ramp complicated the project.

Below are photos of the new streetlight — with its vintage-style lamptop — as well as the transformer. The photos were taken by Colorado Springs Utilities.

===================================

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.