AURORA, Colo. — Sharon Hoidahl prefers gardening to mowing her lawn in Southeast Aurora.
"But mowing is part of the job," Hoidahl said. "I have to keep mine mowed and cared for, and it would be nice if Xcel did the same thing. "
Just behind her back fence, tall, dry grass has been growing for months on land Xcel Energy is supposed to mow.
"It's an extreme fire risk," said Hoidahl, who has reached out to Xcel and her commissioner. "This year, I started calling [Xcel] on the first of May. Then in July, I get a letter from the person who manages their mowing, saying the same thing. 'We've had too much rain, we're swamped. We don't have enough money. We don't have enough people. And so we're just trying to keep up the best we can.'"
One email from Xcel said, "To be frank, our vegetation management team is really struggling this season... Our team is being flooded with calls every day. Unfortunately, I don't have a timeframe on when they will be 'caught up.'"
In a statement to Contact Denver7, an Xcel spokeswoman elaborated, "The record moisture this spring and summer has resulted in significantly more and faster growth than we've seen in the recent past. Our team is working diligently to respond to these areas as quickly as possible with the resources and equipment available to them."
Hoidahl said Xcel has since mowed the area behind her fence, but only to the end of her property.
"It didn't take care of everybody else," said Hoidahl. "I'm worried about everyone's house. I just really appreciate the fact that you've listened to this story and that perhaps it will help not only myself, my neighbors, but anyone who lives on one of these Xcel easements."
Xcel has had crews come to her neighborhood this week. According to a company spokesperson, the 5-mile corridor will take two to three weeks to mow if the weather cooperates.
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