Brooklyn business owner concerned ConEd left hazardous conditions after power outage

A Bay Ridge restaurant owner says they are facing hazards and a shortage of food due to a power outage on Friday.

News 12 Staff

May 25, 2022, 2:23 AM

Updated 862 days ago

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A Bay Ridge restaurant owner says they are facing hazards and a shortage of food due to a power outage on Friday.
Agnes Kelly, the co-owner of the South Brooklyn Foundry, says she's concerned about Con Edison's response to the issue.
"We thought it was something downstairs in the basement. When we realized it was not, we called Con Edison,” Kelly says.
Con Edison responded to the call and was able to restore power to the business but has left outside power cables exposed and coming through the ceiling.
Kelly says she called her insurance company because she's worried the wires in front of the restaurant could be a serious safety hazard.
"I asked them…ConEd has protective gear going down into my basement. Who would be responsible if someone fell? He says, ‘That's your liability,’” Kelly says.
The restaurant went 24 hours without electricity, causing food to spoil. After Con Edison responded to the call, South Brooklyn Foundry was able to stock their most popular food items.
However, Kelly says they had to buy their items at retail value, not wholesale because they are not able to store large amounts.
"Food optimally is supposed to be kept at 40 degrees, and less anything above that is considered the danger zone. Temperatures continued to go up, so after 24 hours, it was already considered spoiled,” Kelly says.
Con Edison told News 12 in a statement, “Because the repairs require excavating the area around the cable, crews installed a temporary measure to provide power to our customer until permanent repairs can be made. The temporary repairs are properly protected and insulated and provide the customer the same safe service she had prior to this problem."
Con Edison says they're working on getting permits to complete the repairs as soon as possible.
The owners of South Brooklyn Foundry say they want to go back to normal since they've already been through struggle brought on by the pandemic.