CPWS Working to Clear Trees Near Power Lines Across Service Area

Issue #682

March 10, 2026

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

⛈️ Columbia’s Wednesday Weather - Afternoon thunderstorms w/ high of 76, low of 37

📰 CPWS Working to Clear Trees Near Power Lines Across Service Area 

🎭 3/26-29: Venture Into the Woods with Watershed Theatre

🗓 List of Upcoming Events

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

✨ Read our most recent LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT!  

🗓 Know of Some Local Events Not Listed? Send us the Details!

CPWS Working to Clear Trees Near Power Lines Across Service Area 

To ensure continued service reliability and public safety, Columbia Power & Water Systems (CPWS) said authorized contractors will continue scheduled vegetation management and tree trimming services throughout its service area.

As the spring storm season approaches, recent winter storms served as a powerful reminder of how vulnerable the power grid can be to falling limbs and ice-laden branches. Analysis of the most recent severe weather events shows that areas with consistent, proactive tree maintenance experienced significantly fewer outages and faster restoration times. By clearing the right-of-way, CPWS aims to minimize future disruptions before the next storm hits.

Understanding the Right of Way

Maintaining a clear zone around electrical infrastructure is our primary defense against power outages. CPWS follows strict guidelines to balance the health of our local canopy with the necessity of uninterrupted power:

  • Manicured Areas (Residential Yards): In well-maintained lawns, CPWS maintains a 10-foot clearance zone around poles and power lines. This "box" allows for safe operation while respecting the aesthetics of residential landscaping.

  • Non-Manicured Areas (Wooded/Rural): In unmaintained or rural areas, the clearance extends to 20 feet on either side of the lines. This wider "ground-to-sky" clearance is vital for preventing fast-growing wilderness from encroaching on primary voltage lines.

  • Safety Buffer: No woody-stemmed plants or trees should be planted within 20 feet of utility poles or pad-mounted equipment. Keeping this space clear ensures our crews can access equipment quickly during emergencies.

Working with Contractors

Residents may see crews from CPWS-authorized contractors, such as Kendall Vegetation Services, working in their neighborhoods. These professionals are trained in proper pruning techniques to maintain tree health while achieving necessary safety clearances.

"Our goal is to be proactive rather than reactive," CPWS Vice-President of Power Operations Ryan Massey said. "While we value the beauty trees bring to Maury County, keeping limbs away from high-voltage lines is the single most effective way to prevent the flickering lights and prolonged outages that often follow Tennessee's unpredictable weather."

For more information regarding the trimming schedule or to view our full vegetation management policy, please visit www.cpws.com/power/vegetation-management/.

*If you have questions / comments regarding your trees, you might want to check this CPWS post.

3/26-29: Venture Into the Woods with Watershed Theatre

With six shows in just a single weekend, Watershed Public Theatre's upcoming musical is like lightning in a bottle. Into the Woods, the out-of-the-box remix of Brothers Grimm fairytales, takes the stage March 26-29 at Columbia State's Cherry Theater.

In the 40 years since Into the Woods premiered on Broadway, few musicals have reached the popularity of this Stephen Sondheim gem. The woods are where any wish may come true, whether or not the grass is greener for characters like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of "beanstalk" fame), and several more. But the woods are just trees. Director Caleb Finley has set this play in a concrete jungle, inspired by dystopian fiction and Brutalist design and architecture.

After the devastation of WWII, a new style of building filled the need for cheap and durable construction. Derived from the French phrase “béton brut” (raw concrete), these imposing, unpainted buildings were described as Brutalist. A sense of coldness was projected from these massive, blocky structures. The lack of ornamentation and color in the landscape seemed to imply a bleak future and a world without imagination.

What Brutalist buildings have in common with fairy tales is that they both, for very different reasons, were meant to last forever. This irony inspired Director Caleb Finley to fuse the two concepts together for his vision of Into the Woods. The Brutalist, avant-garde look comes to life through the way the characters are dressed. Everyone's clothes are in crazy shapes and tough textures, just like the urban landscape surrounding them.

Sara McLoud, Watershed Public Theatre's resident costumer, is designing her ninth production for the company. It only took three years for Sara to cover a couple century's worth of fashion for these Watershed productions — with settings from imperial Russia, to post-Civil War West Virginia, to 1990s New York. Sara has her eyes on clothes wherever she goes and can usually rely on a few different costume rental houses around Middle Tennessee to shop for her characters. It's just a matter of finding outfits that fit the actors and resemble the right time period.

But this time, Sara doesn't expect to find a full wardrobe right out of stock; the extra-imaginative setting of WPT's Into the Woods does not overlap with typical productions of the musical. When Sara goes costume shopping in a thrift store, she looks for things not only to be worn, but to be reconstructed. She's discovered bedsheets that can become the gown for a princess, as well as magic beans that turn into a beanstalk that leads to the sky. 

After all that incredible attention to design, somebody still has to act, dance, and sing. Eighty-nine actors came to audition for Into the Woods, an example of how much is talent is flowing through Watershed's community. The professional theatre company presents a cast that includes Patrick Adams, Meredith Aydelott, Olivia Black, Austin Correll, Scott Duvall, Max Fleischhacker, Scott Karan, Kailen Long, Brock Loyd, Kristin Mathis, Mileah Milstead, Austin Jeffrey Smith, Isabel Smith, McKenna Steel, Shaelyn Taylor, Crystal Woolard and Olivia Zemer.

Thursday, March 26 at 7pm, there is a special preview performance of Into the Woods; it's also another one of Watershed's popular "Pay What You Can" shows. The cast will be back on stage the next morning (3/27) at 10am to perform for local school groups as a field trip. To book a group for that performance contact [email protected].

The performances continue on Friday, March 27 with a 7pm showtime. Saturday, March 28 will be a double header, with shows at 1pm and 7pm. The performances conclude with a 3pm Sunday matinee on March 29. Performances will take place at Columbia State Community College’s Cherry Theater, 1665 Hampshire Pike, Columbia. Tickets, which can be purchased online at WatershedPublicTheatre.org, are $30 for general admission, $26 for seniors, and $22 for students.

Upcoming Local Events

🗓 Have an event to add? Send us the Details!

Wednesday, March 11th

Thursday, March 12th 

Friday, March 13th

Saturday, March 14th

Sunday, March 15th

👇 Click the Links to Learn About our Local Business Sponsors! 👇

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

Tuesday, March 10
Songwriters Round – Whiskey Alley Saloon, 6–9 PM

Thursday, March 12
Todd Ciprian – Tito’s, 6–9 PM
The Kody Norris Show – Cherry Theater, 7 PM
Emily Otteson – Whiskey Alley Saloon, 7:30–9 PM

Friday, March 13
South Margin – Turnpike Tavern, 6–9 PM
Shannon McCue & The Harpeth River Boys – McCreary’s Irish Pub & Eatery, 7–9 PM
The Bird & The Bear – Whiskey Alley Saloon, 7:30–9 PM
Eastern Dreamer – Puckett’s, 7:30–9 PM
Escape – Fozzy’s Bar & Grill, 8–11 PM

Saturday, March 14
Johnny Jameson & The Empty Pints – McCreary’s Irish Pub & Eatery, 7–9 PM
Tom Wheatley & The Dead Strings – The Rebel Bar & Grill, 7:30 PM
Savanna Kirby – Puckett’s, 7:30–9 PM
South Bound Crows – Fozzy’s Bar & Grill, 8–11 PM

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