Considering a life in line work? Ask Gregory Middleton

A dozen linemen stood by construction vehicle. All photos courtesy of Middleton

Gregory Middleton is a well-established line worker who has been employed by Versant Power Company for the past five years. After growing up in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, he came to the University of Maine in 1998. Following his time here, Middleton worked a multitude of jobs, between truck driving and bartending and employment at Pat’s Pizza.

In 2013, he decided to join a two-semester long line worker program offered at Kennebec Valley Community College. After completing that year in school, Middleton began working at Central Maine Power but transferred over to Versant four years later and has been employed there since 2018.

Versant Power Co. serves over 160,000 customers across northern and eastern Maine. Middleton remarked that after having been employed in several different environments, he cannot see himself working anywhere else. He also emphasized that if you have some experience in the electrical industry, Versant is one of the better companies to work for, as there is truly a strong sense of community.

“If it’s something they really want to do, it doesn’t happen overnight. If they have the drive, they need to be patient and work hard. Respect is not given, it’s only earned. It’s tough coming up, but it’s rewarding and if you don’t mind working out in the weather and turning wrenches, it’s very fun,” said Middleton.

Middleton has approximately a decade of line work experience under his belt, with his official job title being First-Class Line Worker, otherwise known as ‘journeyman.’ There are several levels of experience and it takes 4-5 years of training to reach the top earning. It is considered a progression and Middleton has reached the highest level of expertise in his field.

Some of his primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to the maintenance of power lines, restoration of public or private power amidst outages, hooking up new services, construction work, wire transfers, etc. His division oversees all necessary line work in the greater Bangor area.

The day-to-day of a line worker at Versant Power begins at 7 am sharp. Middleton, along with the other 15 members of his division convene in the crew room every morning, where the supervisor assigns each person with daily jobs before everyone goes off in one of the eight trucks designated for company usage. Their responsibilities can range anywhere from smaller jobs with new businesses to construction efforts such as setting poles on properties and the attachment, running and energizing of new wires.

While their regular work days typically go until 3 pm, linemen must remain on constant alert, as they can be called into action at any moment. It is very important that the crew have a willingness to help out whenever necessary, mainly due to the likelihood of valued customers experiencing anger and distress as a result of prolonged outages. Furthermore, local businesses could potentially lose money there is likely to be an enforcement of fines against the company when the power is out for too long.

“This is really not just a 7-3 job. Say a car smashes into a pole at two in the morning, we have two guys on call all the time. They bring their trucks home and if an outage occurs, those two will get called to that outage to restore power. If there’s a broken pole or if there are a lot of outages, then they’ll have to go through a list and call as many of us as possible,” Middleton said.

There are a few skills in particular that are necessary to possess in this line of work. First and foremost, is that it is not for the faint of heart. A prospective candidate position similar to that of Middleton should be mechanically inclined to some degree. Those interested must ask themselves ‘Am I willing to make mental and physical sacrifices in order to do this job?’

Two linemen working on top of a powerline

“If you can’t put together a piece of furniture, it’s probably not for you. I’d even say, if you can’t put together a piece of furniture in the rain, it’s probably not for you either because we do have to work in all weather. We have to work in the rain, we have to work in the snow and even when it’s below zero and people have their power out, we still have to be there working,” said Middleton.

Though we are certainly experiencing a period of inflation in today's economy as prices continue to rise, Middleton states that he feels fair compensation is provided by Versant Power in accordance with the efforts put in by crew members. Though particular benefits could be improved at some point, that reigns true for most companies across the nation. Overall, pay is appropriate, especially in terms of compensation for after-hours labor.

According to Middleton, the most rewarding aspect of his job is when people express gratitude. Receiving responses of appreciation and knowing that the services provided by Versant Power give back to the community in a meaningful way is what makes hard labor feel worthwhile in the long run. It is imperative to recognize the amount of time and energy that is devoted by service workers.

“When we’re out on the road in the general public, sometimes people drive by and roll down their window and say thank you. Especially when we’re doing storm restoration. Folks will sometimes stop and get us coffee or bring us cookies… a thank you goes so far because usually during storm restoration, we’ve been working 16-hour days, we’re away from our families, lots of times it’s very cold or it's raining, especially in this last storm,” Middleton said.

Middleton described the overall morale of his crew as “really positive”. They are led by a supervisor who comes from a non-electrical background but is especially skilled at managing personalities. Also, there is always food provided during storms and always a small celebration in the office when somebody is promoted.

“We have a good, young crew. Everyone’s eager to work, everyone’s eager to learn, everyone’s eager to work together. We have a Christmas party every year, 10 of us are in a fantasy football league and when we come in Monday morning we’re always talking about that; who beat who,” Middleton said.

Concerning the recent Hurricane Lee, which swept regions in the east coast on the third weekend of September 2023. Versant did engage in storm preparation and restoration. Luckily, with the advancements in weather forecasting, the company anticipated the storm weeks ahead of time. That is, of course, not always the case. Sometimes, high wind is not predicted until within 24 hours of its occurrence, which is why all hands need to be on deck.

In terms of preparation, workers must ensure that their trucks are stocked and fueled. Management has the responsibility of securing contractors from within Maine, out of state and even Canada.

There are also assessors of damage, who visit the affected sites and determine the amount of supplies and number of vehicles. The linemen then repair as much of the damaged areas as possible. Some workers contribute by doing wire-down stand-by, which is the act of standing beside open, dangerous wires in order to prevent the public from accidental, physical harm.

Three linemen in the midst of construction efforts from high vantage point

“Unfortunately, if we have tons of outages in a storm situation, we do not have enough linemen ourselves to reduce those outages fast enough, we do have to rely on an influx of contractors to help us out… It's quite an event. Everyone in the company has some sort of storm roll. If you work for the company, it doesn’t matter really what you do, they’re going to find a role for you that’ll help the greater good during the storm,” said Middleton.

Middleton also mentioned a period of his life when he felt lost and found himself in a situation where his choices were called into question. Oftentimes, when the pursuit of higher education reveals itself to be the wrong route for a person, they struggle to find a different purpose. Joining the trades can open up a new world of possibilities for those who want to be productive members of society, but struggle within the typical school system.

“Just because you’re not pursuing a college degree, there are other great ways to make a living in the trades and electrical work is definitely one of them. I wish when I was 21, that I knew about this career when I was struggling and dropped out of UMaine, but I wasn’t aware. I never even looked at the power lines,” Middleton said.

Gallery owner, photographer, art dealer: Matt Smolinsky

Smolinsky seated on the steps of MiNor Gallery

Attention local art connoisseurs: located in Old Town is the MiNOR gallery, owned and operated by Matt Smolinsky. He purchases fine prints along with digital, psychedelic and street art to proudly display over at 282 Main Street, which is open to the public. A portion of the space holds pictures taken by Smolinsky himself. He has been involved in photography for about 27 years now.

Smolinsky specifically seeks out and purchases pieces that truly speak to him. He understands that it is impossible to predict the market and chooses to lead with his heart, as “art appreciates”. Smolinsky made the point that if you were to buy a painting for under 100 dollars which may never sell but that you look at every day, it has well lived up to its worth by utilitarian standards. That reigns especially true when said painting is displayed in a public space.

“Honestly, I really do find it rewarding to buy from other artists because I find their work to be so amazing and awesome. When it’s offered for a good price, I’m very grateful. I always feel happy to put that order in and make them know that I think they’re world-class,” Smolinsky said.

The gallery began as a solo passion project when Smolinsky and his wife purchased the building years ago. Their grand opening took place amidst the early days of COVID19, back in March of 2020. This was after having been prolonged for about a decade. Smolinsky was in seek of a building that would allow in other income to help break even. When MiNOR was first established, only a twentieth of the space was filled with various works of art.

Interior view of displayed art and postcards at MiNor

A noteworthy attribute of MiNOR gallery is its lack of entrance fee. Rather than charge visitors a small amount of money to walk the gallery, similar to most museums and attractions, Smolinsky merely asks that those who come by contribute if they would like to, even a single penny. What matters most to him is that everyone is given an opportunity to enjoy the art and take a free sticker on the way out if they so choose.

“I’ve had people give me anything from 50 cents to almost what it would cost, but it's an option.... Come in and look for free, which I think is valuable. People do it and they’re very happy, they bring their kids and look around. Could be 15 minutes of free entertainment on a hot summer day,” said Smolinsky.

MiNOR has since had one collaboration with a local business. Smolinsky possesses multiple projects created by individuals in the psychedelic art community. He approached the New England Reserve over on Stillwater Avenue and offered them the chance to display a few of the 4/20-themed works from his collection.

“I went to them and I said ‘You know, you’ve got people sitting in the lobby- not happy because they're waiting to go inside- which could take about 10 minutes. I’d be willing to put up art for free just to advertise here because it is my audience in a way anyway and makes sense for you’, “ said Smolinsky.

Furthermore, a student at UMaine even used scholarship funds to hold their own exhibit at MiNOR. Smolinsky took it upon himself to clear out a majority of the space in order to help that student launch his opening. That display remained up for a month and a few of his paintings were sold throughout that timeframe.

Smolinsky has devoted his life to supporting art in a multitude of ways. He has had interactions with 300 artists and periodically rotates which pieces are hung on the wall. The community he serves is generally looking to spend below $100 on a single work of art, so the prices are catered to that margin.

Walls of hallway lined with Smolinsky's photographs

As one could imagine, there are a few challenges that come with being a business owner, especially in the field of creativity. The most prominent drawback that MiNOR gallery faces would be location. Being right in the middle of Old Town, there is not much foot traffic in front of the building. Ever since the large fire which destroyed multiple buildings in 2019, the downtown area has been due for a revamping.

Furthermore, folks in Orono do not necessarily know about the gallery and are perhaps not even certain of what an art gallery is, or the purpose they serve. MiNOR in particular provides the community with a welcoming environment where they are able to see for themselves the pure talent of many artists- with no strings attached. It is in the entire town’s best interest to stop by and see for themselves.

Matt Smolinsky did express an interest in potentially hosting events, ranging from an open-mic night for poets to sessions of critique for artists. With those ideas in the works, keep an eye on the MiNOR gallery facebook account or contact the owner himself, whose information is also posted to that page.