Battle over transmission line begins

Thursday, June 19, 2008

By Glen Miller

Chardon City Council has chosen to fight the quest to have the Maple Highlands Trail and an abandoned railroad right-of-way through the city become a possible route for a proposed 138 kV transmission line.

Council joined the Geauga Park District in becoming an intervening party in the project when it voted unanimously last Thursday to authorize Law Director Jim Gillette to file the necessary legal paperwork with the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB).

The board of park commissioners took the same action last month after it rejected pleas by members of the Citizens Advocating Responsible Energy (CARE) to let the bike trail be considered a viable route for the new power line.

The Maple Highlands Trail is built over the railroad-right-of-way, but stops near South Street (Route 44) and does not continue through Chardon.

CARE wants the siting board to consider the trail and railroad right-of-way as an alternative route for the FirstEnergy transmission line. The group opposes the company's preferred route through Thompson, Montville and Huntsburg townships. That route runs several hundred feet east of Route 528.

By intervening in the site selection process, the city will be allowed to participate in and ask questions during public hearings the OPSB will hold on the location of the transmission line, Gillette said.

In March, the siting board asked FirstEnergy to explore utilizing a combination of the Maple Highland Trail and railroad corridor as a viable route. Public and adjudicatory hearings scheduled in May were continued to give the company time to evaluate the viability of the bike trail/Chardon route. The OPSB is expected to schedule new hearing dates next week.

FirstEnergy attorney Morgan Park suggested that Chardon intervene because the company does not want to route the transmission line through Chardon, Gillette said.

"I will initially get involved with this. If it looks like something that is extremely time-consuming and complicated, I will continue to be involved, but I may ask for some (legal) help," Gillette added.

Gillette said he also plans to talk with local attorney David Ondrey, who represents the park district, and Park to learn more about the process.

"I think it is critically important. We need to do not whatever is necessary to keep these lines out of Chardon," Councilwoman Mary Bramstedt said.

Council's decision comes at a critical time in the siting of the transmission line. Last week, Gillette said OPSB requested FirstEnergy amend its application to include the combination Maple Highlands Trail and railroad right-of-way route. FirstEnergy refused.

"They (FirstEnergy) don't feel it is an appropriate location for the high voltage transmission line or the construction of the 80-foot poles that go with it," Gillette told council.

FirstEnergy has fulfilled OPSB requirements by submitting the preferred and alternate routes -- Route 528 and Clay Street, respectively. It does not have to submit a second alternate route, even though the company has concluded a study of the combination bike trail/railroad corridor route, according to OPSB spokesman Matt Butler.

"It (FirstEnergy) said it did not score as well as the other two (routes) when they looked at it, so they are not interested in pursuing it further. They have fulfilled their obligation," Butler said.

The issue, however, can be brought up again at the public hearings, Butler added.

The scoring is based on electrical generating industry standards and considers environmental, social, cultural and urban density factors, according to FirstEnergy spokeswoman Ellen Raines.

"In short, we just didn't think building on park land or going through the city is suitable," Raines said. "We don't think it is a good idea to use public parks for this purpose when there other better routes."

Intervening in the proceedings is only one step the city is taking to influence the siting board's decision. Petitions opposing the combination route are being circulated throughout the city. They are available by calling City Manager David Lelko at (440) 286-2600.

The petitions will be sent to the OPSB.

"I highly recommend all persons who are interested in this issue, which would be every resident of the City of Chardon and those using the Maple Highlands Trail, to contact the OPSB," Gillette said.

On Monday, Burlington of Geauga Condo Owners Association submitted several petitions, signed by more than 350 persons, to the siting board opposing the construction of power lines over the bike trial and through Chardon.

Councilman Robert Cromwell and several other council members were critical of a letter written by state Sen. Tim Grendell (R-Chester Township). Grendell's letter opposed FirstEnergy's preferred route through eastern Geauga County, but failed to mention the combination route.

"I don't know what to say. I don't know if he is supporting people on the other end of the county (CARE) or the people here in Chardon," Cromwell said. "We need to know."

Council decided to ask Grendell to appear at its July 10 meeting to clarify his position. Support against the route also will be sought from state Rep. Matt Dolan (R-Novelty), council said.

When contacted by the Geauga County Maple Leaf, Grendell said he opposed both the preferred route and the alternate routes, including the bike trail/railroad corridor route.

"I thought I made that clear in my letter. The problem is the people in Huntsburg, Thompson and Montville would prefer to have it go through Chardon than through their land. That's human nature," Grendell said. "The Chardon people don't want it either, and that's also human nature."

He added: "My alternate route is not the bike path or through Chardon, which is what they (CARE) have suggested to the siting board and it wants to explore. That's unfortunate because it's not the answer, at least in my assessment."

The state senator said he wants the transmission line to run along the eastern Geauga County line from the eastern edge of Thompson Township to a FirstEnergy electric substation on Mayfield Road.

The route has been suggested by Grendell to the OPSB.

"This way, it wouldn't run across the middle of farm land and would still do what it is intended to do," Grendell said. "It's hard to please everybody. It has to go somewhere, but not Chardon or through the townships."