300 turnout for transmission line hearings

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

By Glen Miller

Third public hearing Sept. 10 at Huntsburg Township Hall

About 300 people turned out for two public hearings the Ohio Power Siting Board held last week for an electric transmission line supply project proposed for Geauga County.

American Transmission Systems, Inc. and The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp., have proposed construction of a 138 kV power line, largely supported on wooden poles, through Thompson, Montville and Huntsburg township. Preferred and alternate routes also have been proposed.

Many of those who gave testimony last week--Wednesday at Ledgemont Elementary - Middle School in Thompson and Thursday at the Huntsburg Township Hall--were opponents of the project.

Some opponents were easy to spot. They wore Citizens Advocating Responsible Energy (CARE) T-shirts. The group is opposed to both routes, but has been supportive of the Ohio Power Siting Board's consideration of a possible alternate route along part of the Geauga Park District's Maple Highlands Trail and through Chardon.

Many opponents are property and home owners living along FirstEnergy's preferred and alternate routes through Thompson, Montville and Huntsburg townships. The preferred cross-county route runs through farmland, fields and wooded areas paralleling Route 528. The alternate route follows Clay Street through the three townships.

Five residences are located within 100 feet of the preferred route and 43 homes are located within the same distance of the alternate route, according to an OPSB staff report.

Among the Clay Street homeowners who spoke was Don Miller, a CARE member, who said data on residential, commercial and industrial growth FirstEnergy used to justify the power line was "altered."

He provided the hearing judge with Geauga County Planning Commission information he claimed does not match the data FirstEnergy submitted in its application to the OPSB.

"When you have a discrepancy like this, it taints the application," Miller said. "Everybody is saying we're growing. In all actuality that's not the case. Even before this housing decline started, the numbers that were submitted don't match. It raises an air of doubt and confusion at best."

A significant number of Chardon residents and business owners opposed to the combined park trail-Chardon route also attended the hearings, including Chardon City Council President and Mayor Karen Simpson.

The mayor contended that placing high voltage transmission lines through a densely populated city would have many negative social, economic and aesthetic impacts.

FirstEnergy engineers examined the route in June at the request of OPSB staff. The company found it unsuitable and refused further study of it or any other alternate routes.

OPSB spokesman Matt Butler said FirstEnergy has complied with state law regulating the number of alternate routes that can be considered.

The park trail is built over an abandoned Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) railroad right-of-way. The trail stops at South Street (Route 44 south), but the right-of-way continues through Chardon, crossing South, Water (Route 6) and Center (Route 44 north) streets, and Fifth Avenue.

Several businesses are located on the right-of-way and several homes are located immediately adjacent to the trail. They include neighborhoods such as Burlington Oval, Fox Point, Chardon Park Estates and Burlington Green, Simpson said.

"These are dense communities: more people equals more potential social impact," she added. "Residents express concern about the alteration of the character of their neighborhoods and the aesthetics of (transmission line) poles on an embankment. They are safety issues in a location where there is little wiggle-room due to the proximity of their residences."

The mayor said she understands the need for better and more reliable electrical service because her husband, Scott Simpson, owns Sajar Plastics in Middlefield.

"The lack of it (electricity) hurts existing businesses as well as potential and important economic growth in Geauga County," she added. "Locating high voltage lines through an urban hub for the benefit of an industrial hub further south does not seem appropriate."

Chardon will continue to oppose the combined park trail-Chardon route. It will be one of several intervenors at a Sept. 16 OPSB adjudicatory hearing in Columbus. Intervention legally allows opponents or supporters of the power line project to participate in the hearing.

"We believe that the social impacts are too numerous to discount," Simpson said.

Chardon Law Director Jim Gillette also was present, but could not testify because he plans to represent the city at the adjudicatory hearing. OPSB rules prevent people from commenting at public hearing if they are scheduled to give testimony or comment at the adjudicatory hearing.

Several other key people attending the public hearings also were silent because they also plan to participate, including CARE President Jim Galm.

The city can intervene in the proceedings even though the combined park trail-Chardon route is "off the table" as an alternate route, Butler said.

City Manger David Lelko said Chardon intends to stay involved in the legal process until the OPSB makes its final decision.

James Grasso, a representative of Chardon Village Plaza, said the possible alternate route would run along the back of the shopping center for about a quarter of a mile, thereby hurting its development.

"We've struggled greatly to make this a viable property. The addition of the power line that would be 80-85 feet high we think would prove a great burden to us," Grasso said. "We believe a route through the City of Chardon would create the largest and most significant impact, politically, economically, social and environmentally."

Grasso also said he and his wife frequently use the Maple Highlands Trail.

"It would be a shame to ruin it so soon after its opening. It is a great asset. In my mind, and I hope in other peoples' minds, it would a terrible waste of that asset to run this power line parallel to it," he added.

There was a third group at present the hearings that has remained silent until now -- representatives of the businesses whose livelihood depends on improved electrical service.

Most said they had no preference where the transmission line is located as long as it provides the power to run their plants without disruption.

Mike Elly, vice president of engineering for the Neff Perkins Co. in Middlefield, said his firm uses 4.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year to make custom rubber and plastic products.

Power outages and power quality-related problems have plagued the manufacturer several times. Power failures have caused significant equipment damage over the last 18 months alone. One outage last February caused about $65,000 in damage to equipment, Elly said.

The outages, damages and resulting delays have caused customer dissatisfaction due to delivery delays, increased production costs and employee unhappiness, he added.

"We continue to have costly power problems and feel a decision needs to be made to move this project forward," Elly said. "If the project continues to be delayed, we'll not only be faced with higher electric prices, but continue to have unresolved power problems."

If the transmission is delayed, Elly said the company will lose confidence in the ability to be supplied adequate electric power.

"Without this confidence, we may be forced to consider alternative manufacturing locations outside Geauga County. We respectfully ask that this siting board grant approval to the proposal (FirstEnergy's preferred route) as submitted."