APS plans for new power lines jolts Desert Hills community

MARC BUCKHOUT ~ MANAGING EDITOR~ 1/4/2012

The New River/Desert Hills Community Association will host APS at their monthly meeting to discuss the Desert Hills Power Line Construction Project at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday at Crossroads Christian Fellowship in New River.
If a Thursday gathering, at a home along 7th Ave. in Desert Hills, which drew more than 20 members of the neighborhood, is any indication APS staff will be facing a community that has serious concerns about the project.
The project itself is intended to bring more reliable power to the area, which according to APS is in need of an upgrade to meet demands.
“We struggle with the reliability of service in this area,” said Kendra Cea, APS’s Community Franchise & Outreach Consultant. “My sister lives off 12th St. and Cloud so I’m very familiar with the issues in this area. I get phone calls whenever there is a problem.”
The addition of 69,000 volt transmission lines are being looked at to connect the Gavilan Peak substation to Gateway. In doing so power polls, standing 64 feet high, would be added along the north side of Desert Hills from 7th Ave. to 12th St. and along the east and west side of 7th Ave. from Desert Hills to Carefree Highway.
According to a fact sheet about the project APS intends to complete the project by June of this year.
NRDHCA president Allan Mueller said, in garnering a consensus among the people he has talked to, the residents involved would much prefer to deal with occasional power outages rather than have to look at additional power poles.
It wasn’t until APS came out and began staking the potential spots for the new poles earlier in the week that many in attendance said they were aware of what was going on.
Tracy Russo, who lives off 7th Ave. said she has serious health concerns about having a new, higher voltage pole placed in her front yard.
“I’ve been in my house 11 months, but if this happens I’ll try to sell,” she said. “I’m not going to have my kids playing out front with a power pole seven times the power of the one that is currently there. I had a brother die of cancer and they can tell me whatever stats they want I’m sure those things increase your risk.”
One of the main questions brought up by those in attendance was why new power polls couldn’t remain on the east side of the street rather than being switched to the west side of the street. Residents also showed their disgust at the news that both sides of the street would have polls in a number of locations, explaining that would take away from their enjoyment of the scenery in the area and possibly decrease property values.
Cea said in order to place new poles on the east side of the street APS would need to get permits from the state land department a process that could take up to two years ago and one that would make their June completion goal impossible.
Mueller reiterated a sentiment that all that were in attendance seemed to agree with.
“I would put up with outages for two years rather than have the poles on both sides of the streets,” he said.
The question of why poles would be a gray galvanized color versus the rust-colored poles that are currently in place
Another member in attendance questioned if recently widened 7th St. wouldn’t make a better option, with fewer homes and homes that wouldn’t be as close to the power lines.
While she said she was somewhat encouraged by Cea’s statement that APS is considering residents concerns, Russo said the project wasn’t well thought out.
“I think it is a case of poor project management,” she said. “If everyone knew about this I think there would be a uproar from the community. I think they were trying to sneak this through. I mean the fact that they’re having this meeting at 4 p.m., meant I had to get off work early to make it here. A lot more people would have been here if it were at a more realistic time for working adults.”
Cea, along with the project manager, will be in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting to provide an overview of the project, answer questions and listen to concerns.
Crossroads Christian Fellowship is located at 42425 N. New River Road in New River. For information go to nrdhca.org or call 602-432-2800 or 602-525-0548.
Cea is available at 602-371-7872 or Kendra.cea@aps.com.
Check the Jan. 18 edition of The Foothills Focus for an overview of the meeting.