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Appalachian Power Company held a public meeting at Christiansburg High School Thursday night to present its planned Electric Reliability Upgrade. Joe Kuehn, project coordinator, put the signs up at the entrances of the school, in the 92-degree heat. Forty-two community members visited the catered event. APCO had made 800 calls to residents, 80 percent of the corridor population.
The workshop was held to allow residents of a proposed power "triangle" upgrade area to become better informed and to allow them to have individual question-and-answer sessions with APCO personnel.
The "triangle" area includes Merrimac, Falling Branch Road, and Hans Meadows. Currently, there is a "weak" link in that area, that, in time of need, does not facilitate re-routing of service that would help avoid outages. A proposed 138 kilovolt line, with others being 69 kilovolts, would help ensure continued service during emergencies, etc.
According to Tom Burns, APCO Public Relations Officer, the current plan is the "preferred route." However, said Burns, "that is why we are here tonight; to clarify our reasoning for the preferred route, and to listen to the suggestions and concerns of the public, especially those that are nearest to the pathway."
Residents stuffed the "concerns" box; many expressed relief that they came away with more information than they could find on-line or elsewhere. Some citizens were upset that it would negatively affect their property values, and that the 100' right-of-way would encumber many activities on their land. Several suggested alternative routes.
Robert and Sharon Hall said that a parallel location was available in at least one area, and it was preferred by them. They agreed that the maps and question-and-answer sessions were helpful to them, and they appreciated APCO's efforts. Elabert Kenzie said that in the Hans Meadow area, there were propane gas companies and rail tracks nearby that often carry hazardous cargo,that the proposed lines "are too near the gas company and the hazardous cargo loads that pass."
Michael Devore is concerned that his family's pristine landscape will be split "right through the middle" if the current route is used. "There's just so little land left in the area that has the beautiful landscape and viewpoints that our farm has; we need an alternative route."
The two-hour session was intensive and user-friendly; one wonders what ideas the suggestion box held. Most all that attended used the box.
More information may be found at www.AEP.com. Click here to see more photos from this event in our photo gallery. Photos by Larry Middleton
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