TECO Energy begins talks as county officials consider regulations on locating new utility lines.
By BILL VARIAN
Published September 5, 2003
TAMPA - The No. 2 executive at TECO Energy says he hopes the utility can convince residents of the Egypt Lake area that there are other options besides removing massive transmission lines from their neighborhood altogether.
Transmission lines and power poles need to go someplace in that general area, which means someone is going to be affected and unhappy, said TECO Energy chief operating officer John Ramil. And it takes poles to carry them.
"We want to change the discussion from "Make it go away' to "Where's the best place to put it?"' Ramil said in an interview Thursday.
However, if yet-to-be-scheduled meetings with neighborhood representatives show that the best place is along a commercial road, such as nearby Waters Avenue, that is an option.
"Then that's what we'll do," Ramil said.
The head of the neighborhood group said he's glad to hear that last part. From the vantage of the Lake Egypt Estates Civic Association, nothing short of removing the poles will do.
"Our stance is remove the poles," said Joe Rowe, president of the civic association. "They need to go."
Egypt Lake residents have been locked in a battle with TECO Energy subsidiary Tampa Electric Co. for weeks since the company began installing new transmission lines through the northwest Hillsborough neighborhood. Some of the poles carrying the lines are as tall as 125 feet and are 3 feet wide, and were installed at the edges of homeowners' front yards, particularly along Kirby and Sitka streets.
Ramil, seeking to reshape the debate and get ahold of the controversy that has given TECO a black eye, said the utility has many factors to balance. First, he said, is laying transmission lines that meet the public's and regulators' demands for a reliable power supply.
Because of the volume of electricity flowing over the lines, they require poles to carry them that are bigger than the wooden ones most people are used to outside of homes.
The poles along Kirby Street are among the largest the company uses. One reason is they carry two circuits of power and require poles of added height and girth.
One option for the neighborhood would be for the company to split those circuits, said T.J. Szelistowski, director of transmission and distribution operations for Tampa Electric. That could mean utility lines are added to additional streets, resulting in more but smaller poles, he said.
Winding roads present challenges. And ultimately, the transmission lines need to connect with TECO's Juneau substation, which is near the neighborhood and is nearly as old as the first homes there.
Szelistowski said Waters Avenue presents a challenge because existing infrastructure - sewer, water and communications lines - take up much of the existing right of way.
"There just isn't adequate right of way," he said.
To install the large transmission poles, TECO likely would have to purchase easements from commercial property owners. And some of those owners may challenge the installation, forcing a court process.
Just the same, Rowe, the neighborhood association president, said residents want the poles moved to a commercial district, where he says they belong, whether it's Waters Avenue or elsewhere.
"To put it on Waters or some other commercial corridor is what we want," Rowe said.
Residents initially took their concerns to Hillsborough commissioners with the help of board member Kathy Castor. But based on advice from their lawyers, commissioners decided there was little they could do because their county ordinances provide little regulation of transmission poles.
They did vote to explore ways to change that.
TECO representatives met with county officials Thursday to discuss those changes. County Administrator Dan Kleman sent commissioners a memo spelling out some broad options that include requiring more stringent review of electric distribution lines. The rules would apply particularly to lines adjacent to neighborhoods, parks and historically designated areas.
Public notice and hearings would be required.
Kleman wants to hear from commissioners about just how stringent they want to be. His memo indicates that his staff could have concrete proposals for commissioners to vote on by October.
Asked if TECO's sudden willingness to work with residents is aimed at heading off or softening the new proposed regulations, Ramil said he sees those as two separate debates.
"Our intent (with Egypt Lake) is to get the issues on the table and to broaden the discussion," he said.
