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Neighborhood news

TECO outlines power line plan

By S.I. ROSENBAUM
Published March 2, 2007

One thing's for sure: A massive power transmission line is on the way for eastern Hillsborough County.

Not as certain: where exactly it will go, and whose back yard it will be in.

A map of possible routes greeted residents Tuesday night at an open house at Turkey Creek First Baptist Church, where 35 Tampa Electric employees were on hand to answer questions.

The routes - which could be combined in different ways - range all over the county, as far north as Sam Allen Road in Thonotosassa and as far south as W Keysville Road in Lithia.

Residents were invited to share their opinions of the various routes. But some of the more than 25 people who turned out said it was difficult to judge when there were so many options, with different pros and cons.

Was it better to place the power lines along well-developed roads, near houses? Or would they rather cut through wilderness areas?

"No transmission route will make everyone happy," acknowledged TECO spokeswoman Laura Duda.

The company won't unveil its finalized proposal until January 2009 - which means that residents won't see the results of their input until then, Duda said.

Still, she added, the company is anxious not to make the same mistakes it made with a similar project in Egypt Lake area of Tampa, where community outrage led to a lawsuit and an undisclosed settlement.

"It taught everyone a lesson," she said.

This time, she said, TECO wants residents to be involved from the start - even if that means they'll judge a project that's not quite formed yet.

Tuesday's open house was the second of four held last week. If you missed them, you can still view maps and give your input at tampaelectric.com/infrastructure/davis/

S.I. Rosenbaum can be reached at 661-2442 or srosenbaum@sptimes.com.

[Last modified March 1, 2007, 07:46:12]