Power pole relocation irks residents

Residents try to block work to relocate poles, but commissioners concur with the utility.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer
Published November 15, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Stephen J. Coddington | Times] Surrounded by vegetation, this old power pole off Ardenwood Drive in Spring Hill is typical of those being replaced.

BROOKSVILLE - In a reversal of what county commissioners usually hear from citizens, a group of Spring Hill residents on Wednesday told the board that they DO want it in their back yards.

The "it" is utility poles and power lines.

But unfortunately for the neighbors, Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative has other ideas. The utility is moving the poles and lines from back yards to front yards in the area around the Spring Hill Golf and Country Club.

At Wednesday's meeting, several residents asked the commissioners to block the ongoing work. But WREC officials said they followed the county's rules to obtain the necessary permits for the work. County officials concurred with the WREC.

Richard Maass, one of the impacted residents, called the project "a cancer" and told commissioners "we are not the bad guys. We're the county's largest special interest group, the citizens of Hernando County."

Nick Proscia, another resident, called the balloting method used by WREC to seek resident approval "unethical."

"This is a very serious matter to me especially with the history of elections in Florida," he said.

In small pockets of Spring Hill, the work has been going on for years as original utility equipment has aged and land owners have blocked WREC's access to its lines by installing fences, planting trees and erecting sheds in the power company's easements.

Commissioners focused on the complaints from residents about the balloting process the county requires before a utility is granted permits to relocate utility poles.

Residents argued that the ballots contained no place to vote no. They also questioned why the rules allow all ballots that are not returned to be counted as yes votes. Several people told the board they voted no but were later told their ballots had never arrived.

WREC's District Manager Mike Duncan said the ballot format has been changed and now there is an option to vote no.

Commissioner Diane Rowden asked why letters can't be sent certified to property owners and Duncan said that issue had not come up before but he could run that idea by WREC officials.

By allowing ballots to go directly to the utility, Rowden said residents felt like "the fox is guarding the hen house," and she suggested that in the future the completed ballots be sent instead to the county.

Commission Chairman Jeff Stabins urged Duncan to also ask his co-op bosses if they would to change the rule that states that those who don't return their ballots are considered to be voting yes.

"There is something almost un-American about counting no vote as a yes vote," Stabins said.

Rowden said she found fault with the WREC assertion that utility vehicles couldn't access power lines which ran between homes and the golf course. In her drive around the neighborhood, she said, she didn't see any spots where the utility's trucks couldn't get to the lines.

Duncan offered to show her areas where there were access problems. Rowden persisted and said that there might be some areas where the power lines don't need to be moved to front yards.

"In some areas maybe one size doesn't fit all," she said. "Maybe there could be somewhat of a compromise."

Commissioners left the issue in the hands of the utility to see what further improvements can be made in the balloting process. That solution didn't satisfy Maass and others who already have new power poles in their front yards.

"I've never been so frustrated," he said after the meeting.

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.

[Last modified November 14, 2007, 20:30:42]