The drive to bury them did not gain any traction – now some southwest Roanoke County residents and those passing through via the area’s biggest thoroughfare may be shocked by what will soon be constructed. Try 138 feet tall, 8 feet wide, 138 kilovolt transmission lines that Appalachian Power received the go ahead to build from the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors at its most recent public meeting.
Four of five supervisors voted to approve the project, which entails building those 138’ high towers from the Starkey Road AEP substation to another substation near Ogden Road, located behind Tanglewood Mall. Plans call for the transmission lines to follow the railroad tracks as closely as possible, but the towers and electric lines will cross Rt. 419/Electric Road just behind the County administration building.
A small building near the county headquarters will be torn down to accommodate the power line pole – which will be about twice as tall as the administration center itself. A proposal to string those transmission lines closer to Colonial Road was nixed previously.
Cave Spring supervisor Charlotte Moore cast the lone “no” vote for the project in her district. Moore pushed for AEP to bury the power lines, even though the Ohio-based utility objected to the higher cost. Moore wanted to build a greenway on top of the buried line, which would also have protected view sheds and property values. “Those towers may be visible from parts of the Penn Forest neighborhood and other residential areas,” notes Moore, who is up for reelection next year.
“We should be able to put these utility lines underground,” said Moore, who doesn’t mind going her own way on votes and may run as an Independent next year after winning as a Democrat in an upset. “We need to think about our children and grandchildren and what kind of environment we want them to grow up in.”
Moore acknowledges that burying power lines, which is more common out west, would be more costly, but she feels the long-term benefits would “be substantial.” Besides providing jobs to help bury such a line, “it could provide the opportunity for us to have more green space.”
Moore also notes that the question of living safely near high voltage lines is “still a controversial issue. If AEP and [the State Corporation Commission] would allow just a small portion of these lines to be buried, it would set a good example.”
The freshman supervisor, who helped get the county’s “RC Clear” citizen’s committee off the ground (the group works to reduce carbon footprints) calls the AEP towers “another ugly eyesore. There’s no reason why they couldn’t be buried.”
Additional County Notes:
Charlotte Moore is open to the idea of placing 400’ tall electricity-generating wind turbines on Poor Mountain, an idea now being studied. Final placement has not been determined. “I’m studying on it … and listening to the people,” said Moore, who has questions about who will maintain them.
“Do we have enough wind?” she asks. “There’s so many questions right now.” She’s not sure when the Board of Supervisors would vote on any ordinance to allow their construction. Moore feels that what is happening in the Gulf with the BP oil spill may make some more receptive to clean energy sources – like wind power. “I hope and pray that it will.”
Moore is pleased with the efforts demonstrated by Wal-Mart and its contractors so far at the Clearbrook construction site for the new Super Wal-Mart, especially where sediment control is concerned. “They have done an excellent job. That is [also] one of the cleanest construction sites that I’ve seen.” Wal-Mart also agreed to reduce the size of its proposed monument sign to 7’ by 10’, from the original 20’ design.
VDOT will realign the Buck Mountain Road intersection with Rt. 220 before the projected October opening and build a second entrance into the Wal-Mart property, which will contain several out parcels as well. Much of the intersection realignment work will be done at night to minimize traffic backups. Moore said those who opposed the Clearbrook Wal-Mart have just accepted it; meanwhile “a lot of people are excited about it.”
Finally the long delayed South Peak development – formerly Slate Hill, across from Tanglewood Mall – is creeping along, with South Peak developer Smith Packett seeking bonds that would help fund infrastructure improvements.
Moore said the developer needs solid commitments from future tenants before it approaches Roanoke County for tax breaks that would help pay off the bonds. She would like to see an overhead walkway leading from South Peak to Tanglewood Mall. “Then they … could be partners.”
By Gene Marrano [email protected]
I hope this all works out. It’s good to see people trying to make a difference in their community.