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Chardon remains uneasy over power-line route
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - August 21, 2008)
Chardon remains uneasy over power-line route
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Chardon officials remain guarded, despite a recent Ohio Power Siting Board report that a route far to the east of the city is best one for new transmission lines.
"My question is, is that the end of it, or is there more?" City Manager David Lelko said last week after the 77-page report was released by the staff of the Ohio Power Siting Board.
The report said that the preferred route for a proposed power line by the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. would best be sited in an area to the east of Madison Road (Route 528), the route preferred by CEI.
"After careful consideration of all impacts and recommended mitigation, the staff concludes that the preferred route (by CEI) will result in less overall land-use conflicts, will cost less and will be less disruptive to residents during construction," the report said.
The report also addressed the route that Chardon officials and residents opposed. It follows the Geauga Park District's Maple Highlands Trail and travels through the heart of the city to a substation on Fifth Avenue.
"At staff's request, the applicant (CEI) evaluated a route along the Maple Highlands Trail and through Chardon, using the route selection criteria from the original study. The route ranked 209th out of 894 total routes evaluated. As a result, the route was found not to be viable for consideration by the applicant," the report said.
The Maple Highlands route appears to be dismissed by page four of the report as the remaining pages are dedicated to dissecting each aspect of the Madison Road route, called the "cross-country route," and an alternate route along Clay Street. Both routes go through Montville, Huntsburg and Thompson townships.
Law Director James Gillette, who has been hired by the city to intervene in the case, said, while the report may be encouraging, the assessment by the siting board staff is merely a recommendation. He said that recommendation does not rule out the Maple Highlands route entirely.
Mr. Gillette pointed to two sentences that precede the one noting that the route was not considered viable by CEI. They read, "In staff's opinion, the commercial, industrial and utility land uses surrounding the abandoned rail corridor through Chardon would moderate the typical impacts of siting a new transmission line through a populated area. In addition, the path through Chardon would significantly reduce the length of the proposed line."
He said those two sentences appear to show the Maple Highlands route as being superior, which opponents of the easterly line will likely use to support their case.
"It's the staff's recommendation," Mr. Gillette said. "I have no idea what the administrative law judge was thinking when she walked the Maple Highlands Trail a month ago. It's still under consideration, because there has been no order by the administrative law judge."
Mr. Gillette's position was bolstered by statements made by CEI representative Mia Moore last week before Chardon City Council.
Ms. Moore, the area manager for CEI, told council that the process is still in play until a particular pathway is sited or certified by the Ohio Power Siting Board. "It is not over until it's over," she told council.
Ms. Moore said public hearings on the matter have been set for Aug. 27 and 28 and Sept. 10. The first meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Ledgemont Elementary-Middle School, 16200 Burrows Road in Thompson. The second is at 1:30 p.m. at Huntsburg Town Hall, 16534 Mayfield Road, while the third is at 6 p.m. at Huntsburg Town Hall. An adjudication hearing on the matter has been scheduled for Sept. 16 in Columbus, she said.
Former Chardon Mayor John Park has organized a local effort to fight the proposed route through Chardon using a political action committee known as Citizens to Preserve Chardon Traditions. The PAC conducted an information forum last week at the Chardon Theater that drew about 80 persons.
Mr. Park agreed with Mr. Gillette that, while the news of the report is encouraging, the fight is far from done. "I would love for this to be the last meeting we hold," he said.
He said the organization has cost the community a "tremendous amount of time and money," but the fight must continue until the final word is given by the siting board as to which route it approves.
Until then, he said, residents must continue a letter-writing campaign, stating their opposition. In addition, residents should visibly show their opposition by placing more signs throughout the area, stating, "Save the Bike Path."
"We need to keep hammering them," Mr. Park said.
He said residents are also encouraged to attend the public hearings scheduled later for this month.
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