Sparks Fly Over Electric Utility’s Plans, Residents Fearful of Steel Poles’ Impact

STONE HARBOR – Stone Harbor Borough Council meeting Oct. 6 drew a larger than normal crowd.
A number of those wanted to stay informed about the proposed Atlantic City Electric project for the island. The utility, acting with an unusual sense of urgency, has been working to revamp the Seven Mile Island power transmission and distribution system along with building a new substation for both island communities at 60th Street in Avalon.
While the work on the new substation proceeds, other parts of the plan have been stalled as Stone Harbor residents raise objections to the new, and much larger, galvanized steel poles that Atlantic City Electric officials said it must use to replace the current more traditional wood poles to carry transmission wires down the length of the island.
The new poles, which can reach 70 to 80 feet in height with a diameter of 35 to 40 inches, have many residents seriously concerned. Even the smaller of the new poles represent significant increases in height when compared to the wooden poles in use.
This is not just about aesthetics; although many are complaining that the other worldly look of the proposed metal giants will lower property values in the community.  Many are concerned that installation of the poles may cause damage to homes along the route, especially since the structures will be in part vibrated into place in the ground. 
Homeowners fear that the vibrations caused by the equipment and the de-watering process employed will cause damage to nearby foundations.
The plan calls for new transmission lines to originate at the Court House substation and cross the bay to 95th Street in Stone Harbor.  They would then move above ground on the new steel poles to Second and later Third avenues and north to the 60th Street substation. 
Once joined to that substation, the transmission lines would continue down Ocean Drive to 30th Street and then out Avalon Boulevard to the Swainton substation.
The utility plans ultimately call for the entire island to be supported from the substation which would mean continuing the distribution system to other parts of the community. Atlantic City Electric has resisted calls for putting the transmission system underground for reasons of expense and more difficult future maintenance.
Residents of 95th Street, one of the most heavily impacted areas in the borough, have called for the transmission lines to be placed underground for the short length of 95th Street to Second or Third avenues.
The utility claims that demand for electricity on the island has grown at such a rate that it threatens the capacity of the current power infrastructure.  They also claim that the proposed structure would be significantly more resilient to storms which frequent the area.
It is the capacity issue, however, which it says drives the sense of urgency. The utility says it worries about the ability of the current system to handle the load as early as the 2016 summer season.
For most residents, the issue came up only recently, and the picture has grown more disturbing with passing weeks.
Residents have pushed the borough to slow the process down and give everyone a chance to engage in discussion and negotiation. A committee of borough council, chaired by Council member Karen Lane, has been meeting on the plan. 
Lane reported “We continue to work with Atlantic City Electric,” but she added that no details were yet available on possible results of the deliberations.
Mayor Suzanne Walters said that she had had conversations with a member of the Public Utility Commission and discussions were on-going.
Frank Dallahan, whose home is on 95th Street, and therefore potentially destined to have some of the largest poles in the area of his dwelling, said that he was coming to the conclusion that Atlantic City Electric is in “a deliberate stalling mode.”
Even though the utility has indicated a willingness to meet with residents and get back to them with data and information where necessary, the result for some has been less than the promise.
Dallahan says that he has three times requested data that would show why the utility needed to act with such urgency. He asked for five years of actual usage on the island and the utility’s projected usage for the next five years.
He said the utility promised to get back to him and never did. Dallahan told council that he was very concerned about “the lack of prompt adequate response from the utility.”
The extra time for discussion and possible compromise may exist. The project appears to be behind schedule. 
Since all recognize that work would have to be completed before the start of the 2016 summer season, any significant delays may doom the schedule for this year. 
Lane feels the utility already realizes that it will not meet that schedule.
According to Dallahan, he spoke with the utility last week and it did not yet have a contractor on board for the engineering and construction work necessary to cross the bay with the new transmission lines.
Work does appear to be on schedule for the new substation on 60th Street. Official notices about the project show Atlantic City Electric has not yet given ground on the summer 2016 completion schedule for the project. 
There is word that the utility has a contingency plan that includes bringing in large generators to support the power demands during the peak season next summer in case the project is delayed.
Other Business
Council adopted an ordinance concerning the Waterfront Business District. There was no further discussion from the public on the ordinance at the open hearing.
The borough also awarded the contract for back bay dredging. The long-sought project seems to be moving ahead.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.