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09-30-1996 - Special 'W ..." CITY COUNCIL OF EDGEWATER SPECIAL MEETING SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 7:00 P.M. COMMUNITY CENTER MINUTES CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Hayman called the Special Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Center. ROLL CALL: Mayor Jack Hayman Councilman Danny Hatfield Councilwoman Louise Martin Councilman Michael Hays Councilman David Mitchum city Attorney Krista Storey City Manager George McMahon City Clerk Susan Wadsworth Administrative Assistant Lisa Kruckmeyer Police Chief Lawrence Schumaker Present Present Present Present Present Present Present Excused Present Present MEETING PURPOSE: The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the extension of a main electrical transmission line and the widening of S.R. 442. Mayor Hayman stated at the September 16th meeting, Councilman Hays moved to have a Special Meeting in order to adequately address the three alternatives for the construction of Indian River Blvd proposed by the Department of Transportation and to look at the tie in of the proposed lines needed for right-of-way for Florida Power & Light and the effect that would have on all three alternatives. Mayor Hayman commented on the funding for Phase I being approved through the Metropolitan Planning Organization. We are moving on toward the second phase which picks up from Air Park Road to I-95 which is tentatively scheduled for approval. We have to decide on the issues before Council because the end result is the type of construction on Indian River Blvd. Mayor Hayman commented on the letters received objecting to the proposed transmission lines going down 18th Street. Daniel Hronec, Representative, Florida Power & Light, commented on the impact of the proposed transmission line project with regards to the widening of SR 442. He presented the background on the proposed project. Mr. Hronec spoke about the need to enhance the reliability of the current system with a backup line due to the load growth in Edgewater. The current forecast calls for having the line built by June 1997. He spoke about conflict they are having with DOT and the corridor along willow Oak Drive and 18th Street possibly being an alternative route to relieve the problems along SR 442. Mr. Hronec explained why they are proposing the alternative route. He feels it would be in the best interest of the City as a whole. He commented on FPL's presence creating problems with DOT's design. He thinks this project as proposed with the alternative route is best for the larger good of all the citizens of Edgewater. Mayor Hayman questioned if FPL would be talking about electromagnetic fields and radiation. Mr. Hronec stated he had an individual with him who would speak on that subject. '-' ...., Patrick Watley, Representative, Florida Power & Light, commented on the concerns of electromagnetic fields and whether they cause adverse health effects and the state regulation of the electric and magnetic fields generated by transmission lines. The general consensus of review boards doing studies is that there isn't a significant problem. He explained anything that consumes electricity generates electromagnetic fields, often much higher than what will be generated from a distribution or transmission line. Mayor Hayman commented on EMF standards being regulated by the state of Florida. He asked Mr. Watley to elaborate on the standards which he did at this time. Councilman Hatfield questioned the 115 KV line proposed and how many feet is the safety margin from the line to a house. Mr. Hronec explained the calculation is site specific depending on the amount of right-of-way that is acquired. Councilman Hatfield questioned if the line should be placed higher in certain places. He doesn't understand how to flex this to meet set guidelines. Mr. Watley explained options that can be done to reduce the field levels. FPL's current transmission line design is the most EMF economic design that they could come up with. Councilman Hays questioned the EMF being greater at the pole verses the low part of the line. He questioned measuring the EMF at one pole and the other and it being identical as it would in the middle. Mr. Watley stated the minimum distance is established by the National Electric Safety Code. with a 115 KV, it is somewhere around 22 feet which is the lowest a conductor can ever be to the ground. What makes the conductor sag between the structures is heat which is generated by the load. The line is designed for the maximum load a transmission line can carry. Councilman Hatfield questioned the safe distance from the line to a home. He spoke about putting the line through a heavily, already established residential area. Mr. Watley explained at forty to fifty feet from the line you will be down to about two or three milligals under typical load conditions. The law says they have to be 150 milligals at the edge of the right-of-way which they will meet right under the line. Councilman Mitchum does not support this down the residential corridor. He doesn't understand how a road widening can be planned for so many years and FPL can go in and buy the right-of- way. He questioned what can be done on SR 442 because he does not support what is being proposed. Mr. Hronec deferred comment until DOT had a chance to make their presentation regarding how FPL's presence along SR 442 has impacted their proposed designs and what they see as alternative solutions if the City finds the alternate route proposed by FPL unacceptable. Mayor Hayman does not support the location on SR 442 or the 18th Street and willow Oak Drive corridor. Rudy Barris, GAl Consultants, Department of Transportation, commented on the original proposal and the proposed alternatives. councilman Mitchum questioned what the problem is with putting the transmission line down the center of SR 442. Diane Valentine, Project Manager, DOT, stated they will not put it down the center of SR 442 for safety reasons. Councilman Mitchum feels a pole, no matter where it is in the median, could be hit. Page -2- Council Special Meeting September 30, 1996 -- ....., Councilman Mitchum stated DOT doesn't needs and FPL does. He feels DOT and work something out down the corridor. will not go down the median. own the right-of-way it FPL could get together and Ms. Valentine stated it Councilman Hays commented on a presentation made by DOT several years ago with their plans for SR 442. He thought this was planned years ago and doesn't understand why they are at this point. Mr. Barris stated he couldn't answer that question because he was not involved with the PD&E study. Mayor Hayman stated DOT did not get into the final design and engineering phase. It was a preliminary design and engineering. We were able to advance the project in 1993 or 1994 to where it was funded. until a project is funded, the DOT does not get into the finite engineering requirements or the environmental concerns and studies nor do they begin a discussion of right-of-way acquisition. Mayor Hayman stated he was informed by a DOT liaison at an MPO meeting that were was some difficulty with the project because of right-of-way acquisition problems on the north side. We have been dealing with this for eight or nine years and we are still dealing with the design of it. There were no questions or comments from Council. City Engineer Kyle Fegley questioned where we stand as far as that right-of-way acquisition to the south. He feels this needs to be looked at. He feels they need to look at which option to choose to run the main transmission line. The 18th street corridor is not going to occur. If SR 442 is used and the northerly portion of the right-of-way, the FPL easement is utilized to run a 115KV conductor, then where is that going to traverse and how is that going to access the substation on 16th street and Lime Tree Drive. Sooner or later it has to run down a City right-of-way to get to that substation. Where and how is that going to occur? He feels these are matters they need to think about. Councilman Mitchum suggested the railroad track by Hibiscus Drive. Councilman Hays suggested Park Avenue down the railroad track. Councilman Mitchum feels FPL's request was to give them the right-of-way to go down 18th Street. Whether we do or don't, this is a dead issue. Councilman Mitchum made a motion to deny FPL's request to go down 18th Street, second by Councilman Hays. The motion CARRIED 5-0. Mayor Hayman stated with that action, we still have no right-of- way other than the proposal originally submitted for SR 442 which entails an impact on Alternatives 1 - 3. There was a five-minute recess at this time. William Anderson, 1730 pine Tree Drive, spoke about the comments made by Ms. Valentine regarding the poles being hit if they are down the center of the median on SR 442. He suggested running this down Park Avenue to the railroad and then south from there or run it along an industrial corridor. Mayor Hayman questioned if the Guava and Hibiscus Drive corridor has been looked into. City Engineer Fegley commented on the distance of the tie-in. Mr. Hronec feels the corridor asked about by Mr. Anderson is a little bit removed from the area geographically. Page -3- Council Special Meeting September 30, 1996 ...., ...." Dominick Capria, 606 Topside Circle, questioned where the lines go for the system we currently have. Mr. Hronec explained the transmission line that feeds the distribution substation which is located on 16th and Hibiscus, comes from another distribution substation located out on SR 44 west of 1-95. Mr. capria stated we certainly don't want to lose the $14 million. He hopes Council votes not politically, but by what is good for Edgewater. Charles Gebelein, 1730 Umbrella Tree Drive, is delighted with the decision made and commended Council. He suggested going underground. He referred to a table in a book that refers to underground burial. He feels going underground would be the logical thing to do due to this reducing the amount of EMF and the lines wouldn't blow down in a disaster situation. He commented on the target poles being unsightly. Bob Coleman, Representative, FPL, spoke about underground being prohibitively expensive. He spoke about all of Edgewater being fed by three wires. He feels underground is not nearly as reliable as the proposed overhead lines. Mayor Hayman questioned the cost per mile. Mr. Hronec explained it can be anywhere from 10 to 20 times as specific depending on the site specific location. He commented on day to day events that cause transmission lines to relay above and beyond the rare statistical occurrence of a hurricane. In the last two years, we have had five transmission related outages on that line which resulted in power outage in Edgewater. Mike Smith, 1614 Umbrella Tree Drive, questioned the current load on the trnsmission line in Edgewater. He asked why we need a secondary line if there has only been five interruptions in two years. Mr. Hronec wasn't sure of the capacity rating. It is operating at a percentage of its ultimate capacity. The need for the second line is driven partly by the reliability concept and by FPL planning standards that says once a distribution substation reaches a certain load criteria, that a looped transmission service is the normal standard of service. He agreed to get the current load on the transmission line. Mayor Hayman informed him that would be helpful so it could be disseminated to the press for the public. Don Gillespie, 1719 willow Oak Drive, commented on a primary line going down 17th Street and questioned if there is a secondary line coming back up. Mr. Hronec explained there are two circuits on 17th Street. The higher wires on the pole line is the single transmission line and the lower circuit is a distribution feeder. NoraJane Gillespie, 1719 Willow Oak Drive, commented on a meeting held in the Community Center with DOT. The only correction made by Council was to ask Gates Castle to contact DOT and tell them we didn't like the closings of the crossover of the median. The plan that was presented was with a joint use facility on each side, a wide outer lane for bike paths to be designated in diamond and the power to be in the median. She spoke about it costing approximately $2 million per mile but that includes purchasing the right-of-way. She feels the poles are better in the middle of SR 442 or better yet buried cable going up SR 442 for the betterment of the entire community. Theresa Voshell, 1712 Royal Palm Drive, commented on the value of property. She questioned who is going to have the liability of property values going down. She feels they are all going to have to suffer from these big poles being seen from residential areas. She questioned who they will look at when their property values go down and a house becomes totally unsaleable. Ms. Voshell feels they need to allow the lines to go underground. She asked where the homeowners will go to get compensation. Page -4- Council Special Meeting September 30, 1996 ~ ~ Mayor Hayman stated he is sympathetic to what Ms. Voshell just said regarding the actions taken that impact on the financial well being of the citizens of Edgewater. Council is very aware of that. They are trying to weigh these concerns with the need for additional power. Ms. Voshell stated she doesn't question the need, she questions the method. Councilman Hays stated FPL wants to increase customer area. He feels FPL needs to relook concept of putting the lines in the ground. attract more customers if they did so. service to a growing and rethink the He feels they would Ms. Voshell commented on FPL giving homeowners a break to put the utilities underground from the line to their homes. If FPL encourages the homeowners to do it from their line to their homes, why isn't it good enough down the boulevard. Mr. Coleman again spoke about the extreme cost of putting the lines underground. He spoke about the subdivision LPGA which is an upscale community that has a transmission line going up through the middle of it. The electric rates are based on overhead service. If people want the aesthetics of underground, then they should be willing to pay for it and it should not be subsidized by all of the customer base. They are willing to consider putting the lines underground but they would have to look to the City for the cost differential. Richard Jones, 1530 Sabal Palm Drive, addressed the cost of the underground cable. He spoke about poles blown over by high wind storms and hurricanes. He feels it is not prohibitive cost, just costly. He questioned who paid for the trucks coming from the hurricane in North Carolina. He asked that underground cable be considered. Mr. Coleman informed Mr. Jones it was paid by utilities. Jennifer Chaffin, 1802 Orange Tree Drive, feels the cable should go underground. She feels Edgewater is worth it and Council needs to stand up and take care of Edgewater. Gail Wells, 2503 Woodland Drive, feels FPL should know the cost. She feels four to twenty times the cost is a big difference. Councilman Mitchum stated there is no way they could tell how much it would cost. The costs to put the lines underground are astronomical. The costs are going to be passed on to the rate payers. The gentlemen of FPL are not prepared to answer what the cost would be. Ms. Wells would like to see a little more pinpoint down from four to twenty times. Mayor Hayman stated when Daytona was considering putting utility lines underground on AlA, the cost they were looking at was $2 million per mile. Ms. Wells asked that this be considered because they need to think about what Edgewater will look like in the future. Councilman Hays feels $2 million per mile is very reasonable, maybe even a little conservative. Mike Visconti, 316 pine Breeze Drive, asked where the power lines are coming from now and why we can't use the same poles and extend their voltage. Mr. Hronec stated they are going to build a second pole line on a common corridor where the corridor allows for that to be done. From a technical perspective that can be done. In theory, a line could be designed that is capable pole strength wise of accommodating more than one circuit. Mayor Hayman listed the three alternatives. Page -5- Council Special Meeting September 30, 1996 '-' .." Mr. Barris presented the alternative typical sections that have been considered by DOT in light of the FPL transmission line along SR 442. Mayor Hayman spoke about eliminating the curbside parking on u.s. #1 in order to be able to widen the lanes due to the safety considerations of DOT. He doesn't feel narrower lanes would be a safe driving street. He doesn't support that recommendation and he feels it is outlandish and ludicrous. Indian River Blvd has got to go through because that street is the end of what is most assuredly going to be the linkage with the beltway which is east of Orlando. We have finally got this in the funding mechanism where it can not be kicked out. He asked the gentlemen to help solve this problem. He expressed disappointment that FPL and DOT are asking his colleagues to fix their mistakes. Mr. Barris stated their intent is to come to an amicable solution for all three parties. Councilman Hays commented on taxpayer dollars used to purchase old railroad rights-of-way. He feels the planners need to look around and see what is out there. There are rights-of-way out there that are available that aren't being utilized. Mayor Hayman stated the status of Indian River Blvd is dead in the water until this issue is resolved is what he was told by DOT. until Engineering decides on a location of power or whether or not it will or will not be there, there is a question regarding how much right-of-way has to be acquired and which right-of-way proposal has to be pursued. DOT has told him unequivocally that until that decision is made they are not moving forward. He questioned what the status of SR 442 would be until a decision is made. Ms. Valentine stated to her knowledge it is not dead in the water. Mayor Hayman stated Jim Martin told him unequivocally a decision has to be made regarding this because we are dealing with design and that Phase I will be on hold. He would like to see this move forward. Ms. Valentine stated she has no idea where Mr. Martin got his information. Ms. Valentine stated she was not aware that this meeting was to determine which typical section DOT would use or not use. It was her understanding that they were to provide alternatives for Council to look at regarding the power line. Mayor Hayman asked Ms. Valentine if she would like to leave here with a feel for how Council feels about the three alternatives. Ms. Valentine stated DOT will need to look at the alternatives before the final decision is made regarding that typical section. Mayor Hayman questioned who makes the final determination. Ms. Valentine informed him it would be the DOT design people. Mayor Hayman asked what input do he and his colleagues and the citizens of the community have at that point and how much influence can they have. Ms. Valentine stated they can give a lot of input and have a lot of influence. We want you to have what you want to have. Councilman Hays asked if there is someone in the DOT design office that can be contacted. Ms. Valentine informed him he could talk directly to Michael Hatchell at the office in Deland. Mayor Hayman stated they would give DOT a ranking of the proposals before Council. There was a discussion regarding the differences in the three alternatives. Page -6- Council Special Meeting September 30, 1996 ., .""" Councilman Hatfield questioned if DOT would have to borrow more southern right-of-way. If this transmission line wasn't there, you wouldn't have to purchase as much right-of-way on the south side. Mr. Barris informed him they would need to purchase 18 feet on the north side and 18 feet on the south side. Councilman Hatfield asked with the transmission line there, how much right- of-way they would have to purchase. Mr. Barris stated it depends on the alternative typical section. Councilman Hatfield stated if the lines are placed underground, DOT would have part of FPL's right-of-way. That is a savings to DOT that may be able to be passed on to FPL to make this whole thing come together. Mr. Barris stated he doesn't know the utility company arrangements as far as joint use of rights-of- way. Councilman Hatfield asked DOT to look into this. some way to save costs by jointly doing this, he be able to negotiate the right-of-way to be able underground. If there is feels they may to put the line Mr. Coleman feels that is a good idea. He stated the detailed engineering estimates have not been done. He doesn't believe the numbers are going to work out. He doesn't want anyone leaving with false hope. He feels they need to work towards other solutions. Mayor Hayman would like to direct staff, DOT, and FPL to sit down with the proper authority who can decide and determine which of the three alternatives has most of the strengths and fewer weaknesses. Councilman Mitchum requested Mayor Hayman be present at this meeting as the representative of Edgewater. Mayor Hayman accepted. Councilman Hays thanked DOT and FPL for their time. He asked them to help us. Someone is always going to be unhappy. There is no competition out there so the only motivator you have is what your own conscience will put on you. He asked DOT and FPL to protect the trust the customers put in them and do the best they can do for the customers. Councilman Hatfield made a motion to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 9:07 p.m. Minutes submitted by: Lisa Kruckmeyer Page -7- Council Special Meeting September 30, 1996 ...., ..., Letters of Objection Distributed to Council before meeting James & Gail Winbigler, 1728 Willow Oak Drive, 9/23/96 Charles Henderson, 1729 Willow Oak Drive, 9/23/96 Daisy Malagon & Modesto Toledo, 1728 Victory Palm Drive, 9/23/96 Vivan & Don Capone, 1727 Umbrella Tree Drive, 9/23/96 Don & NoraJane Gillespie, 1719 Willow Oak Drive, 9/23/95 Mr. & Mrs. W. E. Anderson, 1730 Pine Tree Drive, 9/20/96 Doris Gammon, 1724 Willow Oak Drive, 9/16/96 Distributed to Council at meeting Joe & Darlene Almodovar, 1807 Pine Tree Drive, 9/27/96 Robert & Peggy Bridges, 1803 Willow Oak Drive, 9/25/96 James Bryan & Susan Brinson, 1806 Willow Oak Drive, 9/27/96 David Colee, 1716 Willow Oak Drive, 9/27/96 William R Connell, no address, 9/30/96 Robert Curran, 1722 Royal Palm Drive, 9/30/96 Bridgette DeLuca, 1712 Victory Palm Drive, 9/30/96 Vernon & Constance Dower, 1716 Travelers Palm Drive, 9/27/96 James & Myrtle Hall, 1803 Juniper Drive, 9/30/96 Mr. & Mrs. Harry J Hambruch, 1720 Travelers Palm Drive, 9/27/96 Mr. & Mrs. Scott Harnden, 1721 Travelers Palm Drive, 9/26/96 Greig F Hunter, 1728 Orange Tree Drive, 9/30/96 Frank & Rita Ingalls, 1731 Victory Palm Drive, 9/30/96 Lance Kelly, 1723 Willow Oak Drive, 9/25/96 John & Virginia Kroeger, 1812 Victory Palm Drive, 9/27/96 Mary Rosendale, 1807 Queen Palm Drive, 9/30/96 Joseph Rossi, 1712 Victory Palm Drive, 9/30/96 Mr. & Mrs. Steven Kowalcky, 1803 Sabal Palm Drive, 9/30/96 Michael Thomas, 1721 Royal Palm Drive, 9/27/96 Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Wantuch, 1707 Travelers Palm Drive, 9/30/96 Greg Waring, 1727 Orange Tree Drive, 9/26/96 Beatrice Whiteman, 1803 Queen Palm Drive, 9/30/96 Maryann K Gomer, no address, 9/30/96 Loretta O'Brien, 1804 Juniper Drive 9/26/96 Letters received after meeting Kathrine Gibbs Douglas Vanderpool, 1713 Travelers Palm Drive William & Christiane Allen, 1720 Queen Palm Drive Sharie E Marwitz Mr & Mrs C D Wood, 1804 Mango Tree Drive Marian & David Illsley