MEA permit review continues

WASILLA — With the lines of communication open, Wasilla city officials and Matanuska Electric Association management are hopeful they are nearing a solution to a yearlong debate over the route for proposed power line upgrade.

The electric cooperative will make its case tonight to the city’s planning commission to upgrade its lines along the Parks Highway to the Herning Substation, which includes three miles of lines within Wasilla City limits. For more than three hours last week MEA and the commission discussed the proposed plan, which includes replacing existing 45-foot power poles with 80- to 100-foot towers. That discussion on MEA’s application to construct the towers continues at 7 p.m., tonight at Wasilla City Hall.

“My understanding is the hearing is not yet closed, so anyone wishing to testify can,” said MEA spokesman Kevin Brown.

The planning commission is expected to discuss with MEA officials and city staff proposed alternatives and/or compromises to MEA’s preferred alternative.

Although the co-op’s plan is the least expensive, coming in at an estimated $9.75 million, Wasilla Mayor Verne Rupright and city staff say the larger power poles would detract from the view shed along the Parks Highway and discourage commercial development in the area. To that end, the city has proposed alternative routes, including placing the towers along Bogard Road or Fishhook Road, or rerouting the plan along the Parks to place lines behind existing industry and away from the highway.

Although, at-times, the issue of upgrading the lines has been contentious between the city and utility, both sides say they are open to finding a solution, Brown said.

“They’re genuinely wanting to find a route that meets our needs and theirs,” he said. “They’re hoping if we put our minds together (with the Alaska Railroad and state Department of Transportation), a new alternative may present itself. … Of course, we’ve already spoken in depth with DOT and the railroad, and they were concerned about us potentially destabilizing their railbed.”

During last week’s meeting with the planning commission, the body “had a lot of good questions, a lot of thoughtful questions” for MEA, Brown said. Their questions included what other options were considered before the Parks Highway was presented in MEA’s application and why burying the lines would cost as much as $41 million.

“I think city staff was right when they spoke to the commission that this is one of the largest community-wide issues the planning commission has dealt with in a long time,” Brown said.

While the issue of upgrading its lines comes at the same time MEA is constructing a new power generation plant near Eklutna, the upgrades are a desperately needed and independent of the new plant, Brown said.

“The line from the hospital to Herning (Substation) isn’t about the power plant, it’s about providing increased capacity and reliability in our largest load area, which is Wasilla,” he said.

If the planning commission rejects MEA’s application for its preferred alternative, the cooperative has a few options, Brown said. Those include appealing the decision with a hearing officer or taking the planning commission to court.

CEO Joe Griffith also has previously said MEA could consider appealing to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska for a rate adjustment to about 5,000 Wasilla ratepayers to cover any costs above and beyond the preferred alternative if the city does not grant MEA a permit to build the towers.

Contact Greg Johnson at 352-2269 or

greg.johnson@frontiersman.com.