MEA plan set for vote

WASILLA — When the city’s planning commission meets Tuesday, its task on paper seems clear — approve or deny an application from Matanuska Electric Association to route upgraded power lines along the Parks Highway.

The proposal calls for a line of 80- to 100-foot towers to carry high-voltage power lines between MEA’s Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and Herning substations. After putting off a vote at its last two meetings, the planning commission is expected to vote Tuesday on MEA’s application, according to an announcement of the meeting on the city’s website.

While MEA maintains running the upgraded power lines along the Parks Highway is the most expedient and least expensive option, Wasilla city administration and staff oppose the route. Having such large towers along the Parks through the city — one of the city’s prime commercial business districts — would damage the area’s viewshed and hurt property values and current and future business development in the area.

In an effort to gauge what Wasilla area residents think, the city hosted a pair of additional workshops last week asking people to come up with suggestions for the planning commission about alternate routes for the power lines. At those sessions, locals favored two main routes.

The first workshop group recommended MEA keep its planned route, but bury the power lines instead of stringing them up on large poles. To that end, participants also expressed a willingness to allow the poles along the highway until Seward Meridian, then putting the lines underground between and behind the MTA booster station and Lowe’s. From there, the lines could then be overhead again to the Herning substation, or continue underground.

The second group seemed to favor an alternative that wasn’t among the five MEA had identified as technically feasible in months of meetings leading up to the planning commission application. That is, to locate the lines along an alignment with Alaska Railroad tracks through the area. One option along the railroad route would be to cut new right of way south of subdivisions and along undeveloped area west of the sewage treatment plant. Another option would call for cutting new right of way or locating the lines along existing rail line right of way, while burying portions of line near residential properties.

Although the question for the planning commission is simply a yes or no vote on the Parks Highway plan, MEA acknowledges the commission could vote no, but recommend bringing a different application to the table.

“They could reject our current application and strongly suggest we file a new application for a new route or other suggestion,” MEA spokesman Kevin Brown said.

He also said that prior to presenting its list of alternative power line routes and estimated costs, MEA discussed possibly running the lines along Alaska Railroad tracks.

“We definitely looked at that early on long before we went to the public,” Brown said. “The routes we presented were the ones that were technically feasible. We discarded the railroad route early. We had discussion with the railroad and other players and come to the conclusion there has to be a more effective (route).”

Among the concerns for the railroad were that construction of the towers to hold the lines would destabilize the hillside that runs along the tracks that parallel the Parks, Brown said.

Brown also addressed a concern voiced by at least one of the workshop groups — that MEA was not represented to participate in the workshops and answer potential questions or concerns from residents.

“We had several concerns, but the big one was this was not part of our process,” he said. “This was part of the city of Wasilla’s internal process. If we were part of that discussion, it would have been more about us than about the routes. Ultimately, it would have (been perceived) that we were just trying to shoot down everybody’s ideas.”

As for burying the lines, that’s actually one of the options MEA has said is technically feasible, but the cost, which the power cooperative puts at about $40 million, is prohibitive. The Parks Highway route comes with a price tag of less than $10 million.

“We’ve been discussing the undergrounding costs since January and the railroad route for a year and a half,” Brown said. “It’s an obvious route in people’s minds.”

What: Wasilla Planning Commission meeting

Why: Vote on MEA application to upgrade power lines through the city

When: 7 p.m., July 9

Where: Wasilla City Hall, 290 E. Herning Ave.