Buried power lines: Affected residents get ballots
By CHUCK BALLARO
Northwest Cape Coral residents who could be impacted by a proposed undergrounding of electric and communications line in the North 2 UEP area have a voice on whether they want the project to proceed.
Last week, the city sent ballots to 1,820 property owners to get their input through a simple for or against question.
Those ballots need to be sent back in the pre-stamped envelope provided and postmarked no later than Jan. 31. If 50 percent plus 1 agree in the non-binding poll, the city council will decide whether to proceed with the $14 million project.
In June, a public hearing at Christa McAuliffe Charter School became heated, with many residents, some of whom didn’t live in the area, protesting the measure.
Once those people aired their views and left, a calmer tone prevailed where the consensus was that, while the plan looked great, it looked to be cost prohibitive. The city said it would look into finding ways to cut costs.
One idea would be to offset as much as a 35 percent of the cost through a type of “tax increment financing” which would use projected property tax gains in the undergrounding area to help fund the project.
The plan, which would include LED streetlights, would add between $5,700 and $7,600 to the estimated $19,000 assessment for the utilities expansion for sewer and water, a price some said may be out of reach for many, no matter the benefits.
City Councilmember Rick Williams represents that area, but doesn’t live within the targeted neighborhood. He said he would love to see the project go through and that there is interest in moving foward.
“Of course, there are people who don’t want it. But it comes down to who the majority is. If the majority want it, it will happen. If they don’t want it, it won’t happen,” Williams said.
The sticking point to many has been the cost, said former Northwest Cape Coral Neighborhood Association president Denis Catalano.
Current president John Bashaw said the association’s position is that undergrounding utilities is very attractive, helps increase property values and is less likely to go out in a storm.
“There are just too many costs associated with it. It’s one more expense on top of sewer and water,” Bashaw said, adding the NWNA has not solicited input from the neighbors.
“The cost is the factor that’s making this very difficult for most,” Catalano said. “I think they would like buried utilities if the cost wasn’t so prohibitive. That’s a lot of dough.”
John Smart, who heads up the Development Review Committee, lives in the area. His point of view matches most others.
“Most people think it’s a pretty good idea, but it’s the cost. It’s $6,000 for a vacant lot, but to have the utilities put in, suddenly its $8,000 to $10,000 to have it hooked up,” Smart said.
The vote is non-binding, and even if the project is approved, the city council would have to approve the design and any special assessments at a separate, duly noticed public hearing.