The proposal to string taller power lines through Ruby Hill Park has evoked such strong, intractable reactions on both sides that we think it’s time everyone stepped back and took a deep breath.
The issue, which will come up at Monday’s Denver City Council meeting, has been cast as an arrogant, well-financed utility attempting to bigfoot a neighborhood of modest means. It also has been portrayed as a bunch of NIMBY homeowners who are unreasonably holding up a project for the greater good by asking the utility to put the lines underground at great cost.
The truth, we think, lies somewhere in between.
The history of the park is important in establishing context for Xcel Energy’s request. The company gave the city much of the land that is now the park. Xcel retained the right to have power lines go through it, which they have for more than 50 years.
In 1969, the city passed a view plane ordinance, designed to protect the panoramic views of the mountains from Ruby Hill. The power lines were there at the time and were grandfathered in.
In recent years, Xcel decided it must upgrade one set of 115-volt power lines to 230 volts to provide adequate electricity to 50,000 to 60,000 customers and guard against blackouts.
However, to meet safety standards, the higher voltage lines must be further off the ground. Five of the poles in the park would need to be seven to 26 feet higher.
The utility, which would spend $600,000 on the project, needs a variance from the view plane ordinance.
There is an important point here that frequently gets lost in the debate: There are two sets of lines in the park that run parallel to each other. Even if the neighbors were successful in getting one set put underground, at a cost of $5 million, the other strand would remain. Xcel says it has no plans to replace the other strand.
However, the issue comes down to fairness in assessing costs and adequate representation.
Would it be fair for all of Xcel’s customers to foot the bill to put the lines underground? We don’t think so. If the city of Denver wants to come up with the money for the project, that would be perfectly fine.
Yet we are persuaded by neighbors who say their voices haven’t been adequately represented. It is a time of flux on the council, with longtime councilwoman and opponent of the project Kathleen MacKenzie leaving office due to term limits.
MacKenzie, whose district includes Ruby Hill Park, was out of town on a long-planned vacation for the first hearing on Xcel’s request. Furthermore, the newly elected council member for nearby District 3, Paul Lopez, who replaces Rosemary Rodriguez (who has gone to Washington, D.C.), has yet to take office.
The council ought to postpone the matter for a short time to allow the new members, who take office a week from Monday, to get up to speed.
This situation has been decades in the making. A few more weeks in the name of fairness is not too much to ask.
