Laguna Beach seeks votes on putting utility wires underground
Laguna Beach residents who live around Ruby and Catalina streets will be able to vote on whether they favor undergrounding utility wires in their neighborhood.
The city mailed notices and ballots to residents in the area and as of Friday had received more than 15 responses out of the 48 properties involved, Public Works Director Steve May said.
The city will discuss the proposed project, which includes properties along Ruby Place and Radcliffe Court, and take public comments during the City Council meeting Nov. 18.
The council will conduct a public hearing Dec. 16 during which residents may cast any last-minute ballots.
A staff report estimates the cost of undergrounding at $940 to $4,100 annually per property, depending on the degree of view blockage from poles or wires. The figures estimate a 7% interest rate during a 15-year repayment period, but if bonds sell near the current municipal rate of less than 4%, then the annual payments would be less, according to a city staff report. The city hired Psomas, an engineering consulting firm, to analyze view blockages.
Individual homeowners would have to pay their share of the cost of undergrounding as well as the expense of reconnecting their phone and Internet services, the staff report says.
For the undergrounding to move ahead, the total cost to residents voting in favor must exceed that of those opposed, May wrote in a follow-up email.
In addition to hindering views, safety is another reason some residents favor placing utilities underground.
Manal Kerfoot said she was getting ready to back out of her driveway two weeks ago when she heard a loud popping sound. Sparks started flying from electrical wires attached to a nearby pole, she said.
“There was a fireworks session on the road,” Kerfoot said. “What really freaked me out was the electrical current that ran up my legs.”
Resident Kristi Grooms doesn’t like the electromagnetic waves — “Those can’t be good for you,” she said — and chance of wildfires being sparked.
Grooms said she and neighbor Randy Lewis first approached the city in 2008 about undergrounding.
“[The city] outlined the district and suggested we go to our neighbors and ask if they were interested,” Grooms said. “We had a great response. Most want them down, primarily because of safety.”
The staff report said petitions received in 2011 showed that 71% of homeowners in the area favored undergrounding.
The poles also present a hazard to drivers, the staff report says.
“By removing fixed obstructions from the right-of-way and street edge, the potential for vehicles to collide into the poles is removed,” the report says.
In all, utility wires have been moved below ground in 18 districts throughout Laguna, May said. The proposed Ruby/Catalina district is one of seven currently being considered.
[For the record, Nov. 17, 12:00 p.m.: An earlier version of this story the estimated cost of undergrounding would range from $940 to $4,100 per property. That is an annual cost estimate. The earlier version of this article mentioned a 7% interest rate for 15 years, but if bonds sell near the current municipal rate of less than 4%, then the annual payments would be less, according to a city staff report.]