The Hailey Planning Department sent Idaho Power Co. engineers back to the drawing board Monday to find a way to upgrade an electrical substation without causing environmental impacts to the neighborhood.
A 47-foot steel structure that the company installed without a permit last fall may have to be removed if a compromise is not found.
In October, residents who live near the substation between the bike path and Sixth Avenue in Hailey complained about the expansion, citing visual impacts and buzzing noises emanating from the facility.
City Attorney Ned Williamson told the Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday that the facility expansion was conducted without a permit. He said the expansion included tall "goal post" structures designed to accommodate a new circuit breaker.
Company representatives said the upgrade was initiated to increase reliability and reduce power outages in Hailey, Bellevue and parts of the south county.
"Our fault was in not reading the ordinances correctly," Idaho Power representative Mike Barrie said.
Barrie said the goal posts, or "dead-end structures," were installed in anticipation of more additions to the facility, including five power poles and a transmission line entering the north end of the substation over the bike path.
The P&Z quizzed several Idaho Power representatives for almost two hours on the necessity of the upgrade, the cost of running lines underground and the possibility of decommissioning the substation altogether.
Planning Director Beth Robrahn said Monday that a request for Idaho Power to pay for a third-party review of the substation upgrade plans had been refused.
By the end of Monday's meeting, company representative Ron Jackson agreed to have engineers explore alternative designs that could limit the visual impact of the dead-end structures. Jackson also said he would fix and paint fences surrounding the facility and schedule use of the company's portable transformer, at a cost of $20,000 to $25,000, to fix the buzzing noise.
Robrahn said Idaho Power could go back to square one at the facility, remove the dead-end structures and continue to operate as an existing non-conforming use, or proceed with a proposed expansion under a conditional-use permit.
The P&Z voted unanimously to instruct Idaho Power to work with city staff in establishing parameters for third-party review of the current upgrade design plans. The review, based on a request for proposals from qualified engineers, would explore alternative designs that could satisfy the needs of the utility company as well as of those living near the facility.
"I think this would be in the best interest of the city," Commissioner Mark Johnstone said.
The P&Z will review the request for proposals for a third-party review on Monday, March 15.
Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com
Upright steel structures, nearly 50 feet tall, were installed without a permit last fall in Hailey by Idaho Power Co. The Hailey Planning Department is calling for a third-party review of the company’s upgrade plans for the facility.
Photo by Della Sentilles
