FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Bill Watkins, City Manager - (573) 874-6338 or Toni Messina, Director, Public Communications - (573) 874-7660 or Connie Kacprowicz, Utility Services Specialist - (573) 874-7325

City Council Work Session on Electric Transmission Route Alternatives

COLUMBIA, MO (November 19, 2010) - A knowledge-builder. That’s what City Manager Bill Watkins says local government should be as the community learns more about a future City electric transmission project. He invites citizens to attend a City Council work session on this subject on Monday, Nov. 22, starting at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chamber, 701 E. Broadway.

No decisions will be made at the Council work session. It’s at a very early discussion stage, and more public meetings will be scheduled as the learning process continues.

“While this project may take several years to plan and build, all of us need to improve our knowledge and understanding,” Watkins said. “I know that City Council members want more facts to share with citizens and to prepare them for the decisions they will have to make.” Some of those decisions relate to the following issues.

Need for more electric transmission service. Watkins says this is sound planning to meet expected future demands for service. “Whether public, private or member-owned, all electric utilities have a duty to serve their customers. Every day, families, businesses, schools, hospitals and organizations expect their lights and appliances to come on when they flip a switch. I can’t imagine recruiting new residents or jobs without being able to say we can meet their electric service needs.”

Project location. The southern part of Columbia is a more vulnerable spot than other parts of the city, when it comes to electricity. “We expect new growth north and east, and we have good connections and capacity there, Watkins said. “But the southwest continues to grow and I can’t, in good conscience, ignore that.”

Reliability. Watkins said that Columbia’s local electric system has several geographic sectors, determined by the location of substations and transmission lines. “What if a horrible ice storm, such as the one that cut the power to thousands of customers in southwest Missouri awhile back, happened here? If we lose capacity in two of our sectors that are overloaded and vulnerable, we’re pretty much down.” Watkins says that beefing up southern Columbia will minimize that risk.

Appearance. Some citizens advocate “under-grounding” the lines and cables. “My Water & Light director might disagree,” Watkins said, “but electric lines, by their nature, are not beautiful.” He said that he understands citizens’ concerns about overhead lines and hopes discussions will help sort out these issues for everyone.

Route. The transmission line likely will cross neighborhoods, commercial areas, roads and open areas, but no route has been selected yet. “This is one of the most sensitive parts of utility planning,” Watkins said. “Even while it brings great benefit, a 161kV line can spread a lot of pain. We need to be especially attentive to what citizens tell us and, if we have to purchase their land for right-of-way, we must make sure the process is fair and transparent.”

Cost. Watkins said that it’s hard to have specifics at this stage, and he wants citizens to feel that costs are based on facts. “There are a lot of factors to consider,” he said, “including the chosen route, land purchase costs, legal expenses, whether the line is overhead or underground and future costs of labor and supplies.”

As is true for typical City Council work sessions, the public is invited to attend and listen to the discussion, but there will not be give-and-take with the Council at this time. Public comments are being collected and will be shared with Council members. Continuing opportunities for citizens to voice their opinions will be scheduled.

The work session will be broadcast live on the City Channel (Mediacom Ch. 80; Charter Ch. 2; CenturyLink Ch. 601). For more information, visit GoColumbiaMo.com, and click on the transmission project link under “Announcements.”

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