** ATTENTION **
SRP HIGH VOLTAGE LINES - UPDATE 4/9/15
To: Fellow Sun Lakes Homeowners
From: Sun Lakes Communities SRP Legal Fund (your Committee representing all three Sun Lakes HOA's)
The following is the final mitigation agreement that has been signed by all 3 HOAs. Even though the 3 HOAs would have liked to get the lines buried, but knowing that will not happen, it was felt the best solution to mitigate the visual impact of the transmission lines and new 230kV substations has been worked out.
Please know that this committee has worked very hard to reach the best possible outcome for all three HOAs. Cottonwood Palo Verde at Sun Lakes should feel very fortunate, if indeed, this is the final decision by the ACC and the Line Citing Commission.
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** ATTENTION **
SRP HIGH VOLTAGE LINES - UPDATE 3/17/15
To: Fellow Sun Lakes Homeowners
From: Sun Lakes Communities SRP Legal Fund (your Committee representing all three Sun Lakes HOA's)
On February 27, SRP formally filed its application for Arizona Corporation Commission's approval of its high voltage Price Road Corridor 230 kV power line.
A state Line Siting Committee will hear testimony on the power line and its 130-foot high poles on Monday, March 30, and Tuesday, March 31, in the San Marcos Hotel ballroom in downtown Chandler.
These hearings are open to the public and concerned residents are encouraged to attend.
Two sessions are scheduled on March 30
- the first beginning at 1 p.m.
- the second, an evening session, (reserved for public comment) beginning at 6 p.m.
The March 31 session
begins at 9 a.m.
Additional hearing days will be scheduled, if needed.
The three Sun Lakes Homeowners Associations have an attorney, Patrick Black, who is well versed in power line-siting matters and Corporation Commission procedures. Through him, we have the right to present witnesses and evidence, and cross-examine witnesses from other organizations.
SRP’s application designates Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) as the preferred route. All parts of the power line on GRIC land come under scrutiny of GRIC and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Corporation Commission has no jurisdiction over lines on GRIC land, including the section of Old Price Road coming very close to homes on Oakwood’s western boundary. Neither Hunt Highway nor Germann Road is mentioned in the SRP application. Those routes will not be considered and no testimony will be taken related to them.
Below shows two maps. The top one shows the only issues the Line Siting Committee will consider - (1) a small section of line on Intel property, falling within Intel’s so-called buffer with Oakwood and (2) how the power line will come from the existing Schrader substation to GRIC land. SRP’s preferred route is along railroad tracks set back from Arizona Avenue. This route would provide a buffer between the power line and homes along Palo Verde’s Arizona Avenue border.
The bottom map is of the power line’s route through GRIC territory. It shows the line running along a canal about three-quarters of a mile below Hunt Highway. Note that the proposed line runs up I-10, thereby avoiding the western edge of Sun Lakes Country Club. However, it runs back along Riggs Road and follows Old Price Road (on GRIC land) until it reaches Intel property.
The three HOAs, through our attorney, are working to mitigate as much as possible the impact of this power line on Sun Lakes residents.
If you want to voice a concern about any portion of the route, you have two options:
(1) attending one of the March 30-31 sessions or
(2) writing directly to the Arizona Corporation Commission.
If you attend one of the San Marcos Hotel sessions, you will be given two minutes to present your concerns. Obviously this is not much time, so have them written out and be concise. Get to the heart of your issue. And please be polite and respectful of this quasi-judicial setting.
If you write to the Commission, refer to:
Docket No. L-00000B-15-0059-00170
(Price Road Corridor 230 kV line). It is Case No. 170.
Send your comments to Arizona Corporation Commission, Consumer Services Division, 1200 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007 before March 30.
Once the Line Siting Committee concludes its hearings, it will make a recommendation to the Corporation Commission. The Commission will meet later this year to take additional comments and make a final decision. We will have another opportunity at that point to make our concerns known.
Additional information concerning the Price Road Corridor project is available on SRP’s website which is www.srpnet.com.
-Sun Lakes Homeowners Associations
-SRP Legal Fund Steering Committee
-Kathy Skrei, Cottonwood Palo Verde Board President
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** ATTENTION **
SRP HIGH VOLTAGE LINES - UPDATE 2/16/15
PHASE 3 ROUTE ALTERNATIVES MAP
To: Fellow Sun Lakes Homeowners
From: Sun Lakes Communities SRP Legal Fund
(your Committee representing all three Sun Lakes HOA's)
You may have read recently that SRP has "obtained approval" for high voltage lines to be built on the Gila River Indian Community reservation. Actually, this has not been finalized and the plan still has significant implications for Sun Lakes. We still have an opportunity for our voices to be heard.
When: Wednesday (Feb 18) and Thursday (Feb 19) from 4:00 to 7:00 PM
Where: Hamilton High School Cafeteria
What: Open House by SRP Representatives concerning the GRIC Route
Sun Lakers showed up in large numbers at previous SRP meetings. We need to do it again to make sure our voices are heard.
Invite a friend or neighbor and show up at Hamilton High School this week.
You will have an opportunity at the "open house" to leave comments for SRP. Ask any SRP representative for a comment form. Below are the points we want to emphasize.
Thank you for your help.
Kathy Skrei - President Cottonwood/Palo Verde
Jean Tolar - Former President Sun Lakes Country Club
John Porter - President IronOaks
SRP'S PRICE ROAD CORRIDOR ROUTE SELECTION
TELL SRP:
GERMANN ROAD IS THE RIGHT ROUTE
- Germann Road has existing 69kV poles and existing easements for pole construction
- Germann has a wide thoroughfare for construction and maintenance of poles
- Germann has a substantial number of commercial and retail business
- Germann is 60% shorter than GRIC route (cheaper to build)
- City of Chandler gets exclusive benefits from Price Road Corridor development - taxes, employment, allied developments (shopping and dining)
- Sun Lakes is not a part of Chandler
- The community that gets the benefit should bear the burden
GRIC ROUTE DOES HARM TO SUN LAKES
- The new residential impacts for GRIC Route fall heavily on Sun Lakes Homeowners
- If the GRIC Route is selected as a compromise, SRP and its Price Road Corridor business customers should be required, as a condition of approval of the GRIC Route, to provide significant mitigations to the Sun Lakes residents who are directly affected.
-By: SUN LAKES COMMUNITIES SRP LEGAL FUND
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SRP Extends Filing Date for Proposed
East Valley Power Lines
Decision Provides Additional Time to Pursue Gila River Indian Community Route Alternative
SRP's two-year effort to pursue a route alternative on the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) is now focused on obtaining right of way consent. SRP mailed over 4,400 consent request packages in early November to the allottees of the 146 allotments crossed by the power line. To give this effort the full opportunity to succeed, SRP is extending the consent period. Salt River Project officials have decided to extend the Feb. 1, 2015 filing date to around April 1, 2015. –Taken from SRP Press Release, December 17, 2014.
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SUN LAKES COMMUNITIES – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Status Update July 1, 2014
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SRP MEDIA ADVISORY
From: Scott Harelson SRP Media Relations
SRP Extends Schedule For Planned Power Line Project
Additional time needed to pursue route on Gila River Indian Community Lands
Salt River Project announced it is revising its schedule for the proposed Price Road Corridor 230-kV transmission line project to allow for continued pursuit of the potential route alternative on the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC). Under the revised schedule, SRP will postpone its application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility to the Arizona Corporation Commission from November 2013 to no later than Aug. 1, 2014.
"SRP has heard from residents as well as city and county officials a desire to fully investigate all options prior to submitting an application," said SRP project manager Tom Novy. "In addition, locating the project on GRIC lands would provide benefits to both SRP and GRIC that are not available with the existing alternatives on private land. We are confident that this additional eight months will give us the time necessary to determine if the line can be located on Community land."
SRP has been involved in detailed discussions with Community officials for more than a year. Working together, the two entities have identified a route alternative on Community land that is supported by GRIC District 4 Council and the Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority. However, the process to receive all of the necessary approvals requires additional time.
"The Community recognizes that we could realize significant economic benefits with the construction of new electrical facilities in this area," said Gila River Indian Community Gov. Gregory Mendoza. "We will continue to work with SRP to determine if this proposal aligns with our plans to develop the region and is in the best interest of the people in the Community."
"We appreciate that SRP and Gila River officials continue to explore this opportunity that will be beneficial to all parties involved," Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny said. "This route is something the City Council and I have worked toward with SRP management, and I am hopeful this revised schedule will allow for its successful conclusion."
"I am encouraged that SRP has agreed to revise its project schedule in order to continue to pursue an alternative route that best fits the communities I represent," said Maricopa County Supervisor Denny Barney. "I have been working with SRP since this project was announced to ensure that the process of providing needed energy to the Price Road Corridor is done responsibly and with the least impact possible on existing neighborhoods."
The Price Road Corridor is adjacent to Price Road and the GRIC in south Chandler. There are a number of large commercial customers currently in the area that require large amounts of electricity to operate, and SRP anticipates a significant increase in the number of businesses there in the near future as well as an increase in the demand of existing businesses.
The ongoing public process to site the new electrical facilities will culminate with a hearing before the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee. A final decision on whether to grant a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility for the project will be decided at an open meeting of the Arizona Corporation Commission.
For more information on this project and SRP, visit azpower.org and srpnet.com.
SRP is the third-largest public power utility in the nation, serving nearly 970,000 customers in Maricopa and Pinal counties.
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LETTER TO SRP
SENT FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENTS OF
SLHOA #1, #2 AND #3
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STOPPP! Update
The STOPPP! Updates will provide Sun Lakes residents with simple, easy to follow instructions to make sure your voice is heard and SRP knows Sun Lakes homeowners are united in opposing the above ground installation of high voltage power lines in our community.
SRP’s announcement that it is no longer considering Riggs Road for a 230,000-volt power line is good news. But don’t let your guard down. With Hunt Highway as one of only two east-west options, residents in all three Sun Lakes HOAs remain vulnerable to the possibility of outrageously tall, high-voltage poles near them.
There can be no letup! Consider what happens if the line goes down Hunt: The route means Cottonwood-Palo Verde and Sun Lakes homes face diminished property values. A Hunt Highway route means the lines will travel up Old Price Road, passing more properties in Sun Lakes Country Club and Oakwood on its way to a new substation on the Intel property. What’s more, that substation could be constructed very close to Oakwood homes.The only other route under consideration is Germann Road.
What can you do?
Send a comment card to SRP.
Go to http://www.azpower.org/secure/comment.aspx
Make sure to click on the box that says “please select a project” and choose Price Road 230 kV. Each person in your family can submit a comment card.
You may mention the following under questions or comments:
- NO to Hunt Hwy.
- Hunt Highway is densely populated with single family homes.
- Best solution of all – Underground installation. Cost is insignificant when spread out over one million customers.
- It’s time for a 21st century solution to a 19th century problem!
When finished click Submit. THERE IS POWER IN NUMBERS!
Yard Sign – The overall level of awareness on this topic is still very limited. You will be seeing signage around your community. Extra yard
Signs will be available at the Oakwood Patrol Office located in the Arts and Crafts Center, east of the tennis courts. Hours are 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. The cost is $8. Cash (exact amount, please) or checks made payable to IronOaks at Sun Lakes. The signs will be printed on both sides and include the frame for mounting.
Sign the Petition -
Watch for new information coming out mid-October!
Let’s keep the pressure on SRP!
STOPPP UPDATE - JUNE 8, 2013 CLICK HERE
STOPPP UPDATE - JULY 16, 2013 CLICK HERE
STOPPP UPDATE - JULY 23, 2013 CLICK HERE
STOPPP UPDATE - SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 CLICK HERE
SRP Price Road Corridor website link
http://www.azpower.org/priceroadcorridor/
COOP (Concerned Citizens Opposed to Overhead Power Lines
http://coopsunlakes.wordpress.com/
Gone for the summer?
http://coopsunlakes.wordpress.com/srp-petition/ to print a copy of the petition. Please mail back to Myron Urban, 25013 S Ribbonwood Dr., Sun Lakes, AZ 85248 Even a petition with one or two signatures will help.
Cottonwood Palo Verde @ Sun Lakes HOA
25219 S. EJ Robson Blvd.
Sun Lakes, Arizona 85248
480-895-3550
*Cottonwood Palo Verde at Sun Lakes is an age 55 and older housing community
in accordance
with the Arizona and Federal Fair Housing Acts.
