Up Or Down? That Is The Question

At the Aug 1st Oro Valley Town Council meeting, the issue of newly required additional power lines was discussed.

For those readers not familiar with the issue, additional power is necessary to avoid potential blackouts,and therefore new lines are required to be located on the south side of Tangerine road, from La Cholla to La Canada, a distance of approximately one mile.

Specifically, the problem is this: Oro Valley has an ordinance that requires all new power lines to be underground. Tucson Electric Power takes the position that they will only pay for overhead lines which will entail approximately twenty additional poles running in tandem with the existing poles. We estimate---and it is only our estimate, that the underground lines would cost an additional $700,000

So what's the problem? Well, it depends who you ask. Some will say that Oro Valley has an ordinance and that's it. It is also said that additional poles will be a blight on the area, especially the main road into Oro Valley from the west. Also, some believe overhead lines may be be a health hazard.

So----- as we said, what's the problem? Well, the problem is money. If additional power is required, and it is, and TEP won't pay for underground lines, Oro Valley must do so.

Therein lies the problem. Where does the money come from? You can't charge the few residents in the area. That is not only unfair, but illegal. Oro Valley doesn't have the funds, and that is why the council saw fit to not take any action on this "hot potato" issue. But, it didn't just go away, it was continued until a future meeting in October.

Although we have a suggestion, we thought we'd leave it with our readers. What would you do, if you had to vote on this one? We look forward to your comments.