This rendering shows the proposed power lines on Main Street after it is widened.[/caption]
As of press time Feb. 5, the city of Frisco and Brazos Electric are close to finalizing a stipulation agreement that would bury proposed power lines in West Frisco.
The city and Brazos plan to present the agreement to the Public Utility Commission of Texas during its March 3 meeting. The hearing for the proposed power lines was originally scheduled for Feb. 11, but Brazos requested the meeting be moved so the parties could finalize the documents for the agreement.
All the parties in the case, including the group that has advocated to have the lines buried, will sign the stipulation agreement making it uncontested, said Ben Brezina, assistant to the city manager. Brezina said PUCT staffers have also indicated that they will sign the agreement.
Even though all the parties would have agreed to the stipulation agreement, the PUCT can rule to have the power lines built overhead, Brezina said. The policy precedent is a big factor the PUCT has to consider, he said.
“Really, there’s no limit to what they can do on the day of that hearing,” Brezina said.
Brazos submitted an application to the PUCT last year proposing to build power lines in West Frisco.
The city, residents and business owners have been advocating to have the power lines buried since the application was submitted. The Frisco parties argue overhead power lines would inhibit the city from widening Main Street, lower property values and pose a danger to drivers.
The estimated cost for burying the lines is $28 million more than building overhead lines. This cost difference is why two administrative law judges recommended last November to build the lines overhead. Because Frisco has planned improvements to Main Street, which includes installing a water line, the city has recommended coordinating construction to offset the cost of burying the lines.
“The timing is right,” Brezina said. “The city has planned infrastructure for the road widening and the water line installation, which happens to be in the exact same place that the electrical underground lines go. It’s never going to be any cheaper or more efficient than to do it together.”
