A newly established task force appointed by West University Place City Council will spend the next year analyzing options to improve the resilience of the city’s electric grid infrastructure.

The details

Underground Utility Task Force members were appointed at a May 19 City Council meeting after city officials reached out to residents with experience in the energy industry to serve on the task force.

The 10 new members will also work with a city official liaison, City Manager Dave Beach said. The new members are:
  • Hans Hubbard
  • David McClanahan
  • Tom Standish
  • David Harvey
  • Mike Bartolotta
  • Allen Blakemore
  • Patrick Hughes
  • Fred Wagner
  • Jon Moffitt
  • Michael Raider
Their objectives include exploring options and feasibility to bury electric utilities within the city, or burying power lines; analyzing additional options to improve the city's electric grid infrastructure resilience; and assisting City Council in making informed decisions about infrastructure investment, energy management and governance, according to agenda documents.

This wouldn't be the first time West U City Council considered burying electric utilities in the city. Former Mayor Pro Tem John Montgomery previously told Community Impact in an email that City Council met with Centerpoint Energy representatives in the past to consider a proposal of burying power lines under the new Edloe Pathway project across Buffalo Speedway.


"Burying the lines would be important to the aesthetic quality of our neighborhood, but I also believe burying the power lines would help protect our community from dangerous power outages during inclement weather (high wind or freezing precipitation)," Montgomery said.

What residents should know

Members are expected to present a formal presentation with recommendations to City Council members by the end of summer 2026.