OXNARD : Group Urges Council to Bury Utility Lines

A group of Oxnard Shores residents bombarded the City Council this week with pleas to bury the utility lines in their neighborhood first.

With little comment Tuesday, the council approved a proposed revision of the priority list of utility lines designated for burial.

The council action also designated June 7 as a public hearing for Oxnard Shores property owners to comment on the proposal, which would require each owner to pay up to $900 to hook into the underground lines.

Plans call for the city to spend about $2.5 million to bury thousands of feet of utility lines stretching from Amalfi Way to 5th Street, including much of Harbor Boulevard.

Money to pay for the project--about $3 million--has been generated by a series of assessments, including city fees and charges by Southern California Edison, which will bury the lines.

On Tuesday, Oxnard Shores residents told the council that they should lead the list because they have paid into the assessment fund for years and are willing to pay their own hookup costs.

“Oxnard Shores is a victim of aging,” said Bodine Elias, chairwoman of the Oxnard Shores Neighborhood Council. “It was subdivided before any of the (existing) restrictions were in place.”

Other neighborhoods targeted for placing lines underground include the Channel Islands Boulevard area, portions of Oxnard Boulevard and parts of Saviers Road.