And down the poles come

Andrew Edwards

After years of effort, Arch Beach Heights residents’ views will soon

be free of utility poles.

Utility workers with Southern California Edison had planned to

remove the last telephone pole from its former spot in the 700 block

of Gainsborough Drive on Wednesday morning. However, Southern

California Edison employees had to abandon Wednesday’s plans to

attend to problems resulting from the previous night’s rainfall. The

company now hopes to finish the removal today.

For some Lagunans, the end of the project will mark the end of a

process that has stretched longer than a decade.

“It took 15 years,” said Renate Delius, one of the original

petitioners on behalf of the pole removal project.

Delius said she would recommend other neighborhoods remove their

utility poles.

To remove the poles, residents had to slog through a lengthy

procedure of collecting signatures and working through the City

Council. The petition to remove the poles was presented to city

leaders in 1995. It was not until 1999 that a majority of residents

voted to approve the costly project.

Construction on underground telephone, electrical and cable TV

lines began in September 1999, and was completed in April 2002.

Dealing with the firms that take on projects such as these can be

a time-consuming process, Project Manager Joe Chiquete said.

“With the utility companies, there’s no competition,” he said.

“It’s kind of like they get to it when they get to it.”

“We appreciate the patience and cooperation of all the homeowners

during the construction process,” said Steve Nelson, a regional

manager with Edison.

After the underground cables were in place, residents were on

their own to hire contractors to connect their houses to utility

lines.

Another of the original petitioners, Karen Kanner, said she was

pleased with the outcome of the project but she might not have taken

on the challenge of advocating for the project if she had known how

long it would take from the start.

“I don’t know if I would have stayed with it if somebody said it

was a 10-year project,” she said.

Major life changes can occur during 10 years. In the years city

officials and utilities workers were on the project, Kanner gave

birth to two sons. Renate Delius’ husband, Heinz, suffered a heart

attack in 1993.

The total cost of the project was $3,761,841. Arch Beach residents

had to pay for the project out of their own pockets, whether they

voted for it or not.

“I think it’s a fine idea, it’s just very expensive for people

that had no benefit from it,” Marcie Jenner said. “It’s very unfair.”

Arch Beach residents had to lay out $7,272 to $9,923 to pay for

the construction, according to information from the Public Works

Department. The size of the payment was determined by estimating how

much a resident’s property value would increase after the project was

completed. Residents had the option of writing a check or paying a

15-year lien through their property taxes.

Residents also had to pay contractors’ fees to convert their homes

to underground utilities.

In a few cases, the city had to pressure residents who were slow

to make changes.

“[The] city attorney had to send out a half dozen nasty-grams,”

Chiquete said.

Residents who failed convert their homes were faced with a loss of

power. Paquette said one residence may still not be connected to

electricity.

After all the work and expense, many residents are glad to enjoy a

clearer view of the ocean.

“I’m thrilled. It’s beautiful,” Karen Gee said.