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(Continued from Page 1) (thousand volts),” he maintained. The county will need additional power in five years, Nichols said, adding that it will take about one year to rebuild the line.
He reported that PE has already been given permission to rebuild its lines at higher voltage where they cross through Shenandoah National Park, providing the utility acquires no new rightof-way and relocates the route to improve visual impact.
Questioned by BZA members Pete Estes and Jim Massie, Nichols said poles for the new line will have to be taller but won’t be of tri-pod design, will be made of western red cedar wood, not steel, and remain about the same distance apart.
Estes noted that wires are hanging too low at some places on the line and asked if they would be raised.
Nichols replied that there will be “an excess of 20 feet from the ground to the first wire,” as required by safety codes. “I’m sure some are too low now,” he acknowledged.
With less reliance on total electric homes and outdoor lighting, Gardner predicted, electrical power demands in the county will decrease rather than grow.
Nichols agreed that power consumption has dropped in the past year or so. "Our experts say it won’t continue ... We’ve felt the brunt of the conservation effort.” He noted that PE is connecting over 57 new customers a year now in Rappahannock.
Estes remarked that he could understand why landowners close to the power line might object to quadrupling the voltage. “But there’s no landowner here objecting,” he added.
Relocation Proposed
In the vicinity of Route 671 and 651 near Sperryville, several new homes have been built very close to the power line, according to Nichols. “This concerns me a little bit. I’d like to propose that when our engineers go through there, if the poles have encroached too close to homes, we would like your permission to move the lines.”
“We can’t give our permission,” Gardiner replied, noting that the utility will have to secure additional right-of-way first from property owners. Nichols emphasized that the power line was constructed before the houses,
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