Power lines overDivision Street approved

Moses Lake decision passes 4-3

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council approved additional power lines over Division Street with a 4-3 vote Tuesday night.

The future power lines are to cross Division Street overhead once and go underground parallel the rest of the way to service the Herron Creek Apartment Community located on Ninth Avenue.

Councilmembers Brent Reese, Jon Lane, Bill Ecret and Mayor Ron Covey voted to allow the request while councilmembers Richard Pearce, Dick Deane and James Liebrecht voted to deny the request

"I went down Division today and I looked," Reese said.

He saw about eight lines running above the street. Normally he would vote against the overhead lines but he found an exception with the project, he said. The lines are crossing above ground once to an existing pole and are underground the rest of the way, bringing him to his decision.

Liebrecht said council should stick to their ordinances and policies without exception.

"Maybe in another year, we'll have more," he said. "I feel like we're doing an injustice to our (planning) commission and our city council."

He said the council take a stance to stop the installation of overhead lines, otherwise future developers will think it is acceptable.

"I think it's just time to put our foot down," Pearce said.

The developers already know about the ordinances in place, he said. Waiting until the last minute of project construction to make the waiver request forces the city to carry the burden of the project not being completed on time, Pearce added.

Project Manager Jason Evans said it would cost an additional $25,000 to install the lines underground with several feet of solid rock to drill through.

"Going overhead would just really help out," he said.

He noted the developer invested more than $150,000 for road improvements near the complex including sidewalks and lighting.

In a previous council meeting the motion to deny the overhead request was tied due to the absence of a councilmember and the mayor choosing to vote in favor of the overhead lines.

At the previous meeting Liebrecht referred to the additional lines as "putting ugly on ugly."