Story and photo By Jay Cook
HOLMDEL – During a special meeting last week, the Holmdel Township Committee adopted a resolution opposing a controversial transmission line project and asking that the line be buried underground if ultimately approved.
Monmouth County Reliability Project, the name given to the $75 million proposal by Jersey Central Power and Light Company, is the installation of a 230-kilovolt transmission line spanning 10 miles along the NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line commuter rail line right-of-way. The line would begin in Aberdeen, and run through Hazlet, Holmdel and Middletown before ending in Red Bank. Monopoles supporting the transmission line would be placed at 500-foot intervals and could reach heights of 170 feet.
“JCP&L might have a job to do, but we have a property to protect,” said Holmdel Mayor Eric Hinds during the July 6 meeting.
In attendance at the Holmdel Township Senior/Community Center were Assembly-woman Amy Handlin, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, Hazlet Mayor Scott Aagre and Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso.
Holmdel Fire Official Dave Olsen estimated that about 350 residents attended the meeting, just under the hall’s capacity of 372.
Holmdel Township is the second of the five affected municipalities to hold special town hall meetings regarding the MCRP, yet they are the first to ask for a specific contingency plan in case the project is passed by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
HOLMDEL – During a special meeting last week, the Holmdel Township Committee adopted a resolution opposing a controversial transmission line project and asking that the line be buried underground if ultimately approved.
Monmouth County Reliability Project, the name given to the $75 million proposal by Jersey Central Power and Light Company, is the installation of a 230-kilovolt transmission line spanning 10 miles along the NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line commuter rail line right-of-way. The line would begin in Aberdeen, and run through Hazlet, Holmdel and Middletown before ending in Red Bank. Monopoles supporting the transmission line would be placed at 500-foot intervals and could reach heights of 170 feet.
“JCP&L might have a job to do, but we have a property to protect,” said Holmdel Mayor Eric Hinds during the July 6 meeting.
In attendance at the Holmdel Township Senior/Community Center were Assembly-woman Amy Handlin, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, Hazlet Mayor Scott Aagre and Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso.
Holmdel Fire Official Dave Olsen estimated that about 350 residents attended the meeting, just under the hall’s capacity of 372.
Holmdel Township is the second of the five affected municipalities to hold special town hall meetings regarding the MCRP, yet they are the first to ask for a specific contingency plan in case the project is passed by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
“We can’t simply say ‘no, nothing, never,’ because that doesn’t win the argument of rationality and substance,” said Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon.
Holmdel’s backup plan, which is asking JCP&L to place the transmission lines underground if the project if approved, has been disputed by the utility company.
“While building the project underground may seem like a viable option, there are many significant obstacles to burying a 230-kilovolt transmission line,” said JCP&L spokesperson Ron Morano in an email to The Two River Times.
Specific to this project, Morano cited concerns to burying the line, which included “digging a large trench, resulting in extensive traffic disruptions across multiple communities, substantial environmental considerations and significantly higher costs.”
Holmdel’s backup plan, which is asking JCP&L to place the transmission lines underground if the project if approved, has been disputed by the utility company.
“While building the project underground may seem like a viable option, there are many significant obstacles to burying a 230-kilovolt transmission line,” said JCP&L spokesperson Ron Morano in an email to The Two River Times.
Specific to this project, Morano cited concerns to burying the line, which included “digging a large trench, resulting in extensive traffic disruptions across multiple communities, substantial environmental considerations and significantly higher costs.”
Currently, JCP&L does not have any 230-kilovolt transmission lines that are underground.
Assemblywoman Handlin also spoke at the meeting, and brought selections of expert testimony that Middletown Township used during its legal proceedings against JCP&L in 1989.
She cited three different reports, the first of which covered the number of health risks associated with electromagnetic fields, which was prepared by Dr. Andrew Marino of the Louisiana State University Medical Center.
The second and third testimonies laid out the effects that a 230-kilovolt line would have on the community. A report prepared by William Stack, an appraiser from Hoboken firm Stack & Stack, outlined how property values would be affected by the project. Handlin said that “while it is difficult to quantify the impact in terms of dollars, the appraiser estimates the impact to be a minimum of 10-30 percent on residential property in the community.”
Assemblywoman Handlin also spoke at the meeting, and brought selections of expert testimony that Middletown Township used during its legal proceedings against JCP&L in 1989.
She cited three different reports, the first of which covered the number of health risks associated with electromagnetic fields, which was prepared by Dr. Andrew Marino of the Louisiana State University Medical Center.
The second and third testimonies laid out the effects that a 230-kilovolt line would have on the community. A report prepared by William Stack, an appraiser from Hoboken firm Stack & Stack, outlined how property values would be affected by the project. Handlin said that “while it is difficult to quantify the impact in terms of dollars, the appraiser estimates the impact to be a minimum of 10-30 percent on residential property in the community.”
The third report by Richard Preiss, an urban planner with Hoboken firm Abeles, Phillips, Preiss & Shapiro, was used to “analyze the visual and aesthetic impact of the proposed line,” said Handlin.
These statements were echoed by Debra Draudt-Spiwak , the Holmdel coordinator for Residents Against Giant Electric (RAGE).
“We’re already hearing real estate agents tell us that some are already starting to turn away,” said the Hixon Terrace resident. “They hear about these powerlines and they don’t even want to look in this area, and that’s very concerning.”
“We’re already hearing real estate agents tell us that some are already starting to turn away,” said the Hixon Terrace resident. “They hear about these powerlines and they don’t even want to look in this area, and that’s very concerning.”
Serena DiMaso, who was in attendance on behalf of the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, said that the Freeholders would have a resolution in place to vote on for their next meeting, on July 14, which “will be sent forward with the rest of them and together we will show a unified front.”
“We want you to know, that first and foremost on our minds is the safety and welfare of our community,” said DiMaso, also a former Holmdel Mayor.
“We want you to know, that first and foremost on our minds is the safety and welfare of our community,” said DiMaso, also a former Holmdel Mayor.
