HECO sets meetings
to discuss power linesPalolo residents are upset that no
hearings will be held in the area
Hawaiian Electric Co. will explain this week why it wants to build new power lines as emergency backups to existing lines.
"We'll talk about the potential impacts of an outage. We're going to make our best shot to explain why we think we have to do this," HECO spokesman Peter Rosegg said.
Power line meetings
Tomorrow: Filipino Community Center, 94-428 Mokuola St., Waipahu
Tuesday: Dole Cannery Ballroom, 650 Iwilei Road
Wednesday: Hawaii Pacific University, Hawaii Loa Campus, Room No. 101Participants are asked to sign in at 6:30 p.m. The meetings are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Information about the proposals will be available at www.heco.com after tomorrow's meeting.
The company announced in mid-May that it was offering three underground options to accomplish its goal of more redundancy in its distribution system: a 3.6-mile, 138-kilovolt line from Moiliili to the upper Palolo Valley or one of two plans employing shorter, 46-kilovolt lines in the McCully-Ala Moana area.
HECO presenters at public meetings tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday nights will tell the cost and estimated construction schedule for each of its three proposals and field questions from the public, Rosegg said.
All are alternatives to putting aerial 138-kilovolt lines over Waahila Ridge, a plan that was rejected by the Board of Land and Natural Resources last year.
Darlene Nakayama, chairwoman of the Palolo Neighborhood Board, was one of 10 people knocking on doors in Palolo yesterday to tell residents about HECO's proposal and the meetings. Most people hadn't heard about it and were disappointed that none of the meetings will be held in Palolo, she said.
The Palolo Community Council and Hoolaulima O Palolo are offended that they aren't invited to serve on HECO's Community Advisory Committee , which is to meet privately Thursday night, PCC President Karen Iwamoto said.
Those groups can give input through the Palolo Neighborhood Board member on the committee, Rosegg said.
Henry Curtis, president of the Life of the Land, one of several community groups that protested the Waahila Ridge line, said he's still unconvinced there is an actual need for new power lines.
"We haven't seen any documents or anything that says that this is needed," Curtis said. "I should think that would be a first step, that HECO would publish something that would show need and give people the time to digest a report. To publish engineering and cost information on Monday and have us address it on Thursday is crazy."
If people aren't convinced in the next few days, Rosegg said, they'll be able to argue against the lines when the Public Utilities Commission considers HECO's proposals.
