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3/4/2004MINUTES OF AN ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROLLING HILLS, CALIFORNIA MARCH 4, 2004 CALL TO ORDER An adjourned regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Rolling Hills was called to order by Mayor Hill at 7:30 a.m. in the vicinity of the trail adjacent to 35 and 37 Crest Road West, Rolling Hills, California. ROLL CALL Councilmembers Present: Black, Lay, Pernell, Mayor Pro Tem Heinsheimer and Mayor Hill. Councilmembers Absent: None. Others Present: Craig Nealis, City Manager. Yolanta Schwartz, Planning Director. Scott Gobble, Southern California Edison Company. Dr. & Mrs. Richard Krauthamer, 41 Crest Road West. Mr. Richard Colyear, 35 Crest Road West. Dr. Yu -Ping Liu, 39 Crest Road West. OLD BUSINESS FIELD REVIEW OF THE UTILITY POLES AND LINES ON THE PROPERTIES IN THE VICINITY OF 35 AND 37 CREST ROAD WEST AND REVIEW OF THE MITIGATION MEASURES IMPLEMENTED BY EDISON TO ALLEVIATE SAFETY CONCERNS EXPRESSED BY RESIDENTS IN THE AREA. Those in attendance viewed the mitigation measures on and adjacent to the utility poles extending from the north side of Crest Road to the Krauthamer property. SCE Representative Scott Gobble pointed out where Edison removed two Eucalyptus trees that were in conflict with the utility lines and the 10 ft. mast arms that were installed on the 3 southerly most poles replacing the existing 4 ft. mast arms. Mr. Gobble also pointed out where Edison trimmed a Eucalyptus tree on Mr. Liu's property and where Edison crews had trimmed a pepper tree. Mr. Gobble also showed where "bird guard" had been installed in connection with a transformer. Mr. Gobble reiterated that these mitigation measures are consistent with G.O. Code Section 95 of the 2004 Codes and are in keeping with Edison standards. Mr. Gobble commented that he believes that the lines had previously disconnected due to branches coming into contact with the lines close to the Liu property. He expressed that the Edison mitigation measures have eliminated these concerns. Mrs. Krauthamer questioned whether Edison could provide a guarantee that the lines would never become disconnected. Mr. Gobble indicated that an absolute guarantee of any future power failure could not be provided in any Edison systems. Mr. Gobble explained the private undergrounding effort that could be initiated and funded by the property owners and indicated that a deposit of $2,000 to $3,000 would be required to initiate this process. He further indicated that the parties would be free to hire a contractor of their choosing to complete the undergrounding work. Mr. Richard Colyear distributed a letter dated February 24, 2004 from Niolakopulos and Associates, of Torrance, California, disputing the Edison position that the single, most northerly span of the lines could not be undergrounded without undergrounding the entire span to Crest Road. Mr. Gobble disagreed with this position and said that the transformer on the third pole would prevent undergrounding from going to an overhead capacity on that pole, and that the required anchor for that pole would end up being placed in the center of the equestrian trail which would not be in keeping with Edison's construction standards. Mr. Colyear expressed a desire to pursue undergrounding the most northerly span of the lines and placing the transformer underground. Dr. and Mrs. Krauthamer reiterated that their issue with the lines is safety and not aesthetics. Minutes City Council Meeting 03/04/04 6e Councilmember James Black and Mayor Pro Tem Tom Heinsheimer excused themselves from the meeting at 7:59 p.m. Dr. Liu suggested that the third pole with the transformer could be relocated to the south thereby allowing the anchor to be placed in an area that is not in conflict with the equestrian trail. Mayor Hill questioned the cost of undergrounding the single span verses the entire span of lines to Crest Road. Mr. Richard Colyear indicated that he estimates it would cost approximate $32,000 to underground the northerly most span and approximately $140,000 to underground the lines to Crest Road. Councilmember Lay suggested that this meeting be continued to an evening City Council meeting so that all Councilmembers could hear these additional concerns. Following discussion, Councilmember Pernell suggested that Edison research the feasibility of placing nets below the northerly most span of lines to prevent the lines from falling to the ground should they become disconnected in the future. Mr. Gobble agreed to research this subject and provide a report to the City Council at their March 8, 2004 City Council meeting. OPEN AGENDA - PUBLIC COMMENT WELCOME None. ADJOURNMENT Hearing no further business before the City Council, Mayor Hill adjourned the meeting at 8:10 a.m. to the next regular meeting of the City Council to be held on Monday, March 8, 2004, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, at City Hall, 2 Portuguese Bend Road, Rolling Hills, California. Respectfully submitted, Craig-KNealis City Manager Appr ved, rank E. Hill Mayor Minutes City Council Meeting 03/04/04 -2- 1 1