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
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