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Daylong open house slated as substation decision nears

Jay Hamburger THE PARK RECORD

A daylong open house is scheduled on Tuesday as City Hall continues to consider the disputed idea to move a Rocky Mountain Power substation across Bonanza Drive.

The open house is planned from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. in the Park City Council chambers at the Marsac Building. It is planned shortly after another open house, organized by an opposition group, is scheduled.

City Hall staffers like City Engineer Matt Cassel and Planning Director Tom Eddington are expected to attend on behalf of the municipal government. The two have been heavily involved in the discussions about the substation. Rocky Mountain Power is also anticipated to be represented.

Cassel said the open house will feature at least seven stations with information about the idea to move the substation. There will be a map showing the underlying zoning in the vicinity of the site, a map showing the proposed redevelopment of the Bonanza Park district and a description of how a substation move would be funded.

Displays will include a timeline as well as physical and computer models.

The open house next week will be one of the last opportunities for people to study the idea and speak to people who are involved in the decision. The City Council is expected to cast a vote on June 20.

People who are interested in the open house may contact Cassel at 615-5056 or at matt.cassel@parkcity.org.

The price tag to move the substation, bury related power lines and beautify the site is estimated at $11.4 million. It is not clear how the project would be funded.

The lead developer in the Bonanza Park district wants to swap land on lower Iron Horse Drive for the Munchkin Drive parcel where the substation now sits. Mark J. Fischer says Bonanza Park would not be as ambitious as it could be if the substation is left in the Munchkin Drive location, which sits in a prime spot in Bonanza Park.

People who live or own properties close to the lower Iron Horse Drive location where the substation would be relocated are dismayed with the idea. They argue that a substation would be unsightly and depress property values.

Rocky Mountain Power says it needs an upgraded facility in Park City to meet the demand for electricity. Officials from the company have said Rocky Mountain Power is able to redo the substation where it sits now or build a new one on Iron Horse Drive. The company wants either the current substation upgraded or a new one built by the fall of 2015.

A newly formed opposition group that does not want the substation moved to Iron Horse Drive is calling itself the Park City Coalition for Responsible Development. An advertisement from the group is critical of how a substation would look at the Iron Horse Drive site, the price tag and the impact on surrounding property values.

The advertisement includes a computer-generated image showing a block-like building and a price tag advertising "On sale today! Only $11,400,000" attached to a light pole next to the building. It points out the nearby western terminus of the Rail Trail and Bonanza Drive.

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