Agenda - 12-01-1997 - 4a - Laserfiche WebLink

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J Piedmont EMC Page 2 Using input from the community as well as established siting criteria, Piedmont EMC and its consulting firm narrowed the selection to four routes and invited those in the area to a second public meeting. "Piedmont EMC takes its responsibilities very seriously. We asked for input, we listened to what the public said and we have responded with the selection of a route that satisfies both the concerns of the majority of the community as well as the engineering needs of the Cooperative," Mr. Mabbott says. The Orange County Board of Commissioners had requested Piedmont EMC to postpone the selection of the route until its December meeting. "We wanted to balance the wishes of the Board with the wishes of the community. But, to be responsive to the county commissioners' desire for a delay, we felt we would be extending the anxiety of the residents in the New Hope Community by withholding the route we have selected," said the Cooperative's spokesperson, adding that Piedmont EMC will make a presentation on the transmission project at the December Orange County Board of Commissioners meeting as requested. The actual decision on the route was made November 17, and a process was put in motion to announce the decision by the end of the week. A November 21 deadline for receiving additional questionnaires from the public and adequate time to contact landowners along the selected route dictated the timing of the announcement. "We appreciate the input from the community as we went through the siting process. We honestly asked for comments from the residents, and we listened to what they had to say. This is the way the siting process is designed to work, and I'm glad to see that it does," Mr. Mabbott said. The initial decision to locate a substation in the New Hope Community came after concentrated study on the requirements needed to continue to provide quality electric service to the member-consumers of Piedmont EMC. (More)