Residents ready to fight Fairview power substation

Residents of a southeast Carson City neighborhood hope to force a proposed Fairview Drive electric substation to move away from their homes.

The substation is proposed by Sierra Pacific Power Co., which has been meeting with residents of Pullman and Caboose drives, located off Saliman Road.

According to Sierra Pacific spokesman Karl Walquist, the substation is similar to one at Emerson Drive and Mark Way in North Carson City.

Walquist said the company will apply for a permit from Carson supervisors to make a screening wall 8 feet tall. City code only allows a 6-foot wall.

The substation will be located on property behind Snap-On Tools and is an allowed use on the property, which means it does not require approval from city supervisors.

However, Pullman Drive resident Frank Longaberger isn't going to let that prevent neighbors from trying to get the substation to move.

The 78-year-old emphysema sufferer said the substation will be behind his house.

"We want to get rid of the substation," he said. "It's no good. There's going to be thousands of volts going in and out of that. They claim it's no good being near electricity."

Residents plan to meet at 3 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Good Shepherd Wesleyan Church to discuss the substation.

Longaberger said he expects many residents to show up.

"I think we'll get a good turnout," he said. "We plan on passing out fliers. Pete Livermore is our representative here and he's setting it up."

Longaberger purchased his home in 1988 based on the views from both front and back.

"We can sit on the living room front porch and see McClellan Peak," he said. "If you go to the back, we have a little patio and you can see Jobs Peak. It's one reason we bought the house."

Walquist said the company hasn't yet filed notice with the city to begin the approval process.

The substation will be used to step down voltage from a 120,000-volt power line for distribution to South Carson City.

"It is important to serve the continued growth in Carson City, including South Carson City," Walquist said. "It is a matter of keeping up with the demand for power."

Walquist said the substation at Mark Way and Emerson Drive is similar to the one proposed for Fairview. The difference is the existing substation has a 10-foot wall and the new one would have an 8-foot wall.

"The block wall will have a similar appearance and there will be landscaping in the buffer zone," Walquist said. "We hope to start construction of the substation in the summer of 2004 and have it done early next year."

This is not the first time Sierra Pacific has had trouble with neighbors over a substation. An initial attempt to place the Emerson substation at Arrowhead Drive was rebuffed by neighbors in spring 1999. Six months later, the power company returned with another plan to move the substation south to Emerson and Mark, which was approved.