Proposed Saliman power line may be rerouted

NV Energy is considering rerouting a power line it had planned to build along Saliman Road between Koontz Lane and Fairview Drive, a move that comes as good news to more than 50 homeowners in the area who raised objections.

Carson City Mayor Marv Teixeira said the new plan, which came after a meeting on Tuesday morning in the office of Gov. Jim Gibbons, would route the line along the Carson City bypass. In addition to the mayor and governor, others attending the meeting were Supervisor Pete Livermore, who had vowed to help the residents find a solution, Department of Transportation Director Susan Martinovich and NV Energy Vice President Jeffrey L. Ceccarelli.

Residents opposed the project because, they said, it would block their views, decrease their home values and pose a potential health threat.

The new plan falls short of a done deal, but it does mean that NDOT and NV Energy will work together to make the new route a reality, said Karl Walquist, a utilities representative. For example, they will discuss whether the sound wall that will be built along the freeway will allow enough clearance for the powerline to be placed there as well.

"As a result of the meeting ... NDOT is going to take another look at the requirements to see if they can accommodate a power line along that alignment," he said. "There are issues that remain to be resolved."

Teixeira commended the governor for agreeing to call together all parties involved in the issue.

"This meeting was so productive," Teixeira said. "A lot of the potential objections were resolved."

Action is expected to be taken on the new plan at the city Supervisor's meeting on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Community Center.

The development was greeted with enthusiasm by residents in the area.

"I thought we'd have to go through a big fight," said Patricia Nicholas, a resident of one of the homes near the Saliman route. She said there were 53 homes that would have been affected if the power line had been routed there.

Putting the powerlines underground was also explored, but that option would have required residents to pay the extra cost of burying the lines.