Huntley School Board Refuses to Join Power Line Placement Fight Against Com Ed

Another unreported story from the May 17th Huntley School District 158 board meeting is that the board rejected the Village of Huntley’s request to join it in opposing the placement of high tension lines.

Chief Operating Officer Glen Stewart briefed the board. At least I think I recognized his voice.

The little dots representing people on the Huntley School Board DVD that I got through a Freedom of Information request are too small to see who’s mouth is moving.

In any event, the board concluded they did not have a dog in the fight, even though it will cross a little, if ever used road, which I think runs along the edge of one of the school properties.

Newly elected board member Kevin Gentry asked how much Commonwealth Edison might be willing to pay for its power lines to cross district property.

Stewart suggested that it would probably be up to the amount it would cost Com Ed in attorney’s fees to get the Illinois Commerce Commission to issue an order for the crossing.

I know virtually nothing about this fight, but I do remember when Com Ed tried to put power lines at the western and southern edge of the Lake in the Hills subdivision southeast of the intersection of Algonquin and Lakewood Roads.

I even participated in a sign carrying demonstration at the subdivision’s entrance one Saturday. The signs warned potential purchasers that some new homes would back up to the electric lines.

We succeeded in convincing Com Ed to move them in the middle of a field to the west, where you can see them today.

You can notice that the subdivision next door is separated from the lines by a drainage area.

It’s a shame Com Ed didn’t think of such a solution ahead of time (in 1998, I think).


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *