Residents of a St. Charles subdivision want Commonweath Edison to reconsider a 16-mile, high-voltage power line proposed along Randall Road.
Harry Eng, representing the Oak Crest Townhome Association, said residents of the 61-home subdivision support bringing more power to St. Charles but are concerned about risks linked to electromagnetic fields as well as disruption from construction and potential damage to property values.
“We want to work with this body,” he told the St. Charles City Council. “We want to find and support an alternative” to a line along Randall.
Alternatives frequently cited are to build the line along Peck Road or Illinois Highway 47 or bury it along Randall, said Mayor Susan Klinkhamer.
ComEd plans a public meeting on the issue from 4 to 8 p.m. April 17 at the Kane County Fairgrounds. A series of stations will be set up to cover such matters as real estate values, health and construction disruption, Klinkhamer said.
ComEd proposes to extend a 138-kilovolt line along Randall from South Elgin to North Aurora to boost the power capability in the burgeoning commercial area and residences to the west.
The proposal has also aroused opposition in Batavia, Geneva and North Aurora.
The Illinois Commerce Commission is expected to rule on the proposal later this year, according to Glen Amburgey, superintendent of St. Charles’ electric utility.
He said the power line’s poles would be 80 to 110 feet high and have 5-foot branchlike stubs holding the lines.
