PD Country Club Members Decry City’s Plan To Underground Utilities

A group of more than 100 Palm Desert Country Club residents mostly expressed their disproval Wednesday night of a proposal to move telephone and power lines underground in their neighborhoods.

“The proposed utility undergrounding is, in my estimate, a misguided plan,’’ said a PDCC resident, who identified himself as Frederich.  “It does not include and account for the current economic conditions.”

The comment came during a public hearing at Alice Marble Hall, a community building owned by the Homeowner’s Association.

The project would require approval of the majority of residents cast ballots before the Palm Desert City Council could allow the undergrounding to move forward.

The $22 million project will involve digging trenches on roadways in the area and some work on homeowners’ properties to connect the utilities with the homes.

The project, which was first proposed in 1999, will mostly be paid for with redevelopment funds, which can be used for eliminating blight in the city, according to Assistant City Manager Justin McCarthy, who attended the meeting.

The city has promised $12.1 million toward the effort.

Undergrounding power line qualifies for redevelopment money because the cables are considered a health and safety hazard, said Catherine Walker, senior manager analyst for Palm Desert’s Redevelopment Agency.

But because the construction will be on some private property, the residents will have to contribute part of the cost in their “assessments,” or taxes.

A typical single-family home will pay between $3,200 to $9,000 in increased taxes over the next 30 years to pay for the project, according to Habib Isaac, project manager with Willdan Financial Services, an engineering firm hired by the city.

Terry Archer, a member of the HOA's board of directors, said he opposed the project because the utility companies have refused to pay for part of the project.

"They are not contributing a dime," Archer told the group. "We have some of the highest electrical rates in the nation. They should participate in this."

The project is before residents as the city’s redevelopment agency is currently one of 18 agencies by the state. The review was ordered as part of Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to eliminate RDAs in order to bridge the state’s budget deficit.