Some members of the recently formed Foothills Preservation Alliance will wear shirts to a public meeting that night with a message for Duke: “United to Save Our Foothills.”
Duke plans to spend $320 million to construct a 45-mile, 230-kilovolt transmission line from Asheville to South Carolina and a substation off Interstate 26 in Campobello. The transmission line’s proposed routes are available for viewing at http://dukeenergyfoothillsproject.power-viz.com.
It’s part of a larger project to convert the coal-burning Asheville plant to natural gas. The power company notified by letter 3,700 landowners in North and South Carolina who may be within 500 feet of the line.
Duke is hosting a series of public meetings to provide information about the project. The next one will be held 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Landrum Middle School gymnasium at 104 Redland Road in Landrum. The first public meeting was held last week in Fletcher, N.C., and it drew about 500 people, according to Duke Energy spokeswoman Megan Musgraves.
Another large crowd is expected to attend the meeting in Landrum.
Among them is Walt Myers of Campobello. Myers moved from Chicago to Campobello 14 years ago. He was one of 250 people who gathered Saturday at Foothills Community Church in Landrum to begin organizing opposition to Duke’s substation and transmission line plan.
Myers said one of the proposed routes brings the transmission line over his property and over the property of his nine neighbors in the Golden Hill area of Campobello. Myers said he believed the line would hurt the region’s quality of life.
“People in our community come from many places,” Myers said. “They are all drawn here because this is horse country.”
Myers said he believed Duke’s plan could adversely impact the local economy and harm the environment. “It seems so nonsensical to do that kind of stuff,” Myers said.
Becky Barnes of Landrum said the Foothills Preservation Alliance formed Saturday at Foothills Community Church. The alliance’s mission is to provide a unified and effective message to Duke regarding the economic, environmental, cultural and aesthetic impact the proposed project will have on the community, according to Barnes.
Barnes said the alliance will work to provide data to Duke that can be used in finalizing the routing decision for the line. The alliance includes Greenspace of Fairview, Golden Hill, the North Pacolet Trail Association, the Ceta Trail Association and the Jackson Grove Property Owners. Barnes said more groups are likely to join the alliance in coming weeks.
“We are trying to build a network for all different groups,” Barnes said. “Right now we are getting organized for Tuesday’s meeting in Landrum.”
Suzanne Strickland, who owns Stone Soup restaurant in Landrum, said many people in her community are upset about Duke’s plan. Strickland said the community has worked had to preserve the region’s natural beauty and a transmission line would be detrimental to the economy and environment.
For Madelon Wallace of Campobello, the transmission line would “decimate the economy.” The area currently depends on wineries, agri-tourism, tourism and the equestrian industry to help drive the economy, Wallace said. Property values would also be adversely affected if the project were to move forward, Wallace said.
“This community is fired up, believe it,” Wallace said about opposition to Duke over the plan.
Duke unveiled maps last week detailing possible routes for the transmission line. Musgraves said construction could begin in November 2017 and be completed by August 2019.
According to Duke, electricity use is increasing in and around the Asheville area. Duke’s demand for electricity in the Western Carolinas service territory is expected to increase by more than 15 percent in the next decade.
The project to convert the Asheville power plant from coal-burning to natural gas still needs approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Musgraves said.
There are 44 potential route sections for the transmission line.
Following Tuesday’s meeting in Landrum, one will be 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday in Flat Rock, N.C. Residents can also leave comments on the Duke website, at www.duke-energy.com/WCTransmissionEnhancements, call 888-238-0373 or email WCTransmissionEnhancements@duke-energy.com.
Follow Chris Lavender on Twitter @LavenderSHJ
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