Another town poised to join fight against power lines

Opposition to new electrical lines needed to bring power to the data center in Port Washington continues to grow, with the Fredonia Town Board poised to vote Wednesday night on a resolution opposing these high-voltage lines.

Two resolutions — one drafted by the town and the other by the grassroots Protect Fredonia Coalition — were to be considered on Sept. 10 by the board.

Town Chairman Chris Janik said Tuesday that the resolution was drafted at the behest of residents opposed to a proposed route for the high-voltage lines.

Janik, who met with a number of residents Friday about the project, said they had one clear message: “We really don’t want this power line development going through the Town of Fredonia.”

He said he expected a crowd at Wednesday’s meeting, adding “I am thinking everyone’s going to be thinking the same way. There are obviously a lot of people who are not happy about a new power line going through the Town of Fredonia to power a data center in Port Washington.”

The goal for the meeting, he said, is to approve a resolution opposing the power line route that runs through the town.

While public comments on the proposed transmission routes were being accepted by American Transmission Co. through Sept. 5, Janik said he spoke to a company representative who said if the town’s resolution was submitted by Sept. 11 it will be included into ATC’s filing with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.

The commission, which will receive alternate route proposals for the line from ATC, will then determine which route will be used to bring power to the data center site.

Janik said the board was expected to approve a resolution on the power line issue, predicting that residents who don’t want the lines will find “they’re kind of preaching to the choir.”

Both resolutions in many ways mirror one passed by the Saukville Town Board on Aug. 27 that also opposed the lines.

Fredonia’s two resolutions say many of the same things but the one proposed by Protect Fredonia uses stronger language, Janik said.

Both resolutions contend the power lines will negatively impact property values, infringe on the privacy of residents and present potential health and safety hazards.

The Protect Fredonia resolution also notes the impact on natural areas, sites previously inhabited by Native Americans and farming operations.

Both also seek to have any new power lines located along existing electrical transmission rights of ways and corridors.

“Failure to use existing ATC rights of way in favor of the newly constructed high-voltage transmission lines will negatively affect the pristine nature of the town in a material way and disrupt and destroy valuable environmental, cultural and historic assets of the town and its residents,” the Protect Fredonia resolution states, adding the town should investigate whether a special counsel is needed to represent the township before the PSC.

“The key reason to oppose it (the power lines) is the people who live here don’t want it,” Janik said. “The big reason people don’t want it is the way it will look — a line of metal poles 150 feet tall — and it’s serving something that is not of great benefit to the Town of Fredonia.”

The power line proposal is one that snuck up on the town, Janik said, noting that “all the sudden out of the blue I got a call from ATC that there’s a proposal for power lines through the Town of Fredonia. It all happened rather quickly.”

The Protect Fredonia Coalition also came together quickly, member Shelly Martens said. After ATC held an informational meeting on the power line routes in Port on Aug. 19, she and a group of about 75 residents of the town met to figure out the best way to fight it.

Their reasons to fight the lines vary, she said.

“Every neighbor has his own concern. There are local small farmers that would have to deal with a change to field work patterns. It would impact their cattle. Some said it might put them out of business,” Martens said.

The impact on the environment and natural areas are also a concern, she said, especially the Milwaukee River mesic woods, which has a unique environment and provides an important habitat for all varieties of species.

Some people have health concerns, she said, and many are worried about the impact the lines would have on property values.

While the town has little say in the routes of the power line, Janik said, the resolution gives town residents a voice in the process.

“We can pass a resolution but there’s no real binding effect,” he said.