Don Nelson, who lives on Hemlock, said the new poles are affecting the look of the area.
“It makes a huge difference here in neighborhood,” he said, adding that the value of property would go down with the larger metal poles in place.
John Toone, spokesman for Oncor Electric Delivery, said the poles are about 90 feet tall and rest on a concrete base about 5 feet in diameter. The metal poles will replace wooden ones.
He said the work is part of a larger transmission line rebuilding project stretching about 12 miles between two substations; one on Interstate 35 close to the Leon River and the other in a rural area east of Temple. The project should be finished in May, he said. It runs about a mile and a half through the neighborhoods.
“That line is really old and built back in the 1930s and we’re upgrading it and making it a little safer,” Toone said.
He said the wires will be higher than they were on the wooden poles.
“It is an inconvenience for everybody who lives in the area right now,” he said. “But I think actually things will look better when it is all finished.”
He said the lines are being upgraded because of increased demands.
“This is a response to a growing Texas,” he said. “We’re just trying to stay ahead of it like everybody else. It’s just part of infrastructure keeping pace with population growth.”
John Morrison, a realtor with Joan Mikeska Realty Inc., said the pole installation likely spelled the end of a house sale for him.
“We had a contract on a property accepted by the seller,” he said. “A day prior to closing the buyer backed out because of that (the poles). That was a major factor to cause that contract to still be tied up.”
Claude Tate, a retired Scott & White physician, said he was not all that upset by the work being done.
“They sent a letter saying they were going to do it and they called when they were coming (to begin work),” he said.
He said they have replaced a wooden set of poles in his yard.
“It’s been kind of fun watching them do it,” he said.
Dr. Tate, who has lived in his house for about 24 years, said that although he does not like the looks of the poles, he understands it has to be done.
“We wish they had not done it, but they had the right to do it and they have been very nice about it,” he said.
“It may turn out to be prettier than what we had, depending on what kind of landscaping they do,” he added, referring to his yard, which had been left natural with minimal landscaping.
Toone said the company is working with residents as much as possible on the project.
“We’re putting everything back as good or better than before,” he said. “All landscaping is done at our cost.”
He explained that a transmission line is a larger set of lines that carry larger amounts of electricity. He compared it to Interstate 35 carrying more traffic. A distribution line carries power to neighborhoods and carries less volume.
The transmission lines being replaced are “H” frame lines, he said, with two poles side by side. One metal pole will replace each set of wooden poles, he said.
“We’re trying to make this as painless as possible, knowing it is a hard thing for everybody,” Toone said.
