RESIDENTS of Moodyville on edge about whether their neighbourhood is about to become a corridor for high-voltage power lines will have to wait at least one week more.
Port Metro Vancouver has been looking into other options for servicing the industrial waterfront including running 69-kilovolt transmission lines on its own property, but it's too soon to say if that will be possible, according to Justin Pedley, PMV's director of trade areas and infrastructure delivery.
The port needs to find a way to run transmission lines to Richardson International's terminal at the foot of St. Davids Avenue as part of the Low Level Road expansion project.
"We know we said to the community and council that we were going to try to report back by Wednesday (March 27) or shortly after Wednesday," Pedley said. "The week of April 8 is probably when we'll be in a good position to update everyone. . . . We recognize they want an update and we're working diligently to make sure what we present has been well thought out and reviewed," Pedley said.
Residents who live near the port's waterfront industrial land have been repeatedly dismayed after the city approved the Low Level Road expansion project only to learn that Richardson and Neptune Bulk Terminals were both planning massive expansions not disclosed during the Low Level Road public process.
The City of North Vancouver's independent electrical engineer is expected to file a report with the city and address it at the next council meeting, according to Mayor Darrell Mussatto.
Running the transmission wires on port property instead of St. Davids Avenue would be no small feat for the port and its tenant, Pedley said. "We did indicate to the city that it would be substantial (cost) to reroute. . . ."
In the meantime neighbours hold out hope, albeit faint hope, said First Street resident Amanda Nichol. "It makes me feel positive regardless of how I feel about the port and how little I trust them."
PMV should opt for the for the route on port land, even if it is more expensive, Nichol said, as the port and its tenants stand to profit from increased industrial activity, not nearby residents.
Despite the anger directed at Richardson, the new power lines and recent tree-clearing are a result of the Low Level Road project, not Richardson's planned expansion, which is still pending approval by PMV, said Tracey Shelton, Richardson's director of corporate communications. "We're at a position where we're at maximum capacity and we simply cannot hold and export more grains and oil than we already do," she said. "We would have put our proposal forward to expand our terminal with or without the approval of the Low Level Road project." Richardson is planning to spend $250,000 to transplant mature trees into the neighbourhood to help offset the impacts of industrial activity, Shelton added.
PMV expects to be able to make an announcement about the Richardson project application this spring.
Scan this page to see PMV's renderings of what St. Davids Avenue will look like with the high-voltage lines.
