Open house set for proposed power line upgrade

American Electric Power is holding an open house from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Findlay Elks Lodge, 900 W. Melrose Ave., for residents along an overhead transmission line which extends from a substation along Township Road 94, west of County Road 140, through McComb to Leipsic. AEP plans to replace 60- to 70-foot wooden poles along the 20-mile route with 75- to 95-foot metal poles for about $45 million, said Maggie Beggs, project outreach specialist for AEP. It also would be adding a wire to increase voltage to better serve the area, she said. In a couple of areas along the route the location of the line might be changed, and AEP is seeking residents' feedback, she said. The existing wooden poles, some of which were installed before 1970, are showing deterioration, Beggs said. "It's mainly age," she said. "The load in the area has grown since the line was originally built, so that's why we are replacing the conductor (wire), because we are upgrading the voltage to be able to support the additional load" as a result of growth in the area. AEP plans to apply for approval of the project by the Ohio Power Siting Board by year-end. If it gets approval, a pre-construction phase would be in 2024, and construction would occur in 2025, she said.