The Los Altos Hills neighborhood willing to contribute the most money could be the first to end up with its public utilities underground.
The Los Altos Hills City Council is considering a new way to fund a pilot undergrounding project to bury a one-mile section of utility wires under a town road.
At the July 15 regular meeting, Councilman Bob Fenwick suggested allotting $2.7 million for the project, with $900,000 contributed by the city, 20A funds and a private donor or group of donors. The private donor or group would also act as a tiebreaker deciding which of the six streets identified at the June 6 town picnic as possible project sites should be undergrounded.
“If people are only willing to send an e-mail and not open their wallets, I don’t think you can take that very seriously,” Fenwick said.
Most city council members expressed support for having a private donor fund the pilot project, but Mayor Mike O’Malley objected, calling the idea “Darwinian” because the person or group with the most money would decide the project’s location. A private road or cul de sac is not eligible for 20A funds since PG&E stipulates the pilot project must benefit the community as a whole and be on a well-traveled road.
Dean Warshawsky, councilman and chairman of the undergrounding committee, said it would be better to have a “trailblazer” willing to donate $900,000 than to have no donor at all.
“There might be some people who feel there is Darwinism or pay-to-play,” Warshawsky said. “However, we need to be realistic and realize this is something that is going to plague us for years and private funding is the way to go.”
In May, faced by an independent survey showing insufficient support for a townwide undergrounding project, the city council decided to move ahead with a pilot project in the hope that it would garner enough support to pass a ballot measure to underground the entire city.
Originally, the council planned to use $900,000 in 20A funds, money set aside annually by utility companies for undergrounding on public streets, that would be matched by the city to pay for the project. The project is expected to take three to five years to complete.
Of the $900,000 available from the 20A funds, $700,000 comes from PG&E while SBC and Comcast have each set aside $100,000.
The six roads residents selected as potential projects areas are: Elena, Viscaino, Altamont, Fremont, Purissima and Moody.
“I would say the council has an open mind,” Warshawsky said about the new direction the council may take to finance undergrounding a city road.
“They support the project and want to see undergrounding. If someone is willing to donate to certain causes, we as a council would have to take that into consideration.”
