Florida Power & Light has started its project to bury power lines in Ocean Ridge. The project area (shaded on map) covers 1.43 miles and affects 86 customers. Map provided
By John Pacenti
It was a utilities open house at the monthly Ocean Ridge Town Commission meeting on Oct. 6, and residents got some exciting news: Electricity lines will be buried, new water meters will be installed and the town is exploring the idea of bringing in natural gas.
There were some caveats, though. For instance, not all of the town would have power lines put underground and it still must be determined if it’s feasible to bring natural gas to Ocean Ridge.
Ari Monzon, the representative with Florida Public Utilities, said natural gas is 3.3 times more affordable than electricity and households that use it for heating, cooking and drying clothes save on average $1,000 a year. It is nearly 100% reliable, he said.
Monzon said he met with town staff and the next step is a feasibility study conducted by the utility to determine the cost of extending the company’s gas line from Gulf Stream along State Road A1A.
The problem is the line is a feeder, Monzon said, and “we’re not sure if we extend it all the way, whether or not we’d have gas to feed” Ocean Ridge.
Preliminary estimates suggest connection fees of around $4,000 per household, though this could be reduced through appliance conversion rebates, he said.
Mayor Geoff Pugh said the town explored spending about $1.3 million in 2006 to connect all homes to natural gas. He said natural gas could feed the town’s generators, which now rely on diesel fuel — something that can become scarce in the aftermath of a hurricane.
“What it does is actually goes to the next step of the infrastructure we’re trying to do here in town,” Pugh said. “This town needs natural gas.”
Florida Power & Light updated the commission on the underground power line project — covering 1.43 miles and affecting 86 customers — to improve storm resistance. FPL is footing the bill after choosing the section of town because it was found to most benefit from undergrounding due to the extensive vegetation, which is the number one reason for power outages.
The boundaries for undergrounding run south from the Boynton Inlet along A1A and then the homes in the neighborhoods to the west, buttressed by Island Drive and Sabal Island Drive.
“We are already well underway, about 30% or so within the project,” said Amy Kemp, a government liaison for FPL. However, no construction has started yet, with FPL focused on design, permitting and customer outreach.
“We are still very early on in the outreach phase where we’re trying to place the transformers, right?” Kemp said.
Kemp wanted to tell residents that there is never any reason for any power company employees or contractors to go inside a home. All conversations about the project occur outside the properties, she said.
So are those ugly utility poles going bye-bye? Not necessarily, because they are still used by cable and telecommunication companies and the town would need those companies to agree to bury their lines as well.
Pugh pressed Kemp on when the whole town would have its power lines buried, but she said it depends on whether state requirements are met.
Last but not least on utility open house night, Poonam Kalkat, utilities director for Boynton Beach, updated commissioners on how the town gets its water. She said the city is preparing to modernize its two water treatment plants.
The utility has 37,000 water meters that are past their lifespan and are being replaced.
So far, 200 meters have been replaced in Ocean Ridge, with the 500 remaining to be swapped out in the next year, she said.
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