Residents unhappy with ComEd over line along Elgin-O'Hare
ComEd held the first of four informational open houses for residents living along a newly proposed power line Tuesday night in Schaumburg.
Some homeowners near the planned West Central Transmission Line — which would connect substations in Bartlett and Itasca — are concerned it will detract from the villages' aesthetics and decrease home values. The line and its 140- to 170-foot steel poles would back up to the current line and cost $50 million to $60 million.
Iwona Chojnacki, who lives in an unincorporated area near Schaumburg, says it's unfair to install the new line around houses that have been there for years.
“Maybe it would be a little different story if it was a new neighborhood and you see the power lines behind you in your backyard; it's your choice if you want to purchase it or not,” said Chojnacki's son, Marcin.
Now, Marcin Chojnacki says, he's worried that if residents try to sell their houses with the power line there, they won't get the full value.
“If you want to, put something on the north side of Elgin-O'Hare,” Iwona Chojnacki said. “There are wooded areas. Why don't they look at those for the lines? It wouldn't bother anybody on the other side.”
ComEd Director of External Affairs Mark Falcone says the transmission lines are built to serve the greater good of a city or region.
“People, in general, are not going to be supportive of 140- to 170-foot towers that are going up in their neighborhoods. But in the grander scheme of things, it's something that's necessary for us to have reliability and strength,” Falcone said.
ComEd is meeting with village and county officials to get input and explain the transmission line's potential benefits.
About 100,000 ComEd households and businesses in Hanover Park, Bartlett, Roselle, Streamwood, Schaumburg, Bloomingdale and Itasca could benefit from the new line, which, according to ComEd's website, would provide better reliability. The route along the Elgin-O'Hare was chosen because it would make minimal impact, ComEd Communications Manager Liz Keating said.
Hanover Park Village President Rod Craig said he's helped organize other village leaders in the region to talk with ComEd about options for the line. A group of village leaders plans to meet with ComEd next week.
“We've had a good dialogue for a number of years about the land along the Elgin-O'Hare corridor,” Craig said.
Schaumburg Village Manager Brian Townsend said ComEd will have to work with the village and the FAA to make sure the plan doesn't interfere with flights going in and out of the Schaumburg Regional Airport.
“I'm not against it, and I'm not for it,” Craig said. “I just need to know more details.”
ComEd must get approval from the Illinois Commerce Commission before breaking ground.
The next Schaumburg meeting is 4 to 7 p.m. Jan. 19 in the Schaumburg Park District Renaissance Room, 505 N. Springinsguth Road.
Roselle meetings will be 4 to 7 p.m. Jan. 14 and 27 at the American Legion, 334 E. Maple Ave.