Residents want to power down utility poles

Residents of Silver Fox Landing off S.C. 707 believe that the new power poles Santee Cooper is installing in their neighborhood will lower their property values, and they’ve called a meeting for 1 p.m. Saturday to try to do something about it.

The poles are much bigger, carry more power lines, take up more space and in some cases have meant that some residents will have to move shrubbery, buildings and other encroachments to make room for them.

“We have all worked hard to have the homes we always wanted,” says a flier seeking to get people to attend the meeting at Timberlake Baptist Church, 9850 Hwy. 707.

The hope is that those at the meeting will be able to figure out a way to get rid of the new poles.

For its part, Santee Cooper says Horry County granted it the easement where the lines are located in the 1970s.

The current poles are wooden and carry fewer power lines than the new poles, which are weathered steel, according to Santee Cooper spokeswoman Nicole Aeillo.

The new poles are about 15 feet taller than the old ones, but Aeillo said the difference in diameter is negligible. The new poles won’t be subject to rot or insects as wooden poles are, and they are designed to withstand winds of 135 mph.

Aeillo said the company is setting the new poles about 24 feet from the side of the easement.

But even at that distance, there are buildings, fences and landscaping in the easement that must be moved so that the poles can be installed and Santee Cooper will have access to service the lines.

The company has attended meetings with residents but has not been invited Saturday, Aeillo said, and will not attend.

But Aeillo said it has contacted residents with structures or landscaping in the easement.

“We are working one-on-one with residents,” she said.

So far, she said, no encroachments have been removed.

Silver Fox homeowners pay Horry Electric for their power. But Horry Electric buys its wholesale from Santee Cooper.

This story was originally published April 9, 2015 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Residents want to power down utility poles."