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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAVANGRID - Mark Ells letter re route selection Internal Use October 24, 2022 Mark Ells Town Manager Town of Barnstable Dear Town Manager Ells, The Park City Wind project team is reaching out today to notify the Town of Barnstable of our confirmation that the best choice for the onshore cable route for the Park City Wind project is through Main Street in Centerville. A map of this route, and the alternative route which was also considered, is attached. As shown on the map, our proposal is to make landfall at Craigville Beach in Centerville. From Craigville Beach, the project’s onshore cables will run underneath public roadways, constructed in collaboration with Town of Barnstable sewer installation, on Craigville Beach Road to Main Street to Old Stage Road to Shootflying Hill Road to the project’s substation site off Shootflying Hill Road. We note that while this route remains our preference, we alone do not dictate that choice; regulatory bodies, such as the Cape Cod Commission and the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board, have authority over the final route selection. We would like to explain why we retain the view that the Main Street route is the superior route and clarify our intentions going forward. AVANGRID began federal and state permitting for Park City Wind in 2020. Throughout the ongoing federal and state permitting processes, Park City Wind has presented both the preferred and alternate route for the project’s onshore cable connecting the project’s landing at Craigville Beach and planned substation off Shootflying Hill Road. We are grateful to the Centerville and larger Barnstable communities for their ongoing communication and feedback on the Park City Wind project and, specifically, the two possible route choices for the project’s onshore cables. Conversations with residents since our public engagement on the Park City Wind project began in earnest in 2020 have been an important and constructive part of planning AVANGRID’s three offshore wind projects (Vineyard Wind 1, Park City Wind, and Commonwealth Wind) to minimize local impact and maximize local benefit. Our project team looks forward to continuing these conversations in the final design of Park City Wind. As part of our community engagement for Park City Wind, AVANGRID has presented regularly to the Centerville Civic Association and presented specifically on the onshore cable route choice in an in-person September 2022 meeting that was also broadcast virtually via Zoom. At this meeting, we brought our engineers and other experts to give their opinions on the two possible routes, and to take questions from the community. Following this meeting, AVANGRID received feedback both from the Centerville Civic Association and the Association for the Preservation of Long Pond regarding the route choice, as well as several individuals who contacted us. Internal Use Throughout the process, we stated that community preference is a strong factor in the route choice. We delayed making a final route choice to allow the community to hear the results of our surveying and engineering analysis and weigh in with their preferences. It is clear that a consensus has not been reached. A number of individuals and the Centerville Civic Association have stated that they prefer the alternative route, while an almost equal number of individuals and the Association for the Preservation of Long Pond prefer the Main Street route. In light of this, we cannot say that the “community” at large has a preference for one route over the other. As noted in our September 2022 meeting, our engineering firm, Stantec, performed a thorough review of the two routes, and concluded that the Main Street route is superior. This preferred route has many benefits, both for Barnstable residents and for the project overall. The principal difference between the routes is the length and associated construction time. The preferred route is much shorter and does not include sharp bends found in the alternative route which complicate both engineering and construction. We understand that construction can be disruptive not only to day-to-day living but also impacts local businesses. Construction of the onshore cables, in conjunction with the Town of Barnstable’s sewer installation, will be completed in two construction seasons in comparison to an estimated three seasons of construction along the alternate route. Park City Wind’s collaboration with the Town’s sewer installation along the preferred route will save residents millions of dollars in pre-survey, engineering, and design work in addition to the replacement of aging water mains under public roadways, resurfacing of paved roads on public roadways, and curb-to-curb improvements to public roadways. Work within the roadways will not take place during summer months. We have heard concerns regarding vibrations from construction equipment and possible impacts on historic homes with rock or sand foundations. We are aware that members of the community have suggested that AVANGRID, in conjunction with the Town of Barnstable, implement pre- and post- construction survey work for potentially affected buildings. The purpose of the survey work would be to establish a baseline to ascertain whether the onshore cable or sewer-related work causes harm to nearby buildings. AVANGRID agrees with this recommendation and will work with the Town and the community to develop a science-based pre- and post-survey plan, and to have this plan in place before construction occurs. We have also heard concerns about the impact of the work on Centerville’s historic district. It is correct that the onshore cable installation and the sewer work along the Main Street route have the potential to cause tree damage, though this is true of the alternative route as well. We have also heard from several individuals that there are aspects of the historic district that could be improved, e.g., the sidewalks are not currently ADA compliant. We are committed to working with the Town and the community to not only restore, but to improve the historic district. Our commitment includes a financial investment. The construction of Park City Wind is a crucial step in national and regional efforts to address the threat of climate change and is a unique opportunity for Barnstable to play a pivotal role in addressing this local, regional, and global challenge. Once in full operation, the project will deliver approximately 800 Megawatts of clean, renewable energy to the New England electrical grid, reducing carbon dioxide- equivalent emissions by approximately 1.59 million tons per year, the equivalent of removing approximately 310,000 automobiles from the road. In addition to cost savings from collaboration with Internal Use the Town’s sewer installation project along the Main Street route, Park City Wind will bring $16 million to the Town of Barnstable in Host Community Agreement mitigation payments as well as $1-2 million annually in property taxes to the Town for more than two decades. We appreciate the partnership that AVANGRID has in Centerville and Barnstable at large. We look forward to continuing to engage with the community as we work on the final design for the project, on the pre-survey program, and on post-construction improvements to the historic district. We commit to building this project adhering to the highest standards of excellence. You can visit our website for more detailed information for Barnstable residents and sign up for email updates at www.ParkCityWind.com/Barnstable. Sincerely, Ken Kimmell Vice President, Offshore Wind Development AVANGRID CC: Matthew Levesque, Town Council President, Town of Barnstable Eric Steinhilber, Town Councilor, Town of Barnstable Nikolas Atsalis, Town Councilor, Town of Barnstable Griffin Beaudoin, Department of Public Works, Town of Barnstable Robert Wenger, President, Centerville Civic Association Jim Kelly, Co-Chair, Association for the Preservation of Long Pond Internal Use