Rolando Park Community Council

Undergrounding Update

This email service is provided on behalf of the City of San Diego’s Engineering and Capital Projects Department 

Dear Rolando Park Community Council:

On behalf of the City of San Diego, thank you for contacting the Utilities Undergrounding Program. 

Yes, the poles must remain to support the AT&T lines until they are complete with their cabling and energizing. AT&T is scheduled to complete their portion of the undergrounding work and have the poles removed no later than Dec. 31, 2010.  As you may already be aware, AT&T was delayed for a few years while they worked out a legal issue regarding surcharge fees with the City. They are currently operating on a 3 year catch-up schedule, but they have committed to completing Project Block 7F by the end of 2010. To learn more, please visit this link: www.sandiego.gov/undergrounding/overview/sbc.shtml. They are working quickly and could be completed earlier than expected.

To answer your question about cut overs - generally the poles will not be removed until everybody is cut over from the AT&T overhead service. They prefer to remove poles all at once or in as large of chunks as possible because large machines are necessary to pull the poles from the ground.

The project just south of Project Block 7F, is Project Block 7E Phase 1. This project is not scheduled to be allocated until 2013.  You can verify this yourself if you click this link: http://citymaps.sandiego.gov/imf/sites/uuc/index.jsp?, and either search our online mapping application by project block or by address.

Neal Electric is the contractor in charge of streetlight installation. They accidentally started installing lights in the area earlier this year, however they were re-directed by Nathan to finish a project block that is farther along than 7F. There is not a set timeframe for when he will be back to 7F to finish streetlight installation, but we expect at least a few months. They are not required to be complete until the underground line is energized, and he will only be able to install the lights in locations where there are no overhead lines. This is so that when we turn off the overhead system the street will not go dark. Once we remove the overheads lines Neal Electric will come back and install the remaining lights. 

Hopefully all the information I provided you is helpful. I will make a note to see if the project team is okay making the “Rolando Park” change in future e-news updates. We apologize for any confusion or irritation. 

We thank you in advance for your continued patience and support.  If you would like more information about the Utilities Undergrounding Program, you can call the public information line at (619) 533-3841.

Sincerely,
Kara Palmer

Consultant to the City of San Diego
Utilities Undergrounding Program

Collaborative Services
427 C Street, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92101
karap@collaborativeservices.biz
www.collaborativeservices.biz

Program Information Line: 619-533-3841
undergrounding@sandiego.gov
www.sandiego.gov/undergrounding

April RPCC Meeting Reminder

When: Thursday, April 9th

Where: Rolando Park Elementary School, 6620 Marlowe Dr.

Time: 7:00pm

Agenda: 

1. Undergrounding Update: What you need to know, how it affects your property, what you can do.

2. Potential Neighborhood Issue: Replacement of Rolando Park Elementary with Middle or HIGH SCHOOL. 

3. Priority Action Group: What issues do YOU want the Rolando Park Board and community to work on?

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RPCC Board Request: Showcase your layout and design skills with the Rolando Park Reporter! For more info, email: rena@rolandopark.org.

Correction to Undergrounding Article

ONLY households that needed to make corrections to their electrical system to accept the underground line were given notices. If you did not receive a notice, your house needed no corrective action.

UNDERGROUNDING UPDATE

(This is a "reprint" of the cover article of this month's Rolando Park Reporter. The RPCC Board felt it was so important that it needed to be republished on our website. Of particular significance is the information under "AT&T Update.")

TRENCHING BEGINS IN APRIL!

Nathan Bruner, Underground Program Manager for the City of San Diego, announced the awarding of contracts to the trenching construction crews as of the first week in April. By the time you see next month’s newsletter, trenching should be well underway!

So, by this time next month, we expect that, as the project moves from west to east, beginning with Jeff St., we will all be living with heavy machinery, steel plates, and construction noise that is the unfortunate by-product of what will ultimately be a great beatification of our neighborhood. Those of you on the west end in Area 1 of the project have already experienced SDG&E crews attaching pull boxes, and possibly "double weatherheads," as the second pipe through your roof is called, to your homes and businesses.

And remember, if these options are objectionable to you, aesthetically, location-wise, or for any other reason, now is the time to call a licensed electrical contractor to upgrade your service to a combination overhead/underground meter. If permits are on record before the trenches are dug, you can then have the work done YOUR WAY! RPCC President Rob Wilkerson is making arrangements with San Diego City’s Development Services Department, in cooperation with Chief Inspector Rick Mathis, to hold these projects open for final inspection without the usual expiration time frame until underground cabling can be energized.

AT&T UPDATE

As many of you read in the Union-Tribune on Monday, March 31, the Public Utilities Commission in Sacramento has finally coerced AT&T into cooperating with the City of San Diego’s Undergrounding Program, which AT&T has been fighting until they lost every last avenue of appeal. AT&T will now be imposing a 77¢ a month surcharge on ALL their customers PERMANENTLY to finance their portion of the undergrounding program. They will also not be undergrounding Project Block 7F (that’s us!) until 2010!!! According to Nathan Bruner, that means we will, indeed, be stuck with "half-poles" keeping AT&T’s lines overhead for another 3 years, long after SDG&E and Cox Communications have buried theirs.

It is important to note that instead of fighting the project, Cox has been onboard since Day 1, not just here in Rolando Park, but in every area they serve. They are funding the program in full out of their own capital improvements budget, in full cooperation with SDG&E.

If anyone wishes to convert from AT&T to Cox, there is a nominal one-time service charge to transfer your existing phone number, after which your phone line will be serviced by Cox and billed on the same monthly invoice as your Cox Cable and/or internet service, beginning at a rate of $9.99 a month for one line. Your phone lines would then be undergrounded as part of the current project, instead of waiting until AT LEAST THREE YEARS FROM NOW with an overhead connection.

UNDERGROUNDING UPDATE

by Carol Drummond, Public Information Officer for the City of San Diego Utilities Undergrounding Program

Thank you for your interest in the Utilities Undergrounding Program and specifically the project that is currently taking place in your neighborhood. This is the second email update in an ongoing series of email updates we are providing to you in our attempt to keep the Rolando community aware of the progress of the 7F Project. Approximately once a month during construction, or when significant events occur, you will receive an email update.

Our design for Project Block 7F required us to obtain several easements within the project boundary and we have now acquired all easements necessary to begin. The project is currently with SDG&E's construction services experts who will be working on finalizing all bids.

Panel work and trenching operations will be done in two phases as seen in the attached map. Crews will complete all panel and trench work in Job 1 and then move directly to Job 2. Specific locations of the work crews and which direction they are working will be sent to you in future email updates.

Panel work for Job 1 has begun. Panel work is when electricians prepare the electrical panel at the homes to receive underground service. Approximately two weeks prior to any work being done on your property, you will receive a door hanger with the electrical contractor's name and phone on it. If you have any questions or concerns about the work, please do not hesitate to contact him or her. Panel work does NOT involve any trenching operations.

Following panel work, then the trenching phase of our work will begin. Mainline trenching in Job 1 is expected to begin in early April. You will likely see us working in the streets and we ask for your patience as we complete this work which can be disruptive and distracting. Approximately two weeks prior to the start of the trench work on your property and in the street, you will also receive a door hanger with the trenching contractor's name and phone on it. If you have any questions or concerns about the work, please do not hesitate to contact him.

Approximately 18-20 months from now, after all trenching operations have been completed, the cabling portion of the work that we do will begin. Cabling involves technicians placing new utility lines in the new conduits so that the new lines can be energized and brought into service. Once the new system has been energized, the process to cut over customers from overhead to underground will begin. We anticipate this process will move very swiftly and it's not nearly as disruptive or distracting as the trenching work which is why you may not even see us working.

In the event that you need to make any corrections on your property in order to pass final inspection, you will receive a door hanger from a City inspector. On the door hanger will be a description of the problem. Please do not delay in contacting the person whose name and phone number appear on that door hanger so that the problem can be resolved. We will not be able to switch you over to the new underground system until these issues are resolved. We cannot remove any overhead lines until ALL customers have been switched over, so delays in correcting these issues can result in a delay to removing any overhead lines.

Please email or call me if you are not satisfied or pleased with the work that was done on your property or your street. And, please do not attempt to make corrections, adjustments or improvements yourself. I promise to work with you on reaching a solution or creating an outcome that meets your needs as well as ours in this process. We will not be able to switch you over to the new underground system if any modifications were done to our work. If you are unsure about the status of your property or your street, please email or call me and I will share current project information.

I can be reached at (619) 533-3841 or at undergrounding@sandiego.gov.

by Carol Drummond, Public Information Officer for the City of San Diego Utilities Undergrounding Program

Thank you for your interest in the Utilities Undergrounding Program and specifically the project that is currently taking place in your neighborhood. This is the second email update in an ongoing series of email updates we are providing to you in our attempt to keep the Rolando community aware of the progress of the 7F Project. Approximately once a month during construction, or when significant events occur, you will receive an email update.

Our design for Project Block 7F required us to obtain several easements within the project boundary and we have now acquired all easements necessary to begin. The project is currently with SDG&E's construction services experts who will be working on finalizing all bids.

Panel work and trenching operations will be done in two phases as seen in the attached map. Crews will complete all panel and trench work in Job 1 and then move directly to Job 2. Specific locations of the work crews and which direction they are working will be sent to you in future email updates.

Panel work for Job 1 has begun. Panel work is when electricians prepare the electrical panel at the homes to receive underground service. Approximately two weeks prior to any work being done on your property, you will receive a door hanger with the electrical contractor's name and phone on it. If you have any questions or concerns about the work, please do not hesitate to contact him or her. Panel work does NOT involve any trenching operations.

Following panel work, then the trenching phase of our work will begin. Mainline trenching in Job 1 is expected to begin in early April. You will likely see us working in the streets and we ask for your patience as we complete this work which can be disruptive and distracting. Approximately two weeks prior to the start of the trench work on your property and in the street, you will also receive a door hanger with the trenching contractor's name and phone on it. If you have any questions or concerns about the work, please do not hesitate to contact him.

Approximately 18-20 months from now, after all trenching operations have been completed, the cabling portion of the work that we do will begin. Cabling involves technicians placing new utility lines in the new conduits so that the new lines can be energized and brought into service. Once the new system has been energized, the process to cut over customers from overhead to underground will begin. We anticipate this process will move very swiftly and it's not nearly as disruptive or distracting as the trenching work which is why you may not even see us working.

In the event that you need to make any corrections on your property in order to pass final inspection, you will receive a door hanger from a City inspector. On the door hanger will be a description of the problem. Please do not delay in contacting the person whose name and phone number appear on that door hanger so that the problem can be resolved. We will not be able to switch you over to the new underground system until these issues are resolved. We cannot remove any overhead lines until ALL customers have been switched over, so delays in correcting these issues can result in a delay to removing any overhead lines.

Please email or call me if you are not satisfied or pleased with the work that was done on your property or your street. And, please do not attempt to make corrections, adjustments or improvements yourself. I promise to work with you on reaching a solution or creating an outcome that meets your needs as well as ours in this process. We will not be able to switch you over to the new underground system if any modifications were done to our work. If you are unsure about the status of your property or your street, please email or call me and I will share current project information.

I can be reached at (619) 533-3841 or at undergrounding@sandiego.gov.

UNDERGROUNDING UPDATE

by Rob Wilkerson

On Tuesday, February 12, Carol Drummond from the City of San Diego's Utilities Undergrounding Division announced that the street trenching for the burial of our Rolando Park overhead utility lines will commence on or about March 17. She and Nathan Bruner, the head of the Department, will be the speakers at our March 13 Community Meeting at Rolando Park Elementary School Auditorium to outline the project in further detail as well as answer questions and concerns from affected residents.

The ceremonial groundbreaking for the massive 17.5 million-dollar project, stretching all the way from College Avenue on the west to the La Mesa City Limits on the east and from University Avenue on the north to Marlowe Drive on the south, is tentatively scheduled for March 27 and will be attended by many of our elected officials, including Councilmember Madaffer, as well as key SDG&E personnel who have worked so long and hard to bring this to fruition.

This is VERY exciting news, so keep your eyes on our website for further updates as they become available. Please tell all your neighbors to sign up for email updates by joining our email list at www.RolandoPark.org.

by Rob Wilkerson

On Tuesday, February 12, Carol Drummond from the City of San Diego's Utilities Undergrounding Division announced that the street trenching for the burial of our Rolando Park overhead utility lines will commence on or about March 17. She and Nathan Bruner, the head of the Department, will be the speakers at our March 13 Community Meeting at Rolando Park Elementary School Auditorium to outline the project in further detail as well as answer questions and concerns from affected residents.

The ceremonial groundbreaking for the massive 17.5 million-dollar project, stretching all the way from College Avenue on the west to the La Mesa City Limits on the east and from University Avenue on the north to Marlowe Drive on the south, is tentatively scheduled for March 27 and will be attended by many of our elected officials, including Councilmember Madaffer, as well as key SDG&E personnel who have worked so long and hard to bring this to fruition.

This is VERY exciting news, so keep your eyes on our website for further updates as they become available. Please tell all your neighbors to sign up for email updates by joining our email list at www.RolandoPark.org.