Power pole debate flickers again

The Longboat Key Town Commission has debated and decided by a majority vote three times not to discuss the possibility of burying Gulf of Mexico Drive’s power lines at a cost of approximately $10 million.

But the issue still hasn’t gone dark.

Country Club Shores resident Bob Gault and others are encouraging commissioners to hold a fourth discussion on the issue. Some residents, along with Commissioners Pat Zunz and Lynn Larson, want the commission to consider debating the issue this fall when more of the island’s residents return to the Key.

At the Urban Land Institute Implementation Advisory Committee meeting Thursday at Town Hall, the issue also came up during a landscape designer’s presentation about Gulf of Mexico Drive improvements.

Zunz, who is a member of the committee, said the architect noted the larger poles that Florida Power & Light Co. are planning to install as part of a pole replacement project are an issue to consider before moving forward with other plans for the island’s main thoroughfare.

Zunz said she “suspects there is an underground swell of realization from out of town residents that is growing” on the topic.

“I don’t know if it’s going to come up at our meeting on Monday, but I suspect it might,” Zunz said. “I personally think we need to get more input and answers before making a decision.”

The Town Commission meets 10 a.m. Monday for a budget workshop and at 1 p.m. for a special meeting to approve some ordinances on second reading.

For more information, check www.yourobserver.com Monday for updates and pick up a copy of next week’s Longboat Observer.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].