Agenda - Council - 06/25/2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Enterprise Park to Crooked Lake 115 kV Transmission Line March 2012 Environmental Assessment The Applicant will be responsible for acquiring the necessary easement rights for the new 115 kV transmission line. The Applicant will be available to discuss easement issues with all property owners and interested parties. Xcel Energy is fee owner of the 4.76-acre Crooked Lake Substation property. No additional property acquisition is anticipated for the modifications proposed at this substation facility. The city of Anoka is fee owner of the existing 2.33-acre Enterprise Park Substation property. In addition to the electric substation facility, the city operates and maintains an elevated municipal water storage tank situated on the easterly portion of the property in close proximity to the substation facility. A 0.69-acre parcel of land located westerly and immediately adjacent to the Enterprise Park Substation property is being considered by the Applicant for purchase in fee title or by easement for the purpose of improving access to the substation both during construction of the Project and any future expansion of the 115-kV components of the substation. The acquisition of utility easement on private land consists of a multi -step process that includes examining titles, contacting owners, surveying, preparing documents and purchasing the ROW. The first step in the ROW process is to complete a public records search of all land involved in the Project. A title report is then developed for each parcel to determine the legal description of the property and the owner(s) of record and to gather information about easements, liens, restrictions, encumbrances and other conditions of record. Owners of private land located within the desired ROW easement would be contacted by a ROW agent acting on behalf of the Applicant to discuss the land use needs specific to their parcel and any site -specific concerns of the land owner. Contact with private land owners would occur following the issuance of the Route Permit. The ROW will notify the owners of private land prior to performing any land survey and soil exploration activities.. The purpose of the survey is to identify natural features, man- made features, and elevations needed for detailed engineering design of the transmission line. The ROW agent conducts negotiations with the land owner to acquire easement rights to build, operate, and maintain the transmission line and associated structures. The ROW agent would offer fair compensation for the value of the easement. The specific location of structures associated with the transmission line would be staked during easement negotiations. If the landowner and Applicant cannot reach an agreement, prior to commencing the condemnation process, the Applicant would be required to obtain an independent appraisal of value for the easement, which would be provided to the landowner. If the land owner does not agree with the easement value offered by the ROW agent, the land owner may obtain its own appraisal of easement value. Reimbursement for the cost of the landowner's appraisal, up to pre -specified amounts that vary depending on the type of property, could be awarded by the court -appointed Commissioner in the condemnation process, as stipulated in Minnesota Statutes, section 117.036. 16