Letter: Middletown School Board Member Urges Board to Take Action Against JCPL Power Lines

Middletown, NJ - It appears one Middletown school board member disagrees with the district when it comes to the JCP&L power line issue.

Lone Middletown Board of Ed. member Vinnie Brand sent Patch the following Letter to the Editor Thursday, urging the board to take action against the JCP&L power line proposal. In his letter, Brand writes, "I urge my fellow board members to take action against this project now, in its early stages." His position is in direct contrast to Superintendent Bill George, who earlier this summer said the school district would stay neutral in the heated debate.

Here is the full text of Brand's public letter:

JCP&L Reliability Project and the Middletown Township B.O.E.

Jersey Central Power and Light has proposed yet again a reliability project to run the length of the NJ TRANSIT rail lines from Aberdeen to Red Bank. This project calls for Utility poles roughly every 300 feet that stretch some 150 - 175 feet in the air and to run-high voltage electricity lines the entire length of the project.

JCP&L claims that these lines will reduce the length of time that customers might experience during an outage due to storm activity and that these lines provide a back up to our already robust energy delivery infrastructure. These new poles and lines require that all property owners within 200 feet of any of the structures or lines be contacted and that these property owners have the right to state their opinion on, voice their support of or their objection to these projects.

The Middletown Township Board of Education does not have property within the 200-foot requirement and therefore it appears it does not have a seat at the table when this project is discussed and considered. The question put to the B.O.E. is whether or not we will take a stand against this project and whether a case can be made that we should have a seat at the table because the project will irreparably damage schools in Middletown and the B.O.E.

When considering this project and its’ impact on our community it seems to me that the 200-foot requirement does not fill the need when it comes to considering if a party will be impacted and therefore given a voice. These lines do much to our community and while some may support the project, there are too many possible negative impacts for our B.O.E. to remain silenced behind a distance requirement that seems designed to handle more mundane projects.

The Board of Education must consider not just whether or not the science behind this project is sound but also whether or not there are other both more direct and nuanced effects of such a project.

Middletown is one of the oldest communities in New Jersey. Settled and celebrated as a bucolic escape from New York City with generous zoning laws that allow for a proper suburban atmosphere. While Middletown has surrendered the vast majority of its farmland to suburban housing developments there was a concerted effort by both our city planners and developers to keep Middletown green and properly populated. Our ordinances are designed to keep our town true to its roots. The clear desired effect of our ordinances and governance was to maintain Middletown as a beautiful, non industrial town, limited to light industry and housing with vast tracts of open space and parks. There has been every effort over the years to keep Middletown beautiful and to hand to future generations a town worthy to inherit. This project does not fit in the plan that has been part of Middletown since its’ incorporation.

When considering this project the Middletown B.O.E. must consider whether or not this project will be injurious to schools in Middletown. This project will run directly through several housing developments throughout our town. There are dozens of homes directly affected and within 200 of the project and several dozen more within 400 feet of the project. There are two schools that fall just outside of the 200-foot requirement from these lines as well as parks and numerous common areas, such as the Middletown Train station and several commercial establishments.

The homes and businesses within 200 feet will have an immediate and quantifiable drop in assessed value due to the placement of these lines. The homes within 200 feet will have a voice at the table, but that 200 foot requirement seems inadequate when it comes to a project of this scope. These lines have drawn attention as possible causes of cancer and other illnesses as well as have maintenance requirements, emit noise and of course have a negative visual impact. They are clearly going to impact the market value of any business or home within that distance and far beyond. It is reasonable to assume that homes that are within visual distance of these poles will have their market value effected just as the homes within 200 feet will.

The Middletown Township B.O.E. draws its budget from taxes levied against property value. A significant disruption in our tax base will have an immediate negative impact on our schools. We simply will have to work with less in the likelihood that tax appeals will be successful and assessed values will drop in the event this project is approved.

As property values drop so does the neighborhood. It would be foolish and ill reasoned to believe that this project will not have an impact beyond 200 feet. If homes are selling for less in a neighborhood they will drag on all values within that neighborhood and values will not abide by the 200 foot rule. These power lines will be an eyesore that discourages people from investing in an area or maintaining their property in the same fashion they once did. This phenomenon, sometimes called the “broken window effect” has been experienced throughout our state and is evidenced in many of our communities. Newark NJ was once a thriving city with a robust shopping district and bustling neighborhoods. Patterson, Elizabeth, Plainfield and Camden were all thriving successful cities. Due to urban blight, industrial disruption and poor governance, including poorly thought out projects and zoning laws, these once jewel-like towns entered into a downward spiral that has yet to be reversed. Currently Atlantic City is suffering the same way. Poor governance and a lack of will by politicians has allowed a city with untold resources and globally demanded amenities to fall into a state of bankruptcy.

This is what we must concern ourselves with in Middletown. We must view this project as an assault on not just the people within 200 feet, but on the very town itself.

In addition to the visual effect these poles will create we must consider the potential ramifications for our students. The science behind this project is muddled. No one can clearly state whether or not these lines will create health issues or at what distance they are safe. Middletown will have two schools just over the 200 hundred foot rule with children in them for nine months a year for 6 hours a day. This exposure can be hazardous. The B.O.E. is charged with providing for our children a proper learning environment that is both healthy and safe. It is for this reason that smoking is prohibited on school property. What was once allowed for both faculty and students was banned due to health risks discovered after years of exposure. Unlike cigarettes, these poles will not be easily removed or banned in the future. It is far more prudent to stand against this project and its potential effects than to hope that some day in the future we find these lines to be safe.

I urge my fellow board members to take action against this project now, in its early stages. I am calling for a resolution against these poles and for the formation of a committee to address this issue in depth. That committee should be charged with meeting board members from neighboring communities that are also affected and investigating whether or not a legal course of action has merit in addressing this project. Such a legal action might be done as a group of communities or individually by Middletown. The committee should also meet with our counterparts on Township Committee to discuss possible approaches to defeating this project before it goes too far. In short, we should make every effort to make our voices heard in an effort to protect our town.

We are not the first community to face this issue. Other communities have and there have been cases where they have lost and those lines were installed. I feel it is imperative and incumbent upon us to be pro-active on this issue and that we expend as much energy and work as is necessary to responsibly represent our town.

Sincerely,

Vincent S. Brand