A packed house at the Adult Activity Center listened to Baldwin Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) representatives and Gulf Shores officials deal with the primary focus of the meeting—placing electrical supply lines underground.

EMC’s Steve Irwin, District Engineering and Operations Manager, South Baldwin District, pointed out the extensive existence of underground circuitry now, especially in new subdivisions. Municipal street lights are fed from underground sources and street lights in subdivisions can be assumed by the city for maintenance and light replacement. Effective placement of street lights is a distance of 200 to 220 feet.

Public Works Director and Civil Engineer Mark Acreman agreed that a time line for putting everything underground would be about two years. Of course, the desirability of putting beach facilities underground is questioned because following hurricanes, restoration may damage more facilities underground than the alternative. Total redesign is expensive and time consuming, especially converting ditches to pipe installation.

Developers have to put in all infrastructures and surcharges are in order only when disasters create unforeseen expenses. Transformers have to be cleaned and repaired prior to being putting back on line. Following Ivan, some transformers from West Beach ended up across Little Lagoon. EMC also pays surcharges in converting air to ground installations, for example, the difference between $200,000 and $300,000 would be paid by EMC.

EMC’s Karen Moore, Vice President of Communications and Public Relations offered brief methods of saving energy (replacing incandescent lights with CFL) and granted time after the meeting to point out official publications which are comprehensive.

Carolyn Doughty, city councilwoman presented a comprehensive report on city developments and intentions which included recreational facilities and fire and rescue stations. Area reports included the invasion of bisons (buffaloes) into Craft Farms. A city council member indicated privately to The Islander that eight of the poor beasts had to be killed because they could not be rounded up and penned up.

Following the meeting citizens from 21st and 22nd Streets met with the Mayor and Public Works to discuss the perennial flooding which has become peculiar to this particular neighborhood. The city officials said that a contract has been let for a comprehensive box drainage and if FEMA does not supply the funds by February 1, then the City will begin on the program