20170331IPC to Tidwell Attachment 48.pdf

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SunVaUcii
November 9,2016
Blaine County Planning and Zoning Commission
Blaine County Courthouse
Hailey,ID 83333
Dear Commissioners,
I am writing to urge you to approve the conditional use permit application for Idaho Power Company to
build a second transmission line between Hailey and Ketchum.
As you know,years of public involvement through the Citizens Advisory Committee lead to the
recommendation to construct an additional line from Hailey to Ketchum to increase the reliability of
electrical supply to the 9,100 customers currently served by a single transmission line.
While the existing transmission line has been fairly reliable,its age and remote location make sole
reliance on this line an unreasonable risk.As many of you will recall,the power outage of Christmas
Eve/Christmas Day 2009 was a stark reminder for all of us in the Wood River Valley of how reliant we
are on the integrity of our transmission lines.Should our existing single transmission line fail during
weather conditions similar to Christmas 2009,the potential for serious risk to people and property is
very real.In 2009,the power came back on in Sun Valley after 16 to 18 hours,but the outcome would
have been much more severe had it stay out much longer.
In my opinion,this is a simple matter of public safety,and it is unreasonable to allow an area of this size
to be served radially,particularly when a straight forward solution is proposed.Please approve the
conditional use permit application before you.
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Tim Sflva
Vice President/General Manager
Sun Valley Resort
Sun Valley Company •POBoxlO •1 Sun Valley Road •Sun Valley,ID 83353-0010
www.sunvalley.com