The proposed substation would be on Old Salem Road near Ring Farm Road on a 14.8-acre lot devoid of any foliage and open to view from both roads. Virginia Power offered a tree buffer on the homeowner’s property and around the facility, but said they are unable to plant trees under the transmission lines.

Ava Lewis, the adjoining landowner, objected to the proposed substation based on its proximity to her home. Lewis said the five days’ notice she received prior to the county’s public hearing didn’t give her enough time to evaluate the proposal and fully assess its impact. She asked supervisors to wait a month before voting.

Siting safety concerns, such as a recent fire at a Warsaw substation and the potential health risks of cancer-causing radiation from substations, she quoted state codes that protect homeowners against adverse effects to them and their property values.

After the meeting, she also expressed concern about the loud humming noise emanating from substations.

According to a county report, existing substations on Yorkshire Street in Kilmarnock and Blueberry Road in White Stone are nearing capacity. The proposed facility will be similar in size, but would have the capacity for future expansion.

Virginia Power officials said the installation of the substation would improve the reliability of power in the county, relieve congested circuitry in the grid and shorten potential power outages should they occur.

“It will reduce the likelihood of power outages and length of outages,” said senior siting and permitting specialist Courtney Fisher. “The closer you are (to a substation) the more reliable your power is.”

Fisher said the facility will be 500 feet from the closest residence. She claimed property values in the vicinity of substations are not negatively impacted. While noting fires are a low safety issue, she stressed that any fires are contained to the substation.

However, when asked by supervisor Butch Jenkins whether additional transmission lines would be added, Fisher was vague and uncommitted in her reply. Also, she gave no details on the width of the suggested tree buffer. However, officials later stated they are negotiating the possibility of extending an additional line to Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury (RW-C).

The retirement community’s director of operations, Philip Williams, said the proposed facility is within a mile of RW-C and the community would benefit with more reliable service.

“In the past three years, the assisted living facility has experienced 12 power outages” ranging from two to six hours in length, said Williams. “The substation will reduce the likelihood of power outages and length of outages,” he said.

Although the assisted living facilities have auxiliary power, the independent homes do not, he said. After the meeting, he expressed concern that the power company meet the needs of adjoining neighborhoods.

Dominion Virginia Power officials said they had very little time to react to Lewis’s concerns since they only heard about them on the day of the hearing.

“We will be willing to sit down with her and talk about moving (the substation) a little farther” away from her property, said project manager Dan Doody. “We will do plantings, even on her land, to obscure the view with buffers. We’re going to hopefully be neighbors.”

Supervisors asked about the possibility of “flipping” the layout of the station, putting it even farther away. While it must remain under the transmission lines, Doody said he would discuss the feasibility with their engineers.

“I’m all for anything we can do to support growth in the future,” said supervisor Jack Russell.

A motion to defer a decision for a month in order for the company to work out a solution with the neighbor, passed 4-0. Member Pete Geilich abstained, saying he holds stock in the power company.