By Janine Unsoeld
Puget Sound Energy has completed its investigation
into electrical loading issues at a home in a northeast neighborhood in
Olympia. The home is alleged by a neighbor to be used for a commercial
marijuana grow operation, and not a collective garden as the resident
says.
The Thurston County Narcotics Task Force made an unannounced visit to the home on July 7 and found the marijuana operation in compliance with that of a state licensed collective garden.
The neighbor, Melinda Spencer, believes that recent
utility line fires were caused by the operation next door to her home. Through
telephone calls and emails since June, she requested information and assistance
from city code enforcement, law enforcement, and Puget Sound Energy. Finally,
she addressed the Olympia city council on August 18.
Amy Tousley, Puget Sound Energy's (PSE) municipal liaison manager and Bryan
McConaughy, PSE senior local government representative, wrote a letter today to
Olympia city manager Steve Hall and council members explaining their
investigation and recommendations. The letter does not delve into the possible
reason for the electrical loading issues.
In late August, PSE installed a volt recorder meter to conduct readings at Spencer’s home and that of her neighbor’s.
The letter states that Spencer’s home readings were determined to be well within normal swing limits for electrical usage.
The readings at the
neighbor’s house, “…indicated a steady
state of electrical load with high fluctuations well above electrical
tolerances. This type of usage demand does not allow the equipment to cool. Our
investigation also determined that the existing 100 amp circuit panel for (the
address) is not sufficient to...meet the load being placed upon the
equipment. To meet the existing load, PSE recommends that the circuit panel be
increased to a 300 amp meter base. It is PSE’s assessment that without improvements to
the service line and circuit panel, existing and additional increases in
electrical load will continue to affect the service….”
To address the load, PSE recommends the installation
of a larger wire for the service, replacement of the mast-head and anchoring
for the new service wire, and an upgrade of the circuit panel.
The customer is required to contact PSE Customer
Construction Services to submit an application for a service upgrade.
“If PSE
were to make improvements to the service line without the masthead and circuit
panel being upgraded, there will more than likely be continued service issues
at this location including the potential for a structural fire.”
PSE has contacted the property owner to explain the
issues associated with the service to the property, and has sent the customer
living at the rental home a letter informing him of his options. Those options are to obtain the services of
an electrician and submit an application to PSE for improvements, curtail the
additional load being placed onto the system, or disconnect the electrical
service due to ongoing safety concerns.
The letter places the burden on the city to address the underlying issue or what
may or may not be going on at the property in question, and suggests that the city request access to the home in order to ensure
that any alterations to the existing circuit panel are compliant with code.
“We are also concerned about rumors of an expansion
of the ancillary use to the detached structure on the parcel….We greatly
appreciate our partnership with the City to ensure proper permits are obtained
prior to any expansion occurring.”
After city manager Steve Hall briefly reviewed the
PSE letter with councilmembers, Councilmember Julie Hankins asked a couple of follow up questions about grow operations in a residential area, which prompted a longer
conversation about referring the issue to the city's Land Use committee and
the city’s Planning Commission for further review.
For
more information about this case, go to Little Hollywood at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and use the search engine to type in key words. Three previous
articles are dated August 18 and August 23, 2015.
Editor’s
Note: Although Puget Sound Energy’s letter to the city manager and
councilmembers mentions the address of the home in question, Little Hollywood
is choosing not to print it. Little Hollywood initially printed it the evening
of August 18, but chose to retract the address the next day. Little Hollywood
does not believe the address is relevant, as the issue is one that is
widespread throughout the city, and one that will need to be addressed.
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