How long will the undergrounding project take? Up to 10 years. Once Town Council grants final approval to proceed, the project must be designed and the proposed design approved by each utility (AT&T, Comcast and FPL) being converted to underground service. Any required permits have to be secured and then the work must be competitively bid, the work awarded by the Town and then constructed. In addition, we check with every utility and investigate every major piece of Town infrastructure within the project area, including the City of West Palm Beach for water service to determine if any renewal or replacement should occur while the underground utility work is underway.
When will the project begin if approved by the voters? Immediately. Once approved by the voters, the first 9 months – 1 year will be an initial design phase. Construction would be scheduled to begin May 2017.
Will the undergrounding project be completed in phases throughout the Town? YES. To minimize the impacts of undergrounding, the projected will be completed in different phases within Town. Current plans indicate starting in the North and South ends, but no two adjacent areas will be done at the same time to avoid traffic or other delays.
Who does the work? The work to convert facilities to underground service can either be done entirely by the three affected utilities, AT&T, Comcast and FPL or by a combination of Town contractors and the work force of the three affected utilities. The Town will ascertain which option is the least expensive before committing to the approach it will utilize. For all the neighborhood jobs the Town has completed to date, each time it was determined that the least expensive option was a combination of Town contractors and the work force of the three affected utilities doing the work.
How will I be disrupted? It depends on the extent of renewal and replacement of the existing infrastructure serving your street, but any and all disruptions will be clearly communicated to residents well in advance
Will directional drilling be used to minimize impacts from undergrounding? YES. Directional drilling and other technologies will be used in lieu of open trenching to help minimize the impacts from undergrounding utilities.
Will phone and cable lines for internet and TV be undergrounded with the electric utilities? YES. In addition to the electrical lines, both the cable and phone lines will be buried as well. Extra empty conduits will also be installed to facilitate easy installation of new fiber or other technology in the future.
Will fiber optic upgrades be available to improve cable speed? YES. Fiber optic conduits will be installed providing opportunities for future fiber optic upgrades. If a property owner wants fiber optic cable, they will need to contact their cable and telephone provider directly.
Will street lights be installed with micro cell sites to improve cell phone coverage in the Town? The Town is examining how to improve cell phone coverage in the Town using the new decorative street lights.
Will other utilities in my rear easement be moved to the front easement? YES. Cable, phone and electric will move to the front. Where applicable, gas and sewer lines will remain in the rear easement.
Will residents recover the easement from their backyard? YES. Once the utilities are moved to the front of your home, the rear easements will be abandoned and returned to the property owner (unless there are gas or sewer utilities in the rear). The Town will implement a process with the utilities to release the rear easements.
What is the easement required for the transformers? Approximately 8 feet by 6 feet. Approximately one in four homes will require a transformer to be placed in the landscaped enclosed easement.
Why must the transformers be placed in the front yard? Padmount transformers are essential for the proper and safe distribution of electricity to homes and businesses. Current FPL standards require service from the front yard, unless there is an alley behind the property (see below). All properties with backyard service will be converted to the front yard, except those with an alley, during the underground conversion process to comply with FPL’s standards.
If I have an alley behind my home, can a transformer be placed there instead of the front of my home? YES, as long as there is sufficient clearance for FPL. Currently, residents who have already undergrounded their utilities and have alleys have placed their transformers there. Town engineers will work side by side with residents to ensure the project is completed in a manner that best suits the needs of property owners. The number of required easements for transformers will be a lot less than the 25% originally projected due to the vast amount of alleys, existing easements, and parkway strips that will be available to place transformers.
Will the project pay for landscaping around transformer boxes that have to be installed? YES. There are no additional costs to property owners to install landscaping around the transformers. The project team will work with each affected homeowner to select the best location.
Are there alternative options available than using above ground transformer boxes? FPL has not adopted an underground transformer option but is looking at subsurface equipment options. If the referendum passes we’ll request that the design company explore alternative solutions for consideration.
Will homes with older wiring have to re-wire their homes to be compatible with undergrounding? The Town is not aware of any need for internal re-wiring of homes in Palm Beach or any town in Florida where undergrounding has occurred. However, on the rare occasion that a property has a meter box on the side of the house that does not meet code, that will be an owner expense.
When it says my property has overhead lines, what does that mean? This means that your utility lines that connect to your home’s lateral service lines are on poles. With undergrounding, all of these utility lines would move to the front of the home and be placed underground. Some residents have instead buried the overhead utilities so they will receive a discount on their annual assessment for making this invent previously.
Are the utility lines used for undergrounding waterproof? YES. The utility lines crossing the Intracoastal Waterway and Palm Beach Inlet are coated in a resin like material called Sealex and are completely water proof. FPL indicates this water proof material coats the lines buried in the conduits proposed for the Palm Beach undergrounding project.
What do subject matters experts say about flooding Palm Beach? “With strong storms and hurricanes flooding is a possibility, but strong winds and wind damage is guaranteed. If there is flooding, water will recede quickly but damaged power poles and lines will take much longer to repair or replace.” Bill Bucklew, Town of Palm Beach Chief Building Official & Flood Plain Administrator
