Local News in Brief : Ferraro Urges Beautification of DWP Towers in N. Hollywood,

Calling the 150-foot-high electrical transmission line towers that cut across North Hollywood a visual scar on the community, City Council President John Ferraro Wednesday asked the Department of Water and Power to look into improving their appearance.

Ferraro suggested placing the lines underground or building a bikeway along the right of way and landscaping it.

Ferraro introduced a motion calling for the study in response to a request from the North Hollywood Residents Assn.

There are about 20 rows of transmission towers, with three towers in each row, spaced along the narrow, four-mile right of way that extends diagonally from Lankershim Boulevard at Sherman Way to Burbank Boulevard and Whitnall Highway, according to the DWP.

“This power line right of way presents a visual scar in an area which is now experiencing revitalization and beautification and where the need for family recreational space continues to increase,” Ferraro said in his motion.

Lawrence Green, DWP system maintenance manager, said the department could place some power lines underground, but it would cost millions of dollars. He said it is not technically feasible to remove all of the towers. Some of them support a 500,000-volt line that is a major source of the city’s electricity, and no underground cable made will carry such a current, he said.

Green said the DWP is considering leasing the right of way to commercial nurseries, which would plant flowers and trees, improving the area’s appearance and solving a problem of illegal dumping on the property.

Ferraro asked the DWP to report its findings to the council within 30 days.