LAGUNA BEACH : City Gets Down to the Wires

Interest in burying utility lines has reached an all-time high in Laguna Beach, according to a city worker who helps form assessment districts to pay for such projects.

“They want to get rid of the eyesore,” said Joe Chiquete, a project coordinator who said he is working on the creation of a dozen such districts, which would rid communities of telephone poles and electrical wires. Chiquete said the time he spends on such projects has quadrupled in the past four years.

“There’s a lot of it going on,” he said. “And a lot of people are sitting backstage saying, ‘When’s our turn?’ ”

The key reason residents form such districts is to enhance their views. However, interest in burying utilities was heightened by the October, 1993, firestorm.

“The contention is, these [poles and] wires will fall down in a fire, and firetrucks won’t be able to get through,” City Manager Kenneth C. Frank said Thursday. “That is rarely the case.”

Chiquete said there is a downside to burying the lines. For example, when equipment malfunctions, repair is more difficult, he said.

In “an underground system you kind of have to fish for it,” he said.

To form an assessment district, neighborhoods define the boundaries of the proposed project and approach the city, which helps them determine the cost. At least 70% of the property owners in the affected area must approve the project.

Once approved, the city sells bonds to generate revenue for the project. Property owners pay off the debt in a series of payments, usually over 15 years.

Communities currently involved with such projects include Temple Hills and Arch Beach Heights, each with about 350 homes.