Underground Utility Lines OKd for Part of Sunflower

A proposal to place utility lines on Sunflower Avenue underground--between Fairview Road and Harbor Boulevard--has been approved by the City Council and property owners who will pay for the work.

C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, the Automobile Club of Southern California and Times Mirror Co., which own property in the area, agreed to cover the $2.3-million construction costs.

Financing will be done through a newly created community facilities district, based on Mello-Roos tax laws, and each property owner will pay for the work up front, said Ernesto Munoz, assistant city engineer. Payments should be made within 15 days, he said.

In a vote read to the council Monday, the property owners unanimously agreed to the assessment. A two-thirds majority was needed.

Construction is tentatively set for October, with completion in May or June.

The purpose of the project is to improve the appearance of the area. Council members in July had agreed to prohibit any new above-ground utilities on Sunflower, citing the high concentration of unsightly power poles.

Southern California Edison owns the lines and will do the work. The project is not expected to disrupt electrical service, but traffic could back up as the street is narrowed to one lane during the work.

The street also is scheduled for improvements next summer, including widening and pothole repair. That work will be financed by the cities of Costa Mesa and Santa Ana.

Also this week, the council agreed to designate Councilwoman Heather K. Somers as a voting delegate at the California League of Cities Conference, Oct. 12-14 in San Francisco, and to hire a deputy assistant city attorney at about $60,000 a year, including benefits.