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Dear Editor:
As residents of the Suffolk of Oak Manor subdivision along the Midland Trace Trail in Westfield, we want to raise awareness about Duke Energy’s project to build a new substation and run new power lines to support Westfield’s and Noblesville’s long-term energy needs, and the devastating impact it will have on the Midland Trace Trail if that option is selected.
The project details are available on the project website at duke-energy.com/our-company/about-us/electric-transmission-projects/Noblesville.
First, we want to be clear that we are not against progress. We know the lines are needed to support the growth in Noblesville and Westfield. That said, the part of the project we want to address is the Southern Project, where new high-voltage power lines will be run from the new substation (to be located at State Road 32 and Gray Road) towards the west to connect with existing power lines. The interactive map at the above link shows the routes that Duke Energy is considering for the new power lines.
One of the routes in the Southern Project that Duke is considering would run the new power lines along the northside of the Midland Trace Trail, from Gray Road to at least Carey Road, and possibly all the way to Cool Creek Park.
The Midland Trace Trail is a more recent addition to the Westfield parks system and visitors from far and wide use the trail to bike, run, skateboard, and walk their dogs under a beautiful canopy of trees and vegetation that align the path. The Midland Trace Trail is to the City of Westfield what the Monon Trail is to Indianapolis and Carmel. It’s a treasured natural resource highly visited and appreciated by the entire community. Running the new power lines along the Midland Trace Trail would destroy a large amount of remaining wooded wet-land area and certainly deface the aesthetic value of the park. It will also most likely reduce the value of the homes adjacent to and near the Midland Trace Trail.
There has been so much development and construction occurring in Westfield and the surrounding areas, with many wooded and natural areas having been torn down or affected. We should look for every opportunity to preserve what remains.
Towards this end, our neighborhood and other concerned Westfield residents are asking Duke Energy, through a variety of channels, to remove this power line route option from consideration and focus on the options that would run the new lines along the roads where existing poles and easements exist.
Residents of the Suffolk of Oak Manor subdivision
Westfield