Beasley residents charged up about hydro station site
Delegation going to city council to push for relocating $60M project
A group of citizens is planning to go to city council with their concerns about the $60-million refurbishment of a Hydro One substation wedged between an elementary school and a park in the Beasley neighbourhood.
Parents from Dr. J. Edgar Davey school, residents and others who attended a community meeting about the project want to see the transmission station’s current location moved away from kids and green space.
“Relocate rather than rebuild,” John Neary, a member of the Beasley Neighbourhood Association, told the crowd of about 40 people Monday night at the Beasley Community Centre.
Neary said the group is planning a delegation to encourage the city not to make a deal with Hydro One to use a portion of the parking lot as a construction staging area while the work takes place.
Hamilton East-Stoney Creek MP Bob Bratina, who used to represent Ward 2, also recommended the group present their concerns to council.
“The city owes this neighbourhood something,” Bratina told the meeting, while acknowledging funding could be a problem.
A Hydro One representative could not attend the meeting, which was only arranged a few days ago, said former Dr. Davey principal Leah Schwenger.
A spokesperson told The Spectator this month that relocating had not been priced out, but that it would be extremely costly and complex. It would mean reconfiguring all of the underground high-voltage transmission cables that feed the station and Horizon Utilities’ distribution cables that carry power from the site.
The Elgin Street station, built in the 1950s and reaching the end of its life, serves sites including City Hall, Hamilton General Hospital and FirstOntario Centre.
Residents suggest the transmission station could be moved to other nearby properties, like the former site of the Hamilton Downtown Mosque on Wilson Street.
A letter from Hamilton Centre MPP Andrea Horwath that was shared at the meeting asked for Hydro One to provide other options that would better suit the neighbourhood.
Schwenger, who facilitated the meeting, said the big issue is the desire to see a larger playground. Plans to expand the play area had been finalized but have now been put on hold since the parking spots are needed during construction.