Pained words of Pastor William Vann inside Iasis Christian Center competed against industrial clamor of electric transmission line crews operating heavy trucks in the front yard.
Timing of the mid-April intrusion was ironic, because Vann was in a meeting with a Wichita City Council member, a Kansas House member, several local residents and a reporter to discuss the controversial power-pole modernization project initiated by Westar Energy — now known as Evergy — in a low-income residential neighborhood of northeast Wichita.
The church stands amid dozens of metal transmission poles that soar 105 feet above the ground, dwarfing wood poles typical of older neighborhoods without buried lines. Size and location of the double-deck poles fueled anger among residents convinced such giants would never be deployed in an affluent part of the city. Some were planted in front yards a stone’s throw from entrance doors.
Vann wasn’t alone in accusing Westar of engaging in a bait-and-switch approach to placing the poles on private property. He agreed to a new pole in front of the church, but was unaware of actual dimensions. He was recently informed Westar intended to add a transformer in the easement next to the street.
(Read more: Leavenworth Times)