Concerns Over PECO Substation Lead To City Council Hearing
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia city council will hold public hearings on PECO's plan to put an electric substation in the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia, and the district councilman has concerns.
Councilman Curtis Jones says he's been working with PECO, and recently held a community meeting where about a hundred local residents shared concerns over design and safety.
Jones said, "So questions like, do pulses emitted from these stations affect our health, do they affect other infrastructure such as piping, do we have an emergency plan and, in an emergency, how is the community notified?"
He says homes and schools are nearby and he doesn't want the process rushed.
PECO spokesman Ben Armstrong says the utility is trying to address the concerns, and will continue working with the community and elected officials.
"The substation is necessary to insure the continued safe and reliable service for customers in this area," said Armstrong.
He says the station would be below ground, so as not to be an eyesore, and would be monitored, by camera, around the clock.