I’m not sure it’s possible for most of us to conceive of the magnitude of what we are facing in the reality of Puget Sound Energy’s, “Energize Eastside” project.

PSE is moving forward at a brisk pace with its proposed options to install 230kV transmission poles through the central Eastside form Renton to Bellevue and on through Redmond, choosing their preferred route through our cities.

We’ve been reassured that these towers are not the kind constructed during the early portion of the 20th century, these are much better.

What we can, in fact, expect is a set of poles towering over the shore of Lake Washington or strung across our central skyline are at a minimum of 135 ft tall and 6 ft diameter at the base. Every building with an Eastern-facing view will see towers 10 stories taller than the surrounding landscape, planted in a swath of flattened vegetation. These poles will march with their hissing, spitting lines through residential shorelines, reflect in the gleaming windows of small offices, lurk over the Bellevue Botanical Garden, trap over the top of family homes, or occupy the space formerly reserved for community trail development.

Our city desperately needs your attention now. This is the largest imposition of a utility upon our landscape in the history of our city. If we allow this blight to become a fixture across our skyline, more will come. We must step up and support our City Council to make our values clear to PSE and those to follow; this is not what we are about. We are a community of 21st Century solutions, PSE must find another way.

Lisa Taylor, Bellevue