Jul. 18--A city cannot grow without sufficient electrical service, and Yuma is about maxed out at peak periods of usage. That is why Arizona Public Service Co. officials will be seeking comment from Yuma area residents tonight about a new power line.

APS wants to build a 230-kilovolt power transmission line from an existing north county substation at County 6th Street and Avenue 9E to a new one at County 14-1/2 and Avenue 1E. It would curve to the east and south of Yuma. It is intended to meet the growing need for power and to increase reliability of service, according to APS. It would provide enough electricity for a potential 120,000 homes. The project is still in the route selection phase and construction would not actually begin until 2010. It is has a planned completion date of the summer of 2012, the same year APS estimates there will be a need for an additional 130 megawatts in the Yu a area to accommodate growth.

The new power line would have the capability to carry up to 480 megawatts of electrical power at full capacity. This will not be the typical power line that runs down a neighborhood street. It will be a high-capacity line with electrical poles that could be as high as 160 feet. The question now -- and one that may be answered tonight at the public meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Yuma Civic Center, 1440 W. Desert Hills Drive -- is how the residents of the areas where the line may pass will react to it. Large power lines are not traditionally very popular in residential areas and the typical response to any project like this in "not in my backyard." Will the reaction be as adverse as it was to a proposed railroad route that was planned for part of the ame general area? Or perhaps the public will find the proposed pathway acceptable.

Whatever the public reaction, it is clear that our rapidly-growing community is reaching a critical point in its power needs, and there has been no indication that our growth will lessen. There is one thing that could stop it, however, and that is a lac of power to sustain it. This would also be a major inconvenience for current residents, who would face blackouts or brownouts when the power supply is maxed out. The power expansion project, whatever path it takes, is vital to our community's needs. Let us hope there are no unnecessary delays which keep APS from moving forward in a timely way.