Jun. 21--MCKINNEY -- Moms and dads sat in the City Council chambers until no seats were left; then they stood in the back, their strollers blocking the aisles.

Residents of two neighborhoods had come in force to protest power-line towers that could be built a few hundred feet from their back yards. A power substation covering several acres could also be part of the package. The council members wasted little time Tuesday night approving a resolution to oppose the power lines' route. But the fight doesn't end there. "Don't go home happy and warm," resident Aaron Haas told a couple dozen people outside. "It's not over. It's just the beginning." With the city now behind them, the residents of the Avalon and Horseshoe Bend neighborhoods say they are taking their fight to the state Public Utility Commission, which will decide where the substation and power lines go.

In trying to influence the utility commission's decision, McKinney's southern neighbor beat it to the punch by more than two months. On March 27, Allen passed a resolution opposing routes through its territory. One thing is sure: As developers turn cornfields and pastures into homes and businesses, power lines have to go somewhere. They will take electricity from high-voltage lines in place along U.S. Highway 75 and send it west to several coming developments, including the 2,000-acre Craig Ranch and a swath of commercial real estate along State Highway 121. The Brazos Electric Power Cooperative has outlined several possible routes.

Some line Highway 121, which divides Allen and McKinney. The others run either north of the road, through McKinney, or south of it, through Allen. One of the northern routes is a few hundred feet from the Avalon neighborhood. "This weekend, from now until next week, is the time we need to push," resident Danny Dong told the crowd at City Hall on Tuesday. The utility commission's deadline for residents to voice their concerns is June 29. Between now and then, Mr. Dong and oth rs hope to get hundreds of their neighbors to sign protest forms. The collection of young to middle-age moms and dads are new to community organizing, but they're learning fast.

Aside from hanging signs and going door to door, they have put up a Web site, www.jcway.com. It is resident John Wei's personal site, converted to serve the growing protest. During the month since they learned of the planned power lines, the organizers have posted all sorts of information: protest forms, power company reports, maps, PowerPoint resentations, and links to sites that discuss the declining property values and possible health risks associated with power lines. But Mr. Dong said it's the neighborhood signs, not the Web site, that seem to get the most attention. "It's really a team effort," Mr.

Dong said, and not one easily led. "Somebody said, 'Why don't we elect a leader?' But it's too much." After June 29, state officials will begin a months-long process of hearings. An administrative law judge will put together a recommendation to be presented to the Public Utility Commission. Lowest cost The array of options is complex. They are laid out in a 339-page report by Brazos Electric. Power company analysts have proposed three locations for the power substation, including one called the Craig Ranch Substation -- the option Avalon residents are worried about. It would cost about $37 million, roughly $7 million less than the most expensive option.

A power company spokesman said costs ultimately are passed along to customers. Largely because of the savings, the power company has recommended this substation location and based the various power line routes on it. David McDaniel, a Brazos Electric official, said the cooperative has no real preference for location but noted that power lines must come. "We would love to build it along 121 in the highway department's right of way," Mr. McDaniel said. But he said it can be difficult to get highway officials to agree to such plans. Texas Department of Transportation officials could not be reached for com ent Wednesday.

The highway is also where Craig Ranch developer David Craig would like to see the lines go. "What's a little bit problematic for me is they call it the Craig Ranch Substation," he said, pointing out that it will serve other developments as well. As officials sort out the plans, the residents of Avalon and Horseshoe Bend plan to keep blogging and agitating to keep power lines away from their back yards. The new substation and power lines won't bring any electricity to them. "One thing good about the whole thing," Mr. Dong says, "is that we're all getting to know our neighbors."