Xcel cuts Hiawatha substation artwork by half to reduce costs

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Midtown Greenway Coalition offers alternatives that would prioritize trail users, but Xcel is proceeding with reduction

by Tesha M. Christensen

The new 3.25-acre Xcel substation at Hiawatha and 28th Ave. will no longer be screened on all sides by angled aluminum mesh walls.

Instead, Xcel is cutting back the amount of artwork on the facility by about half, a move that the Midtown Greenway Coalition says will negatively affect trail users.

“The last minute change to the substation design was a surprise and very disappointing,” said Midtown Greenway Coalition Executive Director Soren Jensen. “We were excited about the original design, which was approved by a citizen advisory group convened by Xcel. That original design had artwork wrapping almost entirely around the substation.”

When the design for the new substation was released in 2012, it garnered praise for being a unique and creative structure. The design was of a translucent cube that would glow yellow at night, complementing the blue-lit Sabo Bridge nearby. The plan was to have all four walls composed of extruded metal, a metal mesh surface that is semi-transparent. The metal would be given an anodized finish to color it. Additional color would come from lighting.

The advisory work group pushing designers to be creative included representatives from Xcel Energy, the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin County and community organizations. The group met for four months and conducted several open houses, working to develop a substation design that would be technically feasible and aesthetically pleasing, according to Xcel representative Patti Nystuen.

After the group met, an engineering and budget analysis was completed. The designs filed with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission had reduced and re-engineered screening on both the Hiawatha substation, as well as the one on Oakland Ave. and 29th St.

“These revisions were necessary to meet safety and budget concerns of the original designs,” said Nystuen. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved a substation screening budget for both substations of $1.3 million.

“Xcel Energy tried to keep the integrity of the originally presented design with as much of the wall as possible on all sides,” said Nystuen.

She added, “Xcel Energy feels that the current wall design respects the guiding principles established through the advisory work group and respects the interest of the participating parties in the group’s process.”

The Midtown Greenway Coalition disagrees.

“The new design, which was not approved by the citizen group, reduces the artwork almost in half.  As a result, it now looks more like a half-hearted attempt to screen an ugly substation,” said Jensen.

Xcel has received 77 comments from citizens regarding the change. All but two asked that the artwork wrap around the north/northeast corner of the substation.

“We are disappointed that Xcel appears to be ignoring public comments, and is proceeding with the new design, which greatly reduces the proposed art wall around the substation,” stated Jensen.

The Midtown Greenway Coalition is requesting that the advisory work group be reconvened by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to review the design.

The Coalition has proposed a number of alternatives that would not increase the project cost, but would provide artwork on the east and north sides. This would screen the substation from trail users, who come closer to the substation than drivers on Hiawatha do.

Jensen stated, “Since the substation is mostly impacting the Midtown Greenway, the priority should be protecting the Greenway viewshed and minimizing the aesthetic impact to the trail.”

Site work at the Hiawatha location behind Target has begun, and the project will be complete in 2014.

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