The Ely City Council received notification that the St. Louis County Planning Commission will be holding a public hearing regarding a request to upgrade an existing electrical substation near city property.

However, some council members have concerns about the extent of those upgrades.

Mayor Roger Skraba said he sits on the St. Louis County Planning Commission and it is his understanding that the county wants to enlarge the area for storage of creosote phone poles and other equipment.

The substation site is on Ely’s northeast side close to the Spaulding residential area the city is currently developing.

Skraba said St. Louis County Planner Mark Lindhorst indicated that the county’s proposed use conforms with the land use plan and is compatible with that of the existing neighborhood. However, Lindhorst acknowledged that it may be viewed as unattractive.

As a member of the county planning commission, Skraba said he knows that the county tries to offer a wide berth for rural substations so they don’t interfere with residential areas for various reasons.

He added that if the county’s application was strictly for expanding the substation, he would not object. But that might not be the case with the facility next to Spaulding.

“The substation is going to stay. I don’t think we can change that. Those are really hard to move,” he said. “But if they want to move all of their storage facility and then build a big building for their trucks eventually, now I’ve got an issue.”

One of Skraba’s concerns was also environmental and the potential of the creosote poles draining into nearby wetlands.

Council member Gordon Sheddy noted that such a project would negatively affect property values. He added that the substation area is already unattractive.

City Operations Director Harold Langowski said he received the same notification from the county but did not realize the potential extent of their plans. He suggested the city gather as much information as possible to help them make an informed decision before moving forward. He added that he also had some concerns for residents who live to the west of the site.

Skraba and City Attorney Kelly Klun attended the county’s public hearing on Thursday to express the city’s concerns.

In other matters:

‰ Though Tuesday’s council meeting was brief, it never officially ended. Council members approved a motion to reconvene the meeting on Monday, Oct. 12 at 7:15 p.m. in the council chambers.

Skraba would not disclose the reason for the continuation other than to say council members recently received information on a personnel issue that they needed to study. That information would be made public at the Monday meeting.

‰ The council unanimously approved an orderly annexation agreement with Morse Township for the U.S. Forest Service property. Once the agreement is signed by Mayor Skraba and City Clerk-Treasurer Terri Boese, it will be forwarded to Morse Supervisors for their approval. The USFS will then petition for annexation.