It appeared that the Fort Collins City Council may not resort to legal measures to stop the Platte River Power Authority’s (PRPA) plans to construct transmission lines along 100-foot towers through Pineridge Natural Area. The Council was scheduled to hold a special meeting on Aug. 31 to discuss litigation, however, PRPA agreed to put the project on hold for two months to discuss alternatives for the transmission lines.

Issues Fort Collins wants to discuss include alternative routes, potential impacts, access routes, mitigation, possible undergrounding, and other similar concerns. Platte River representatives planned to begin the final phase of the project in September. Platte River Power Authority is a not-for-profit utility owned by Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland. The cost to underground the transmission lines through Pineridge is estimated to cost PRPA an additional $12 to14 million; that cost would be shared equally between all four communities.