TOWN OF LYNDON – 6-year-old Cole Kestell echoed concerns of nearly two dozen adults at Public Service Commission of Wisconsin public hearings Aug. 23 for a proposed transmission line that could run through the towns of Mitchell and Lyndon.
Cole's grandmother, Janine Kestell, asked him what he thought of the “wires" as he sat in a blue ergonomic chair at the front of the Kris Hughes Memorial Town Hall. The proposed project could put transmission lines in front of Cole's home.
“If you wouldn't put them up in front of your house, if you don't like it, don’t do it to other people,” he said.
His parents and grandparents operate a multigenerational and award-winning farm of Holstein cows, split across their two properties, in the town of Lyndon.
What to know about the Plymouth Reliability Project
Part of the Plymouth Reliability Project , utility company American Transmission Company is proposing two possible routes to connect to an approved Plymouth Utilities substation to an existing line from Elkhart Lake to Saukville along a 7- to 8-mile route. Construction on the substation hasn’t started yet.
In its application, ATC said the project is needed because it expects “significant new energy demand” next year and needs to “reliably serve the new load interaction request” from Plymouth Utility’s substation. The proposed project was the “best value solution” among other options because it “had better power flow results, lower cost, fewer impacts and a better economic performance benefit.”
If approved as proposed, either route could pass through farmland and undeveloped land and impact protected natural areas and residential properties along town and county roads.
The utility hopes construction begins and finishes between August and December 2025.
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Preferred route would run along parts of County roads V and N
ATC’s preferred 7-mile route for the transmission line would follow County Road V from the substation, where County Road A intersects, then go northeast where it meets County Road N. It would connect with the line on Blueberry Lane.
The utility estimates it could cost about $33.5 million with substation.
Alternate route would be longer and more costly, according to ATC
The 8.2-mile alternate route would follow County Road A north from the substation, go east on Kettle View Road, and will head northeast crossing County Road U and Dooley Road, where it would connect on Sumac Road until meeting the line.
The proposed alternate route could cost about $39.2 million, with the substation, according to ATC.
Jody Lau, ATC corporate communications project manager, emphasized points in the application that the south route is preferable to the utility because it’s shorter, cheaper and “impacts fewer acres of wetlands, forested lands, and agricultural lands.”
Lau said ATC had to identify two buildable routes in its application to the PSCW, after identifying broad areas that could be acceptable with consideration for collocating with existing infrastructure, like utility corridors, highways and roads.
Public hearing speakers worried about future of family farms, natural areas
Concerns about the impact on human health, livestock well-being on family farms and natural areas were raised in public comments given from residents, community members and opponents to the proposed project.
Janine Kestell is worried the cow’s health and reproductive viability on her farm could decline from stray voltage coming off the closely proposed transmission lines. To bypass several impacted homes, she suggested ATC build the route along a different corridor owned by the utility.
“Using the existing corridor would satisfy many of the neighbors, whose lives otherwise will be shattered,” Janine said in public comment.
According to ATC, this was not feasible because of “conflicts” with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources areas, the Nichols Creek Wildlife Area and Onion River Streambank Protection Area.
Lau added a lot of wetlands are in that area and the line there would be more costly and cause more disturbances to the area.
Janine said the uncertainty and fear for the farm’s future has weighed on her 9-year-old grandson, Will.
“He said he's planning to sell this prized Pokémon collection and donate the money to N4N,” Janine said. Neighbors 4 Neighbors , N4N, is a community group fighting against the proposed project. “In a small way, he's trying to help protect his farming future.”
Carol Jean “Jeannie” Schultz from Cascade wants Nichols Creek to be untouched by the Plymouth Reliability Project, which would call for clearing 10 acres of trees along a 7-mile route of the right of way of the proposed project.
Schultz said she hunted and hiked at Nichols Creek for the last 30 years. She spent one of the days there with her grandsons after their grandfather’s death. They explored ponds and forests, seeing mallards and catching and releasing frogs.
“I can’t imagine having spent this day with the crackle and whine of overhead power lines interrupting the peace and serenity we were seeking,” Schultz said.
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Dig deeper on the proposed project
Learn more about the proposed on the PSC’s case webpage here .
Have a story tip? Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com . Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @alexx_garner .
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Community speaks against transmission line proposed in rural Sheboygan County
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