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Lucasfilm and PG&E flex their Power in
Cow Hollow Go to the Update on Project and Action Items Go to the Media Alert/Resolution to
Board of Supervisors Project History PG&E recently began work on a major “road-digging” power line project to supply Lucasfilm’s Letterman Digital Arts Center in the Presidio with 8 megawatts of power, enough to meet the needs of a small town or power 2,400 – 8,000 homes. According to PG&E project manager Gary Tognozzi, this is less than the 12 megawatts initially requested by Lucasfilm, up from the current supplied levels of 1-2 megawatts.
Lucasfilm's contract with PG&E requires that 3 megawatts of power be delivered to Letterman Digital Arts no later than July 1, 2004, 3.7 megawatts delivered no later than November 2004, and 4.2 megawatts by January 2005. These incremental increases are necessary to bring the new building’s systems and technology infrastructure on line by Spring of 2005 in preparation for the planned occupation in the Summer of 2005. PG&E has stated that it will take approximately twenty (20) weeks to complete the ten (10) block long trench down Filbert Street and needs to start trenching on Filbert in January 2004. PG&E has stated additional wires can be strung over existing power poles to supply the initial 3-megawatt need, but with the 3.7 megawatts needed by November 2004, this solution will be short-lived.
PG&E had hoped to run this power line down Greenwich Street from Fillmore to Lyon, but Greenwich Street has been dug up six times in the last two years, the maximum number allowed by law. The Greenwich Street residents were willing to accept this disruption ONLY if the Letterman Digital Arts power line could be coordinated with the undergrounding of the above ground utility lines. Greenwich residents have been campaigning for over fifty years for the undergrounding of their overhead utilities and had attempted negotiations with PG&E to align the two projects. PG&E stated that due to the limited time frame, they could not reengineer the project (from 8-18 months) or wait for Greenwich residents to secure legislation (Rule 20a funding). Since the coordination of both projects seemed unlikely and Greenwich residents were adamantly opposed to another major street disruption without the offsetting benefit of undergrounding, Ed Lee, Chief of DPW, pulled the Lucasfilm permit with the Mayor's urging until an alternative route could be chosen. The response from PG&E was to move the power line route up one block to Filbert Street. Both routes call for continuing the power line down Lyon Street to Chestnut.
CHA Concerns
The Cow Hollow Association passed a resolution at their Board Meeting on October 7, 2003 to address these concerns: "The Cow Hollow Association strongly opposes the selected PG&E Power Line Route for the Letterman Digital Arts Center through the Cow Hollow neighborhood, currently on Filbert and Lyon Streets, requests that no work commence on the Filbert Street corridor, and requests that PG&E, Lucasfilm Ltd., and the City and County of San Francisco hold a neighborhood-wide meeting to discuss the areas of concern to the residents of Cow Hollow." In conjunction with Mike Farrah of Supervisor Newsom's Office, the CHA has requested a meeting with PG&E, Lucasfilm Ltd., and DPW to discuss these issues. Also please consider joining the CHA if you are not already a member
to receive regular email updates about this and other happenings
in your neighborhood.
Lucas Film - Chris Glennon 415-448-3522
DPW - Barbara Moy
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