Potomac Edison offers $108,570 for Ranson campus parcel; board tables easement pending more research

At the July 14 meeting, Logan Vaughn of Potomac Edison told the Jefferson County Board of Education the company is proposing to acquire a 3.29-acre parcel on the Ranson campus for a new substation to serve expanding development in the Ranson and Charlestown areas. Vaughn said the company trimmed its planned footprint from roughly five acres to about 3.3 acres and offered "$108,570, which comes out to about $33,000 an acre."

Board members and staff questioned details about siting and potential health impacts. A board member noted that an attached health review dated 2011 may be out of date; staff and the company said there is limited recent research specific to substations at the voltage planned. Vaughn said the proposed facility would be a 34.5 kV installation and that the project would avoid above-ground cross-property cables by bringing the connection underground to the existing 34.5 line on North Mildred Street.

During discussion, staff confirmed commitments to stormwater retention, setback compliance and vegetative screening around the site and said the purchase agreement could explicitly limit the utility to the stated 3.29 acres. Potomac Edison also offered a short-term option: a small temporary facility with transformer space to serve peak winter and summer loads while the parties finalize a permanent arrangement, at a proposed lease rate of $1,000 per month.

Board member Dr. Joy moved to table the easement so members could review materials added that day and to allow staff time to assemble additional research; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The board requested updated Ranson zoning/coding, the newly posted maps, and more recent health or engineering research before reconsidering the easement.