Edison to Bring Pesky Below-Ground Vaults Upstairs
Eight Street-Level Transformers Will Soon Appear Downtown
They may be out of sight, but they’re hardly out of mind. Santa Barbara’s underground electrical vaults, buried below streets and sidewalks more than 50 years ago to keep downtown as picturesque as possible, are a big reason for the city’s ongoing blackout blues. They often flood and become clogged with debris, and when there’s an outage accompanied by a gas leak, workers sometimes have to wait hours for the all-clear to climb down.
In March, Southern California Edison will start replacing some of this subterranean equipment with aboveground transformers. Eight large, pad-mounted boxes will appear next to parking garages, in parking lots, near the police station, and in the Anapamu Street pocket park. They’ll emit a humming sound, Edison officials told the City Council at last Tuesday’s meeting, but won’t break any noise ordinances. “Sometimes they’re quiet, sometimes they’re a little louder,” said District Manager Alicia Pillado. “You probably won’t even notice it.”
Normally green, the boxes could be painted different colors to blend in with their surroundings, or they could be hidden by hedges, Pillado said. Other cities, such as Glendale and Burbank, adorned theirs with murals. It will be up to Santa Barbara’s design review boards to settle on a visual strategy.
