The American Transmission Company's proposal to construct a high-voltage power line across the beltline, a major highway bisecting the UW-Madison Arboretum, has Arboretum officials on the defensive.
This proposition is only one of several options being weighed in an effort to connect the substations in Christiana, a town in Dane County, to the substations in west Middleton, one of the major Madison suburbs.
According to the ATC Vice President of Major Projects Mark Williamson, the beltline is already an existing corridor, which is a requirement set forth by the law.
It's actually perfectly placed,\ Williamson said. ""It's the shortest route, it's the least expensive route for the customers to have to pay for, and we think it's probably going to emerge as one of the soundest routes environmentally.""
Yet UW Arboretum Director Kevin McSweeney has plans to combat this proposal in order to prevent further destruction of the property.
""We will be fighting on multiple and diverse fronts to prevent the transmission lines from passing along the front of our property,"" McSweeney said.
""If the Public Service Commission determines that the beltline is the preferred route, we will insist that the American Transmission Company bury the lines as they perverse the front of our property such that they don't pollute our viewscape,"" he said.
Noting his concerns, McSweeney said, ""We believe our property is unique and is not suitable for this kind of intrusion.""
""We think we can fit it in the highway without having to cut down any Arboretum trees,"" Williamson said.
However, McSweeney said he has suspicions, failing to believe this extent of construction can occur without environmental degradation.
Among other disturbances, the erection of power lines 120 feet tall ""would seriously impair the viewscape,"" McSweeney explained.
""This is a property more so than probably anywhere else in Madison that attracts migratory birds and resident birds, and these power lines would, we suspect, severely impact the bird population,"" he said.
According to McSweeney, the UW Arboretum has been under attack numerous times before. The southeast marsh section of the Arboretum houses a WHA radio tower, which was supposed to be a temporary structure but has yet to be removed.
The construction of the beltline has also had a major impact on the property.
Additionally, McSweeney said, the Arboretum receives approximately 470 million gallons of storm water on average from surrounding municipalities and the City of Madison requires the Arboretum pay half the cost of treating this water, which they do not generate.
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