"For the past 20 years the town has wanted to put the poles underground... as a solution to visual clutter," said Cindy Adler, coordinator of the Stinson Beach Village Association.
Burying the utilities would "also be helpful in terms of power outages and safety, and there would be fewer road obstacles for cars to hit," Adler added.
She said the effort has been stalled for so long "because no one wanted to volunteer to pursue this doggedly. We're delighted that
[Stinson Beach resident] Ann Hellman came along and wanted to pursue it."
Hellman told The Light she has spent hours talking with undergrounding specialists at PG&E, "who have been very helpful," and with members of the county Public Works Department.
"It's been a real pleasure to collect the undergrounding information," Hellman said. "Stinson Beach is almost paradise. I got involved with this project because of the beauty of this place, and I'm dazzled by the people of the Village Association. If anyone can do this job [sinking the utility lines], they can."
However, Hellman said, "beautification" can be expensive.
Through the state Public Utilities Commission, Public Works gets roughly $300,000 annually from PG&E for burying utilities. PG&E is required by law to set aside a percentage of its annual income for public infrastructure.
"We send all of our undergrounding requests first to PG&E, which will make a cost estimate for each one," said Farhad Mansourian, chief assistant director of Public Works. "Typically, each project costs about $1 million. Next we look to see where the undergrounding request stands in the competition."
To "compete" for PUC funding, he said, proposed projects must have existing aesthetic and safety problems. Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, which threads though most of Marin, has met those requirements, and although costly - $3 million - and time-consuming - 15 years and counting - the undergrounding there is justified, Mansourian said.
"Stinson Beach's request is the smallest we've received," he said. "Usually, a whole neighborhood or a major thoroughfare will apply. We have about 2,000 requests now, and we have to prioritize them to get the biggest bang for our buck.
"We've forwarded Stinson's proposal to PG&E and are awaiting their cost estimate. Once we receive that, we'll be able to determine where the town stands. But I applaud [the town's residents] for trying and being interested."
Underground utilities are now mandatory for all new projects in Marin County, Mansourian noted. "Unfortunately, this requirement isn't retroactive."