Costilla County monopole hearing postponed

FORT GARLAND — A hearing for a Special Use Review by the Costilla County Commissioners was rescheduled to Sept. 3 because a community group requested additional time to gather information.

The hearing is concerning a proposed 125-foot monopole in the Fort Garland substation by Xcel Energy. Although the original applications was approved by Costilla County Land Use Administrator Jason Medina and then by the Planning and Zoning Commission, the commissioners tabled the final decision.

Xcel admitted the pole could eventually be used for “smart meters” which have been blamed for causing health problems, including cancer because of the use of radio waves. At that point, the commissioners tabled the issue to give the group Campaign to Stop Smart Meters in Costilla County time to gather more information to present to the county.

Initially, the county had scheduled the hearing for Aug. 6, but the citizens asked for an extension and Xcel was also given an extension, Medina said.

The Sept. 3 hearing will be a special meeting for the Costilla County Commissioners. Because of the large turnout expected, the hearing will be at the Public Health Conference Room at 233 Main in San Luis starting at 1 p.m.