Power line battle heats up on Cyrus land

The long-simmering battle over the upgrade of Central Electric Cooperative’s Jordan Road power line heated up on Monday, June 12.

CEC is trying to install metal towers up to 83 feet high to carry new transmission lines to Sisters.

As a construction crew started to dig holes for the new steel power poles on an easement running over land belonging to the Cyrus family of Sisters, the Cyruses moved in heavy equipment to block access.

“This morning (CEC) showed up in force with all their augers,” Matt Cyrus told The Nugget. “We’ve moved equipment into the easement to block any further work until such time as it can be resolved whether they can do this kind of work.”

The family sought a temporary restraining order from Deschutes County Circuit Court on Monday.

Over the weekend, it appeared a gate on the county-owned Jordan Road just east of Sisters and the Lazy Z Ranch had been replaced with a barbed wire fence.

CEC crews were moving to the area to begin installation there after completing work on Bureau of Land Management lands.

Last Thursday, Isa A. Taylor, an attorney for Cyrus, reported a Deschutes County code violation alleging that CEC’s plans to install new poles along the Jordan Road utility right-of-way violated county land use regulations and state law. In his notice to the county, Taylor stated that while the county had granted a Measure 37 waiver to CEC, the state has not done so — an act required in his opinion for the work to be allowed.

Cyrus has stated that family members and farm employees are patrolling the road to prevent any utility work from being started.

Earlier, developers of the Thornburgh Resort located west of Eagle Crest Resort challenged CEC with the same basic argument. Plans called for the tall poles to be placed on their property.

However, a request for the court to stop the work was denied because CEC had already finished the installation, according to court papers filed by the Cyruses.

Cyrus told The Nugget he blocked access to prevent CEC from finishing the work before a court could act.

CEC has argued that the new 115 kilovolt transmission line requiring taller poles is needed to provide the City of Sisters and the surrounding area with dependable electrical power as required by law.

For a short time, there was concern that a power shortage would force a building moratorium within the City of Sisters.

However, earlier this year, CEC assured the city that the new transmission line would be completed before the end of the year.

CEC design engineer Tom Loving, who was at the site when the Cyruses blocked access to the easement, referred all questions to CEC’s attorney Martin Hansen, who was not available for comment.

A CEC spokesman also did not return calls for comment.

Cyrus said his family intends to leave the equipment blocking the easement “until the court orders us to move it, which I don’t expect.”

News Editor Jim Cornelius contributed to this story.