Patrick County board approves easement for Mayo River Station upgrade after rail-trail concerns

The Patrick County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve an easement in front of the county sheriff's office needed for a transmission upgrade tied to the Mayo River Station project.

Bailey Mann, representing APCO, told the board the company is upgrading the line from 69 kilovolts to 138 kilovolts and needs a new substation footprint because the current yard cannot handle the increased load. "This is going to be something that will bring more power and more reliability to the area," Mann said in summary of the project.

Board members pressed APCO about alternate locations and the easement's relationship to the rail trail and a proposed picnic shelter. One committee member urged the utility to consider APCO-owned property across the river to reduce visual and recreational impacts, saying, "I kinda hate to stick a power line right over top of that," and noting the rail-trail draws families and youth events.

APCO responded that placing the substation across the river could make access and maintenance more difficult, and that engineering reviews had identified terrain and emergency-access trade-offs. Mann said he would "bring the comments back regarding the rail trail to AEP and their engineers and see what will be possible for that area" and will continue communicating with the county administrator.

A board member made the motion to approve the easement in front of the sheriff's office; a staff member seconded. The board recorded all votes in the affirmative and approved the easement. The utility indicated construction for this portion of the line is expected to start in 2027.

Next steps: APCO will report back with engineers' recommendations on whether the line or pole placement can be adjusted to reduce impacts on rail-trail recreation; the board approved the specific easement motion while asking the company to re-evaluate placement options.