Home at stake as veteran challenges LPEA easement expansion
By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
Jack Barrett didn’t expect his retirement to look like this. The 80-year-old Navy veteran thought he, and his wife, would spend their later years quietly on the 9.6 acre property they bought outside Pagosa Springs—nearly two decades ago. Instead, Barrett is now fighting La Plata Electric Association over a transmission line upgrade that he says would force a widened utility easement closer to his home—and deeper into his property.
“I served my country with honor,” Barrett said. “And I should not have this fight at this time in my life.”
LPEA has filed a petition in condemnation to secure easement rights. It would be for project upgrading an existing transmission line from 69kV to 115kV. What began as a technica...










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