The long-standing law in Hemet requires that new structures place their telephone poles below ground. But when it comes time for a developer to actually move the poles, the cost can come as something of a shock.

In the case of the Salvation Army, their new facility, which is nearing completion, has run into a speed bump: moving five telephone poles will cost nearly $900,000, or 10 times what their architectural firm estimated.

From the Union Press-Enterprise:

Representatives from the city of Hemet met with several utility companies earlier this month about the challenges that the Salvation Army is facing regarding the required undergrounding of utility lines at its new complex.

Hemet’s Uniform Building Code of 1997 requires that all new structures require underground lines.

At the November City Council meeting, the Salvation Army expressed frustration that the cost of installing utility lines underground was more than 10 times what it expected and asked the city for a waiver to allow it to keep the lines above ground.

Read the full article here.