LYNN – Proposed relocation sites to house power lines situated along the city’s waterfront were detailed at a Power Lines sub-committee meeting Tuesday.National Grid provided an update on the massive project that would ultimately pave the way for 250 plus acres of waterfront property to be transformed into prime real estate and commercial developments.Currently, the power lines are situated on the east side of the Lynnway along the harbor and impede any development from taking place.The proposed relocation would place the power lines on the west side of the Lynnway by General Electric, then crossing over the Lynnway up the road by Harding Street and continue near Commercial Street.City Council president Timothy Phelan said ongoing discussions with General Electric for the relocation have remained amicable, and for that he is very optimistic.”It won’t look good to have the power lines cross the Lynnway as opposed to where they are now, but it’s a trade off for the waterfront to be developed,” he said. “When you get down to it, power lines are ugly no matter where you put them.”A plan was prepared for National Grid based upon a ground survey conducted by BSC Group in 2007 that shows existing conditions and proposed areas where the power lines could be redirected.In 2007, the city of Lynn received $2.5 million in state funds directed at helping to pay to move the wires to the other side of the Lynnway.The total cost of the project is currently hovering around $4 million, but Phelan said the number could very well escalate.”National Grid is really working with us to keep the cost down,” he said. “So, we’re planning on bringing them (National Grid) in every two to three weeks to keep the talks going.”Andrew Schneller, project manager for National Grid said the targeted construction start date for the project is June 2009.”We’re preparing permitting to be submitted by June to the Department of Public Utilities for them to determine if this project is in public need, and we’ve already sat down with the director of environmental affairs,” he said. “They had nothing but positive things to say about the project and are anxiously awaiting the filings.”Since the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) owns the Lynnway, Schneller said an OK still needs to be given by them to allow for the power lines to cross the roadway.The exact relocations still need to be determined according to Schneller, who said the proposed locations are simply a rough estimate.”The soil still needs to be checked to determine if there is contamination and if there is, it has to be remediated,” he said. “That is a pretty big portion of the project.”Schneller said the new poles would be made of steel, as opposed to the current ones which are wood.According to Joe Newman, vice president of government relations for National Grid in Massachusetts, an order of steel for the electrical poles has to be placed in the coming weeks, but did not say exactly when it would be made.”We are currently looking to see if the schedule can be adjusted beyond the next 60 days,” he said. “We don’t have a drop dead date in place (to place the order), but we are aggressively moving forward.”