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(a) City requirement to underground. In addition to the provisions of this article, the city may require any overhead electric distribution lines or overhead telecommunications lines to be relocated underground at the owner's expense as part of a public project.

(b) Undergrounding performance. Upon receipt of a written request from the director, the owner shall relocate underground any overhead electric distribution lines, overhead telecommunications lines, or aboveground telecommunications facilities in accordance with the procedures set forth in this section.

(c) Time of performance. The owner shall complete each undergrounding project requested by the director within a reasonable time, not to exceed 240 days from the date upon which the director makes a written request for an undergrounding project. Upon written request, the owner may receive an extension of time to complete each undergrounding project where the owner's performance was delayed due to a force majeure condition. Upon written request of the owner, the director may also grant the owner reasonable extensions of time for good cause shown and the director shall not unreasonably withhold any such extension.

(d) Completion/restoration. Each such undergrounding project shall be deemed complete only when the owner actually undergrounds the designated overhead electric distribution lines, overhead telecommunications lines, or telecommunications facilities, restores the undergrounding site in accordance with section 126-514 of this article, or as otherwise agreed by the director, and removes from the site any unused overhead electric distribution lines, overhead telecommunications lines, aboveground telecommunications facilities, equipment, material, and other impediments. Unused overhead electric distribution lines, overhead telecommunications lines, or telecommunications facilities, equipment, material, and other impediments may only be abandoned in place upon the written approval of the director.

(e) Cooperation with other utilities. When undertaking an undergrounding project, the city and all affected owners shall coordinate to have their aboveground facilities relocated underground as part of the same undergrounding project. Upon receipt of notification of an undergrounding project, all affected owners shall underground their facilities as part of the same public project. The director may exempt an owner from underground requirements where undergrounding is not technically or operationally feasible. Owners shall be responsible for the undergrounding costs of their own facilities and shall not be required to pay for the cost of undergrounding the facilities of other owners or the City.

(f) Planning and coordination of undergrounding projects. The city and all affected owners shall mutually plan the scheduling of undergrounding projects to be undertaken in accordance with this article. Representatives of both the city and all owners with facilities in city streets or other city property shall meet periodically to review the undergrounding of overhead electric distribution lines, overhead telecommunications lines, or telecommunications facilities and at such meetings shall review:

(1) Undergrounding, including conversions, public projects and replacements which have been accomplished or are underway;

(2) Owner's plans for future undergrounding; and

(3) Public projects anticipated by the City. (Ord. No. 2019-09, § 6, 3-18-2019)

Editor's note: Ord. No. 2019-09, §§ 6—16, adopted March 18, 2019, added a new § 126-506, and renumbered the former §§ 126-506126-515 as 126-507126-516. The historical notation remains with the renumbered provisions.