Testimony underway in “special” court proceeding

The right-of-way property manager for the plaintiff opened the civil trial testimony this morning at the Oconee Courthouse.  Columbia-based Central Electric Power has brought a Doctor John’s Road, Westminster couple into the court for a jury determination of just compensation for the taking of a strip of the couple’s property.  The taking was made necessary to allow a transmission line to cross the Slisher property as part of a connection between two Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative substations.  Central Electric is the power supplier for Blue Ridge and all other South Carolina electric cooperatives.  In a ruling made outside the jury, Judge Sprouse said he would allow the defendant’s side to enter testimony regarding a person’s fear of living under a transmission line.