Sep. 15--Parents and officials of Gilbert's Edu-Prize School are still fighting to get a proposed SRP substation moved away from their campus.

They are concerned the substation by their K-8 charter school of 1,250 students will bring unnecessary safety and health issues by exposing children and adults to electromagnetic forces.

However, an SRP spokeswoman said about 200 substations are built near schools and neighborhoods throughout the Valley, and there is no scientific proof that the substations have harmful effects.

The two-bay substation with 69-kilovolt power lines is planned on the northwest corner in a vacant lot at Baseline Road and Monterey Street. The lot is just north of the school, near the playground, and the plan is to have it built by 2012.

Jean Geyer, who has two children attending Edu-Prize and lives in the area, said she doesn't want the substation near the school for any reason.

"Why risk having it here?" said Geyer, who is also a playground aide and a substitute teacher at the school. "I don't understand why Gilbert would even allow it. It's just wrong."

Parents have started a blog, saltriverproject.blogspot.com, and a Facebook page, Protect our Edu-Prize Students. The Gilbert parents brought a petition with about 1,000 names to the Town Council in March. They've also met with state legislators.

However, legislators and town officials have said their hands are tied.

Gilbert Mayor John Lewis said he has a "desire to help" and be "supportive." However, SRP is a quasi-government agency, and the town does not have any legal jurisdiction or ability to make a final decision for SRP. SRP does not need permission from the town to build a substation.

"In an ideal world, it would be to find another location for it," Lewis said. "We are looking for guidance from SRP to see if they can come up with options, (and) if not, why not?

"You have to commend very active parents in organizing this," Lewis said. "I feel like SRP is trying. I just don't know the outcome."

Edu-Prize's vice principal, Barbara Duncan, said the school is trying to work with SRP, and even suggested alternative sites.

"We recognize the need for power," Duncan said. "Why expose our children every day to chronic EMF (electromagnetic force) exposure, even if there's a 1 percent chance (of danger)?"

SRP spokeswoman Patty Garcia-Likens said the utility has looked at other sites, and this is the "best possible site" that will "provide reliable power."

"The issue is that you will find these substations in every neighborhood in the Valley," Garcia-Likens said.