LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Residents of an East Mesa neighborhood met to share their thoughts on a proposed El Paso Electric substation and transmission lines around their homes.

Fourteen miles of lines are going up in the East Mesa to connect two substations and provide electricity for future development.

More than 30 residents of the Dos Suenos East Mesa neighborhood attended a meeting Thursday night to unify their thoughts on where El Paso Electric should place the transmission lines.

One by one, residents addressed their concerns to a panel of local politicians.

“Underground--I don't care what the cost is. I'll pay for it. But not above ground. I won't pay for it,” said Mary Stacey, East Mesa resident.

Many said they wouldn't mind having the lines buried, but the cost would multiply by 10.

"That's not a good excuse. They did it on the West Mesa. Why not the East Mesa? We're just as good,” said Ellen Weiss, a Dos Suenos resident.

Some said above or below, transmission lines pose health problems, according to research they have done.

“If your child already has a weak immune system, you're more susceptible to have more of a problem. We have a problem here (with our infant daughter). She was born over 67 days early,” said Katherine Solis of the East Mesa.

And with these growth problems surfacing, some say they taint the picture of Las Cruces.

"This area is being promoted as being one of the nicest places to retire, but it's getting scarred after we get here because of all these obstructions that they keep putting in,” said David Kusko, another Dos Suenos resident.

And though several residents agreed with each other on having a meeting without El Paso Electric present, some said it could have been more effective if company representatives were there to hear the residents’ thoughts.

Nothing was resolved, but residents hope their concerns about future growth are being addressed to the politicians who did attend.

“We have people that we can talk to, but we don't get a lot of good answers sometimes,” said Kusko.

An El Paso Electric spokeswoman said nothing is set in stone at this point as to where the lines will go. An alternative plan is being looked at so lines don't have to be put in the neighborhood of the people who attended the meeting. The company is planning another meeting with residents in November.