RESIDENTS to Cuomo: 'Vehemently' Opposed to 80-Foot Poles

Residents for A More Beautiful Port Washington is urging the community to share and sign a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo against the PSEG Long Island power line installation project that comprises a five-mile overhead transmission line between Great Neck and Port Washington.

The letter states: "We vehemently oppose installation of 80’ poles in our waterfront community and call on PSEGLI to bury the new high voltage transmission wire where it enters Port Washington, and to eliminate or reduce the size of the high voltage utility poles to match existing poles."

In assessing customer demand, PSEG reliability engineers determined that there was a critical need for new transmission circuits to reliably serve customers now, Jeffrey Weir, a PSEG Long Island Spokesman, told Patch. PSEG Long Island will present information about a new power line installation project at a meeting at the Harbor Links Clubhouse in Port Washington on Monday, March 24, at 7 p.m., a Town of North Hempstead spokesman said.

Read Resident's full letter below. Those who wish to sign can do so via the Residents' website.

Community Sign-on Letter To Governor Andrew Cuomo

March, 2014

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo

Governor of New York State

NYS State Capitol Building

Albany, NY 12224

Re: Help Port Washington Achieve Power Resiliency that Co-Exists with Our

Tree-Lined Waterfront Community

Dear Governor Cuomo:

We applaud the attention your office has given to the energy needs of Long Island in light of the new extreme weather conditions confronting our State. However, we urge you to take a long term view of these projects so as to provide permanent solutions. We call on you, as our governor, to direct PSEGLI towards the following goals, enabling our tree lined suburban community to achieve power resiliency, while maintaining its newly named status of, “One of the best places to live in the world.” 

1. Bury new high voltage transmission wire set on 80’ poles

We vehemently oppose installation of 80’ poles in our waterfront community and call on PSEGLI to bury the new high voltage transmission wire where it enters Port Washington, and to eliminate or reduce the size of the high voltage utility poles to match existing poles.

2. Bury electrical and utility wires along Main Street, Port Washington 

We note that the existing wires on Main Street are an eyesore, and can result in the loss of power in the event of storms. We call on PSEGLI to work with elected officials and adjacent building owners to develop a plan and immediately begin engineering feasibility study to determine if undergrounding wires along our commercial corridor qualifies for funding under the $730 million federal grant made available last month to upgrade Long Island’s existing power lines. 

3. Prune trees responsibly 

Where such careful pruning is not possible, we call upon PSEGLI to work with the Peninsula Tree Protection Committee (Tree-1-1) and an arborist to select replacement trees at height requirements which enable a beautiful tree canopy along roadways in Port Washington.

4. Leave no pole behind

Where utility poles are replaced or eliminated, Residents calls on PSEGLI to uphold its commitment to ensure every duplicate pole is removed; and commit to work with other utility companies to accomplish this within 60 days of installation or removal of utility poles. 

5. Converse with the community at the BEGINNING of a project

At the early planning stages of ANY project that impacts the aesthetics of the Port Washington community, Residents requests multiple public meetings to inform the community, solicit and respond to input and explore alternatives raised. 

We appreciate your immediate response, as each day brings the installation of additional poles and diminished aesthetics in our community.

Sincerely,

The Board of Directors of 

Residents for a More Beautiful Port Washington

Co-Signed by Members of the Port Washington Community 

cc:

President & COO PSEGLI Dave Daly,

State Senator Jack Martins, State Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel, County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, Supervisor Judi Bosworth and Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio,