North Haven Becomes Next PSEG Pole Battleground
North Haven Village residents and officials are gearing up to fight taller utility poles that PSEG-Long Island plans to erect as part of a federally funded project to strengthen the electric grid across Long Island. The village mayor has called for the utility company to bury the lines instead, and has asked for work to be suspended until the options can be weighed.
Mayor Jeff Sander announced this week that PSEG plans to replace the poles and equipment, not only on North Haven, but also in Noyac and on the Long Beach causeway between the two. It is part of a $730 million, three-year project using money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that was secured following Hurricane Sandy, when 1.1 million Long Island residents lost power. Similar projects have been completed in the Rockaways and in East Hampton.
According to Jeffrey Weir, a spokesman, PSEG identified the poorest performing circuits across the system based on customer interruptions. “One circuit identified for mitigation was North Haven,” Mr. Weir said on Tuesday.
Vulnerable poles along the circuit, he said, will be replaced to post-Sandy standards, with poles three to five feet taller than existing poles. They will be installed deeper into the ground to withstand up to 135-mile-per-hour winds. They are expected to last 40 years. He was not sure how many new poles would be put up, but Ed Deyermond, the village clerk, said PSEG told the village the poles would run from the South Ferry all the way across Long Beach and into areas of Noyac.
These newer poles and updated equipment, including the installation of automated switching, will help decrease the number of customers impacted by outages, too.
“The same objective could be achieved if we bury the lines,” Mayor Sander said in a letter that was distributed by Save Sag Harbor, a community organization. There is particular interest in having the lines buried on Long Beach Road.
Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said he supports burying the lines, particularly in scenic areas like Long Beach. “You really should not mar it with giant poles. I’m completely sympathetic to North Haven’s concerns. It’s bad enough already. Don’t make it worse; make it better,” he said of the poles.
Mayor Sander called a meeting for tomorrow at 11 a.m. to discuss the project and his proposal with PSEG officials at North Haven Village. Mr. Schneiderman and State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. have been invited to attend. Mr. Weir confirmed the meeting and said it will give PSEG representatives a chance to explain the project. While the public may attend, it did not seem there would be an opportunity for public comment.
The mayor did not return a request for comment. Mr. Deyermond said he was out of town.