A proposal from PSEG Long Island, the electric utility, to install a single supersize pole on Cooper Lane that would allow for fewer transmission lines and less obtrusive poles on nearby McGuirk and King Streets, was the subject of a heated public hearing at an ad hoc meeting of the village board on Tuesday evening.
Vincent Frigeria, a district manager for PSEG, said the utility had agreed to a request from the village to install an underground cable that would remove 2,650 feet of overhead transmission lines between the East Hampton and Amagansett electrical substations. The company is seeking permission from the board to open up village streets to begin construction. If the project is to be completed this year, he said, the board would have to grant approval by Jan. 31.
Burying the lines, he said, would allow the utility to remove two poles, and reduce the height of about 23 others by five to seven feet. That, he said, “would provide a scenic benefit to the village.”
The utility poles in the neighborhood have been an issue for residents since 2014, when PSEG, in an effort to upgrade the power lines, replaced existing poles with ones that were 10 to 15 feet taller. A lawsuit brought that year by a citizens group seeking to have the poles removed and all the lines buried is ongoing. The suit alleges that PSEG improperly determined there would be no adverse environmental impacts from the new poles. The poles have been treated, the suit says, with the toxic chemical pentachlorophenol, and their 23-kilovolt electrical lines emit dangerous radiation.
In order to bury transmission lines, Mr. Frigeria said, PSEG would need to install a “riser pole” to transition them underground. The utility had approved a site in front of 51 Cooper Lane as a suitable place for such a pole. “This location was reviewed, inspected, and supported by the village, and thereafter PSEG Long Island proceeded to engineer the project using that location,” he said.
The Cooper Lane address is the residence of Dan and Yvonne Ujvari. “This is going to utterly destroy our ability to enjoy our home,” said Mr. Ujvari of the pole. “It’s going to overwhelm my property.”
To demonstrate just how much the pole would loom over the lot and the street, Christopher Kelley, an attorney for the Ujvaris and 20 other Cooper Lane residents, displayed a photo of the front of the couple’s home with the riser pole superimposed.
“A riser pole is also known as a monster pole in some sectors,” said Mr. Kelley. “In fact, the utility itself calls it a monster pole.” The presence of the pole, he said, would have a negative impact on the value of the Ujvaris’ house. “We’ve been told by several professionals that there could be up to a 20-percent reduction in their property value.” He urged the board to either deny PSEG’s application or defer a decision on the project until a more thorough study of its impacts has been undertaken and alternative locations have been explored.
A PSEG engineer had recommended placing the riser pole in front of Cedar Lawn Cemetery, farther east on Cooper Lane. That section of the street, however, is in East Hampton Town. Rebecca Molinaro Hansen, the village administrator, said the town had not agreed to have the pole on its land.
The cemetery site, said Mr. Kelley, had been “prematurely rejected.” The Ujvaris, he said, had been told the East Hampton Town Board would not agree to accept the pole. “But in the process of preparing for this hearing, I reviewed the code and found there’s no jurisdiction for the town board to either permit or deny the application,” he said. The one person who does have that authority, he said, is Stephen Lynch, the town’s superintendent of highways.
Later in the meeting, Mr. Lynch, himself a resident of Cooper Lane, said he had not even been aware that a riser pole was being proposed there. “I think there has to be a better way, and I’d be willing to sit down [with PSEG] and see what we can come up with,” he said. “I don’t think it belongs there. You can’t put this in front of these people’s house.” Several other Cooper Lane residents concurred. “The village board has always been there to keep East Hampton beautiful,” said James Amaden. “This would set a new precedent for what could be done going forward.”
“It doesn’t fit with the goal of the village’s other regulations,” said Chris Corwin.
Peter Turino, a resident of the street for 30 years, said the proposal seemed “aggressive” and pointed out that Cooper Lane is the site of the annual Halloween celebration. “I implore you to defer this and analyze it,” he told board members.
Virginia Hessler of McGuirk Street said she was in favor of the proposal because she is tired of having large poles in front of her house, but lamented that PSEG was creating a separate problem on Cooper Lane.
Lynne Brown, another McGuirk Street resident, also approves the proposal. “After six long years, it was a relief to hear that the lines would be buried, eliminating the fear that the lines could come down,” she said. “We are glad that the East Hampton Village and PSEG have agreed to correct this part of the transmission line project. We hope East Hampton Town will follow and have all the lines buried.”
The hearing was closed, but Mayor Richard Lawler said the record would remain open until the end of the day on Wednesday.
Ms. Molinaro said the board, after it has time to weigh all the residents’ concerns, will decide whether to grant PSEG permission to begin construction.
