Representatives from PSEG will meet with Greenport residents tomorrow evening in an informal session about PSEG’s proposal to run a power cable from Fifth Street in Greenport to Shelter Island.
The meeting was set up by Trustee Doug Roberts “to help increase the flow of information,” he said.
PSEG’s proposed plan has caused a stir among Fifth Street residents in Greenport, who would face three months of disruption as a cable tunnel is dug in their road.
See previous story: Fifth Street residents upset about PSEG tunnel plan, vent concerns to officials.
The utility “has been systematically and purposely withholding information from the Village Trustees and the public,” Roberts said tonight. “Constituents in West Dublin have rightly asked that PSEG come and talk with them about their proposal. So when I was finally able to sit down with PSEG six days ago, I asked them to come and meet with Greenporters ASAP,” Roberts said. “They asked for Tuesday and I secured meeting space.”
The meeting will be held tomorrow from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Little Red School House.
“We continue to work with Greenport residents and Village officials to answer any questions they may have regarding this project,” PSEG spokeswoman Elizabeth Flagler said. “We look forward to the meeting on Tuesday evening and to continuing to be transparent, clear and forthright.”
Mayor George Hubbard has emphasized that nothing official had been signed between the Village of Greenport and PSEG. He and Roberts met with residents last month to discuss the proposal. Residents expressed fear at the possibility of high-voltage power lines running underneath their streets, citing potential health risks, and argued that the village was not receiving enough for the potential risk and disruption.
Hubbard explained that he understood the concerns of Fifth Street residents, and that the only reason they were considering the proposal in the first place was because PSEG’s original offer was worth about $1.2 million — which is around a year’s worth of tax revenue, he said.
On a Facebook page Roberts created for tomorrow’s meeting, Roberts wrote that PSEG and the village have reached an informal agreement regarding compensation. It differs from the original offer presented at last month’s informal meeting, which included $700,000 cash. The new compensation offer includes “dedicated backup power feed that will greatly increase ability to keep lights on, particularly during storm events (worth between $600,000 and $2.5 million), $1 million cash to be used for public works projects at the Fifth Street beach site or elsewhere, and the repaving of the entire length of Fifth Street and affected Front Street sections, curb to curb,” according to the Facebook event page.
Residents will have an opportunity to ask questions of the PSEG representatives tomorrow.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect a response from PSEG.
