East End Residents Protest Utility Poles

John Mitty Wednesday, March 5, 2014

As part of its renovations to the electrical grid on Long Island, PSEG has been erecting massive 65 and 70 foot utility poles in East End.  The poles range from East Hampton to Amagansett, and are designed to be hurricane-resistant, but residents who live in the shadow of these tremendous poles are anxious and unhappy about their installation.

Local homeowners have cited a number of concerns.  First off, PSEG has been taking down trees in order to put up the poles, which is a concern ecologically and aesthetically.  Secondly, despite the reassurances from PSEG that the poles are stable even in high winds, residents cannot help but picture the poles collapsing onto their homes during storms.  Thirdly, the poles themselves are aesthetically jarring with their surroundings, and put a blemish on the neighborhoods where they stand.  Residents are demanding that PSEG take down the polls and instead put the wires underground. 

Why is PSEG resistant to underground lines?  According to the power company, the power lines would be far more expensive underground, and would also take a lot longer to install.  PSEG is under a lot of pressure to get the problems with power on Long Island resolved as quickly and cost-effectively as possible, but has agreed to attend a village board meeting on Wednesday to hear resident complaints about the poles.  

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

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