By Evan Triantafilidis
Sentinel Reporter
Eversource Energy’s proposal for a power substation to be built at 290 Railroad Ave., the current home of Pet Pantry, drew heavy criticism from residents and leaders at a public hearing Tuesday night at Greenwich Library.
First Selectman Peter Tesei, State Rep. Fred Camillo, and Town Planner Katie DeLuca were among those who voiced concerns to the Connecticut Siting Council, which has the authority to reject the site proposal.
“We are concerned about the proposed impact this project will have on the affected neighborhoods during construction,” Tesei said at the hearing. “The proposed transmission line will require horizontal directional drilling through several residential areas.
“We are also concerned about the impact to our natural resources, notably Bruce Park. The proposed transmission line will run through or along a significant portion of the park. Bruce Park is utilized by residents and visitors for active and past recreation throughout the year.”
According to Eversource’s projections, the Cos Cob substation will overload in 2017, and the additional substation would add an estimated 30 years before the overloading problem arises again. The construction of two new underground transmission lines and the substation will cost an estimated $140 million, and last at least seven or eight months.
For 15 minutes Town Planner Katie DeLuca questioned the CSC about restoring areas damaged by construction and listed off other concerns, but got no answers from the council, at least in part because of the number of people wanting to speak and the busy agenda.
Fred Camillo echoed his fellow elected officials on the subject of Bruce Park, and also expressed worries about safety.
“This particular application is concerning on many levels,” Camillo said. “Bruce Park is a jewel. I would ask the Siting Council to really take that into consideration. As far as public safety goes, we had a fire at the Cos Cob substation a few months ago, and it took quite awhile for the Eversource personnel to get down there.”
In April, a transformer at the Cos Cob substation caught fire and the town had to wait 90 minutes for an Eversource employee to turn off the burning transformer.
“This is very, very close to mass transit, and god forbid that something happens there, you can see where there would be a problem,” Camillo said. “We can’t have first responders waiting around for an hour or two. I think that’s a very concerning issue for a lot of us here.”
Several hours before the CSC listened to the public’s comments, the council led a field review tour of the proposed 2.3-mile line connecting Cos Cob’s substation to the proposed substation at 290 Railroad Ave. The group got an up-close look at Bruce Park and the neighboring residential areas.
Residents, including Cecilia Morgan of Kinsman Lane, attended the meetings to speak out against the possible construction in her neighborhood, just across the street from the proposed line project running through Bruce Park.
“First of all, it will do irreparable damage to the park,” Morgan said. “We don’t really know what effects electromagnetic fields have on people. It will be very disruptive, and I think the project is not very well thought out.”
A decision from the CSC is anticipated later this fall, with a development and management plan coming shortly thereafter.
