Syosset wins party status in Propel New York case, hires consultants to study safety and traffic
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Summary
At its June 25 meeting Superintendent Dr. Rogers said the district secured party status in the Propel New York underground transmission proceeding, hired PW Grocer and GPI as consultants and has applied for limited funding to cover consultant costs while coordinating with other districts.
Syosset Central School District said Wednesday that it has secured party status in the Propel New York proceeding and hired consultants to study safety and traffic impacts near district roadways and schools.
Dr. Rogers, the district superintendent, told the Board of Education that "the district was granted party status. That means that we can negotiate directly with the applicant if there are recommendations and suggestions that we have" and that the district has engaged consultants to evaluate the project. "We sketched out a plan of work, together with our attorney, Miss Tondo," he said.
The nut graf: The transmission lines at issue would be buried under local roadways, some of which pass near an elementary school and cross arteries used for bus operations. Party status gives the district standing to request mitigation measures and to seek funding to pay consultants reviewing environmental, engineering and traffic impacts.
Dr. Rogers said the district hired PW Grocer for environmental and engineering consulting and GPI for traffic consulting to study potential disruptions to busing operations. He said the district moved quickly because a limited pot of funding that can be drawn down to cover consultant costs "expired last Friday," and the district applied for that funding after being granted party status.
Dr. Rogers also described coordination with other local governments: "We're working with two other school districts that have also applied for and received party status in this proceeding...we're sharing the cost with the other two districts." He said weekly coordination meetings are held for party-status entities and that the consultants are producing interim work as the process advances.
Discussion items noted to the board included timing for consultant reports and the district's expectation of receiving interim materials at milestones. Board member Mister Kanko asked about timing; Dr. Rogers said the consultant effort feeds into Thursday meetings of party-status entities and that interim reports will be produced at major milestones.
No formal mitigation agreement or binding action with the applicant was reported at the meeting. The board previously voted in May to pursue party status; the hiring of consultants followed that decision and the district reports the first consultant meeting has already occurred.
Ending: Dr. Rogers said he will report further developments to the board as the consultants produce work and the district refines mitigation requests.
