Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Project topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Syosset school district opposes Propel New York transmission plan, superintendent says
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Rogers told the board the district filed papers opposing the Propel New York underground transmission proposal, citing inadequate traffic mitigation and unsafe emergency-access timelines; he also outlined summer electrical upgrades that will disrupt power at two schools.
Superintendent Dr. Rogers said the Syosset Central School District has filed papers opposing the Propel New York proposal to place underground transmission cables across Long Island, saying the joint proposal contains "a number of really critical weaknesses." He told the board two of the proposed cables would route through Syosset and expressed concern about traffic and emergency access during construction.
Why it matters: The proposal would place major construction work on routes adjacent to district campuses. Dr. Rogers said the traffic plans in the joint proposal "are not nearly adequate" and that an access guarantee that allows restoring access within 15 minutes is insufficient "in a life safety event where you need emergency vehicles on-site." The district's formal opposition makes it a party to the public process and preserves its ability to challenge project terms.
Dr. Rogers also updated the board on planned summer facility work. He said electrical-service upgrades will require substantial outages: H.B. Thompson is expected to be without full power for about a week and a half while the high school may be without full power for about three weeks. The district has arranged generator capacity for critical spaces and will relocate some staff during outages.
"If it were to fail, it would take a long time to replace it," Dr. Rogers said of aging equipment; on the transmission proposal he said, "the traffic plans that we see in that proposal are not nearly adequate...15 minutes is too long to wait." He said the district will continue to advocate and keep the community informed as the public process proceeds.
Next steps: Dr. Rogers said the confidential phase of the agency process has ended and the public phase has begun; the district will remain engaged, pursue its party status protections and report back to the board and community on developments.
