East Hampton Couple Take On PSEG ‘Monster’ Pole

An East Hampton Village couple has asked a New York State Supreme Court justice to allow them to intervene on the side of the complainants in a six-year lawsuit brought by other area residents against PSEG and the Long Island Power Authority that is scheduled to go to trial soon, according to online court records.

The original 2014 case, which is scheduled for oral arguments on February 24 in front of Justice Carmen Victoria St. George, is over “the placement of new power lines” that are “part of an expansion of an electrical substation project in Amagansett,” involving the installation of “267 wood utility poles, covering 6.2 miles [that] were to be placed along existing transmission lines between East Hampton and Amagansett,” Christopher Kelley, the couple’s attorney, wrote in the application to the court.

The lawsuit charges that the poles contain carcinogenic chemicals, and that the transmission lines cause cancer as well, and decrease the value of the homes.

The lawsuit charges that the poles contain carcinogenic chemicals, and that the transmission lines cause cancer as well.

Daniel and Yvonne Ujvari live at the corner of McGuirk Street and Cooper Lane, where, Kelley’s submission states, “PSEG intend to construct an extra-tall utility pole known as a ‘riser pole.’” A riser pole, Kelley writes, is also “referred to in the industry as a monster pole.” He continues, “specifically, the corner space immediately in front of the Ujvari Property will be occupied by the monster pole, and the Ujvari Property, and the Ujvaris for that matter, will be closest to the site where overhead transmission lines drop from the monster pole to be run underground.”

This is being done, Kelley says, despite an alternative location being available to the utility, near Cedar Lawn Cemetery, “but the Town of East Hampton, which has jurisdiction over the road right-of-way in front of Cedar Lawn Cemetery, has refused that option, despite the fact that it would result in the monster pole being set away from residential homes.”

After six years of conferences and motions, Kelley writes, the request by the Ujvaris would not add further delay, because the original complainants recently made a motion to be allowed to add the Town of East Hampton as a defendant to the suit.

It appears from online records that Kelley will be able to make his case to Justice St. George on February 13.

t.e@indyeastend.com