The hearing for Eversource’s application to the Connecticut Siting Council is set for Tuesday, September 1 at the Cole Auditorium at Greenwich Library at 6:30pm. On Friday, during his Ask the Selectman program on WGCH 1490, First Selectman Peter Tesei advised that interested residents arrive at Cole Auditorium by 6:00pm to secure parking and a seat in the auditorium.
The day is set up in two parts, with a 6:30pm session open to residents for comment. Earlier in the a 3:00pm session is scheduled for intervenors. This is an evidentiary session reserved for the Siting Council, applicant, parties and intervenors to cross examine the applicant on exhibits and testimony that were required to be pre-filed in writing with the Siting Council.
According to the Siting Council, “intervenors” are:
- The Office of Consumer Counsel (approved by the Siting Council on July 24)
- Mr. Parker Stacy (request to be taken up at the evidentiary session of the hearing at 3pm)
- Field Point Estate Townhouses (request to be taken up at the evidentiary session of the hearing at 3pm)
- Pet Pantry (request to be taken up at the evidentiary session of the hearing at 3pm)
- Christine Edwards (request to be taken up at the evidentiary session of the hearing at 3pm)
The Connecticut Siting Council website features information on intervenors and feedback from Greenwich’s Planning and Zoning Department on behalf of Greenwich. (Link to the Docket 461 record)
Ground rules for the hearing include a three-minute time limit for speakers during the public comment session that commences at 6:30pm. It is within the Siting Council Chairman’s discretion as to how late the public comment session will run as the Council members reside in all four corners of the state.
If the hour becomes late, the public comment session will be continued to a subsequent date at the Siting Council office in New Britain at which there will also be a continued evidentiary session.
This is not the Siting Council’s application and therefore the Siting Council will not be giving a presentation on the proposed project. However, Eversource will be given an opportunity to give a brief presentation at the beginning of the public comment session.
The current Pet Pantry Greenwich location on 290 Railroad Ave. Credit: Leslie Yager
The public comment session is strictly reserved for interested persons who are not parties or intervenors to express their comments and concerns to the Siting Council about the proposed project.
Parties and intervenors are active participants in the evidentiary portion of the public hearing with opportunities to submit exhibits and cross examine the applicant. Parties and intervenors may not also speak during the public comment session or submit comments in writing. If any interested person is unavailable to attend the public comment session, comments may be submitted in writing to the Siting Council office at any time up to 30 days after the close of the final evidentiary hearing.
The public is welcome to attend and observe the evidentiary session, but there is no opportunity to speak. Given that there are only two hours allotted to the evidentiary session and there are numerous parties and intervenors, the evidentiary session will be continued to a subsequent date at the Siting Council office in New Britain.
See also:
Sept 1 Public Hearing for Proposed Eversource Project
Eversource’s New Greenwich Substation: Living through Construction
Architectural Review Committee: Revised Eversource Rendering Still God Awful
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