The Connecticut Siting Council has scheduled a public hearing on September 1 at 6:30pm in the Cole Auditorium at Greenwich Library, 101 West Putnam Ave.
The Siting Council is the nine-member group with ultimate jurisdiction over whether Eversource can proceed with the new sub station at 290 Railroad Ave and install 2.3 miles of underground transmission line to connect the project to the Cos Cob open air substation.
According to a letter from the Siting Council to First Selectman Peter Tesei, municipal officials may actively participate in the evidentiary portion of the publish hearing. They can present oral statements during the public comment portion of the hearing or submit written statements before,during or up to 30 days after.
The hearing will take place in two parts, with a 3:00pm scheduled start for the applicant, parties and intervenors to have a chance to cross-examine positions.
Also, on September 1, the Siting Council will conduct a public field review of the proposed project at 1:00pm.
According to the letter, signed by the chair of the Siting Council, Robert Stein, “The Council weighs many issues before rendering decisions.” Mr. Stein encouraged the First Selectman to take part in the public hearing process.
According to the hearing notice (Eversource Siting Council) “The Council directs that all testimony and exhibits be pre-filed with the Council and all parties and intervenors by Aug 25, 2015…Individuals are encouraged to participate through their elected officials and other party/intervenor groups.”
To be named or admitted as a party or intervenor to the proceeding, anyone may file a written request at: Connecticut Siting Council, 10 Franklin Square, New Britain, CT 06051 on or before August 25, 2015.
Eversource representatives were recently at Town Hall for a double-header. From 6-8pm they were set up in the meeting room science-fair style for residents to ask questions from about different aspects of the project. Later, upstairs in the Cone Room, Eversource presented their updated rendering of the substation proposed for 290 Railroad Ave to the Architectural Review Committee (ARC). Though the utility had hired an architect, the ARC review committee reacted very negatively to the rendering, calling it God awful and likening it to an abandoned Florida hotel.
See also: Eversource’s New Greenwich Substation: Living through Construction
Architectural Review Committee: Revised Eversource Rendering Still God Awful
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