A soon-to-be Village of Great Neck resident’s plan to install a private utility pole on village property was met with skepticism by the board of trustees and one village resident on Tuesday.
“I cannot think of a situation where we’ve allowed a private pole on public property,” Village of Great Neck Mayor Ralph Kreitzman said. “This has never come to us as an issue before.”
Avi Gohary, who is building a house at 6 Bromley Lane for his daughter Nicole Idelson, said the pole is necessary because there would be no other way to provide power to the house.
“We have a situation with getting power to 6 Bromley,” Gohary said.
Gohary said PSEG Long Island told him the only way to provide power to the house is to install a utility pole on village property near the house and attach the power meter to the pole.
The utility pole and power meter would be for the exclusive use of 6 Bromley Lane, Gohary said.
Trustee Jeffrey Bass said he would like to see a letter from PSEG Long Island telling Gohary that there is no other way to provide power to the house.
“Come back with proof that there is no other way,” Bass said.
Gohary said his original plan was to tear up the roads and install electrical wires underground.
Kreitzman and the board objected to that plan.
“That you’re not going to do,” Kreitzman said.
The board also told Gohary and Idelson to ask PSEG Long Island if there are any other ways to get power to the house, without the installation of the pole.
Mitchell Lechner, who lives next door to the house, said installing the pole would disrupt the “character of the village.”
“I moved to Great Neck because of the character of the village and this goes against the character,” Lechner said. “It’s ugly as sin.”
Lechner also cited Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth’s concerns that utility poles contain a Class2B carcinogen, pentachlorophenol (“penta”).
“I don’t want to risk having carcinogens,” Lechner said.
He also said that a tree is located near the proposed pole and would be hazardous to the tree and other people living on the block.
“That tree is a climbing tree,” Lechner said. “The children would be climbing right next to the utility pole.”
Reach reporter Anthony O’Reilly by e-mail at aoreilly@theislandnow.com, by phone at 516.307.1045 x203 and on Twitter @ ORiled_Up. Also follow us on Twitter @theislandnow and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
