Greenport Village Board to vote on power plant upgrades
Greenport Village Board members are set to vote on a resolution paving the way for additional upgrades at the power plant on Moores Lane during its regular session Monday evening.
The measure authorizes a $1 million bond to pay for a second phase of the improvement and reconstruction of the electrical generating and distribution facilities, according to the resolution.
The changes include the removal and replacement of switchgear panels and the installation of two new feeder relays that transport current. The construction would not impact the performance of the plant, according to the resolution.
Phase I of the power plant upgrades began in 2010 when the village added a second transformer and installed new switch gear. The project ran into several delays, mostly due to difficulty finding specialty parts, according to Trustee George Hubbard.
Three years later it has yet to be complete.
“It’s 95 percent done,” he said Monday. “It should be complete by next month, but we’ve been hearing that since last June.”
Mr. Hubbard said he does not expect the second phase to drag on like the first.
Greenport Village will also discuss electric cost increases during the meeting tonight.
Starting this month village residents will see their bill increase between $7.75 and $10.69 per month. Businesses will see an increase between $25.12 and $37.77 per month, according to a notice posted on the village website.
The increased fees will be used to cover a hike in the 28-month agreement the village signed with NYPA in January, a deal the mayor said will stabilize rates for the foreseeable future.
Retired village utilities director and former trustee William Swiskey objected to the manner in which the village informed the public about the hikes. He argues that a public hearing should be held.
He later filed a complaint with NYPA, likening the village’s move to an “unapproved electric rate hike.”
Another discussion will be held tonight regarding the village’s proposed rental regulation law for residential properties. The board closed the public hearing on the issue last month, but has not yet scheduled a date to vote on the draft law. During the first hearing in June, critics called the policy “cruel,” “unjust” and “over the top.”
Village officials have said the code would help eliminate illegal apartments, which can lead to excessive traffic, parking problems, a strain on municipal services and general public health and safety concerns.
Tonight’s meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at the Third Street fire station.
