National Grid Gas Project Underway in East Hills
Deputy Mayor Zuckerman, (Center) Maps Out Plans for Village-wide National Grid Gas Project with National Grid staff-members, as East Hills Superintendent of Public Works, John Salerno (left).
Deputy Mayor Manny Zuckerman met with National Grid staff-members and contractors to plan the extensive National Grid project in the community. Through the project, gas will be brought to all residents in East Hills who want to convert. The Deputy Mayor also gained reassurances that the roads in East Hills will be protected. As a result of advanced technology it is reported that 90% of the comprehensive installation will be on grass and will avoid the roadways. In addition, the streets that may be affected are all slated to be over 5 years old. The project just began on Harbor Hill Road. National Grid will be sending out postcards to all residents whose roads will be effected with their schedules. All work is projected to be completed by May, 2016.
Through the program, 60,000 new feet of gas main will be installed in East Hills. The project is estimated by National Grid to cut customer’s home heating bills in half if they convert from oil to gas, resulting in over $1million in total savings. They also reported the project will have a positive environmental impact, which will be the equivalent to taking 15,000 cars off the road a year, making the air cleaner for all Long Islanders.
The multi-million dollar program will save new gas customers in East Hills the cost of paying hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per home to run gas lines more than 100 feet from their residences. As a result of the project, there will no longer be a charge for extending the gas lines, although there are conditions which new gas customers must agree to, as they have been required to adhere to in the past.
Mayor Koblenz stated, “Through the new program, approximately 1,000 homeowners in East Hills will be able to convert to gas, with our remaining residents already enjoying this improvement. East Hills has 2287 homes and over 7,000 residents. I am delighted that East Hills was chosen as the first community to lead the way for this important program.”