All right. Good evening, everyone. I'll note for the record the time is 6:33 p.m. On behalf of Jersey Central Power and Light, a First Energy Company, I'd like to welcome everyone tonight to this scoping hearing. My name is Melissa
Clark. I'm an attorney at Saul Yuing representing JCPNL. A record of this hearing is being prepared for submission to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program. Sign-in sheets are available if you want your
attendance to be part of the record. The sign-in sheet is over on the table. If you want to comment on the proposed diversion, we ask that you please check the box sorry on the sign-in sheet so that we can at
the conclusion of the presentation call folks forward to deliver your comments or questions. This will ensure that each individual's comments are recorded accurately and each speaker will have the opportunity to comment once for a
period not to exceed 5 minutes. pursuant to section 736A, excuse me, 736-26A of the Green Acres Regulations. This scoping hearing is being held prior to the submission
of a pre-application to Green Acres for a major diversion of parkland. The diversion exists consists, excuse me, of approximately 0.046 acres. That's 4.6 hundreds
of parkland situated within block 76, lot one on the tax map of the township of Ocean, Mammoth County. The diversion is related to JCPNL's relocation of a utility pole and associated structures.
more specifically. So, um, for the benefit of the record, we're starting a PowerPoint presentation. The proposed relocation of structure 189 is due to the anticipated Corley's Avenue bridge expansion project by
Mammoth County. >> Yeah, if you could hold your comments to the end, I appreciate that. I I will. Um so the orientation here is um we see South Edge and Corley's Avenue. So
um north is up, south is down. Um east is to the right and west is to the um to the left. Um if you look closely, you can see existing structure 189 to be removed. That is currently in the
Mammoth County right of way. Uh you can also see structure 189 uh in its new location. So the green acres diversion is required for a new permanent easement across block 76 lot one specifically for the
installation of a steel monopole on foundation referred to as structure 189 and for the aerial clearance required from the trees for the wires or conductors crossing Deal Lake. So, here's another view. Same
orientation. North is up, east is to the right. As noted previously, the relocation of existing structure 189 from Mammoth County's right of way um will occur within a portion of block 76, lot one.
So you can see the entirety of the lock and then the section that um where the permanent easement would be requested that is 0.046 acres or approximately 1,993
ft. So project benefits a a replacement utility pole that is necessary to upgrade and strengthen the area to provide enhanced reliability to meet the existing and future needs of customers and communities. The replacement pole will have a natina
finish to blend into the natural environment. Um a a brown natina finish. The new steel pole will increase line resiliency. replacing aging equipment to harden JCPNL's infrastructure, reduce outages and cut maintenance costs,
enhancing performance by building a smarter, more secure system, greater longevity of new structure and addition to shield. Addition of shield wire to reduce risk of outages due to lightning strikes. Now to the good stuff, the alternatives
analysis. So directing your attention to the mapping on the screen, the white line represents the proposed overhead transmission route. Um we have gone through or evaluated three
alternative transmission routes. The first is alternative A. This is the underground option. Routing the transmission and distribution circuits underground was an option that was evaluated for technical feasibility.
The potential underground route that was found to be most technically feasible is shown on the screen. This is depicted as the aqua blue line. The primary obstacles associated with the underground option are first
selecting a suitable place to transition the existing above grade line to underground by means of a riser and second crossing both Deal Lake and the New Jersey transit tracks on the east side of the lake.
it is. >> I'll get there, but yes, >> sure. >> You're welcome to come closer as well. So, we're currently talking about So, here's the Alenhurst substation, right? Existing in Alenhurst. This blue line,
and this is not what we're proposing tonight. This is alternatives be considered. This aqua blue line goes up and yes actually this this is I believe that's Palmer. This is Myrtle. This is Corley. >> Okay. >> Okay. So
and then it would head out that way into >> alternative to >> you're on alternative a underground option. And again this is not what we're considering but it is an option that was considered. Well, it's overhead transmission lines.
>> And where would the pole be? >> So, the pole is currently here and I'm moving over about 10 ft from here. Thank you. Uh, Madame Court reporter, could you um are you able to tell me where I left off?
Oh, I'm sorry. Don't worry about it. I It's You want to just resume? >> Don't worry about it. Okay. So as I was saying uh the two primary obstacles are first finding a suitable place to transition existing above grade line to
underground by means of a riser and secondarily crossing both Deal Lake and the New Jersey transit tracks on the east side of the lake. Since we just established the Allenhurst substation is east of Deal Lake to transfer the overhead transmission
and distribution lines underground. A riser structure would be necessary. This riser structure would need to be a large steel pole supported by a concrete foundation to adequately support the overhead wires that will only be on one side of the structure. On the currently
proposed overhead route, again the white line, the transmission center line travels along Corley's Avenue for its entire length within the township of ocean. Finding a suitable location for the riser along this path is difficult and impacts to property owners along the
route were taken into consideration. Ultimately, the riser pole was determined to be most feasible at the corner of Wikipeko Drive and Darlene Avenue in the burrow of Interlaken. From the riser at Wikipekco and Darlenav, the underground route would
use open trench construction methods along Corley's Avenue to accomplish the lake and rail crossing. However, horizontal directional drilling or HDD would be employed to bore a tunnel under both obstacles, meaning the lake and the rail
lines. A constraint that comes with HDD, however, is the size of the footprint needed on both the entry and exit points. Because of the congestion at the intersection of Corley's Avenue and Edgeir Drive, the area best suited for an HDD entry point is one block north at
the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and North Edge Drive. The trenched construction would then make a turn to the north at Stafa Street, immediately followed by a turn to the east to travel along Myrtle Avenue. The underground option would come with
significant impacts to the project as well as the impacted land owners of the township of ocean. It is anticipated that to complete the work for the underground option, construction would last at least one continuous calendar year, most of which would cause heavy traffic restrictions along Corley's
Avenue, Stafa Street, Myrtle Avenue, and North Edge Drive. All necessary precautions as well as best utility practices would be utilized to perform the HDD under Deal Lake and the New Jersey Transit tracks. This method of
construction comes with risks that are not present with overhead construction. For instance, inadvertent return, also known as frackout, can occur if the soil above the drill isn't strong enough to withstand the pressure of the drilling fluids, resulting in fluid escaping to
the surface through cracks or voids. Since a majority of the HDD path would be under Deal Lake, there would always be the inherent risk of frackout into Deal Lake that would be difficult, if not impossible, to identify. The HDD entry pit
at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and North Edgemeir Drive would also require a Greenacres diversion larger in area than the diversion currently sought by tonight's meeting. The second alternative that was considered is the bridge option.
Alternative B. To avoid a structure on the corner of Corley's Avenue and South Edge Drive, an alternative was considered using utilizing underbridge attachments and below grade transmission construction methodology where hardware
hardware would be supported by the bridge deck and supports. This proposal is depicted by the yellow line. This alternative B has several constraints that make it less practical than the proposed overhead route.
The Mammoth County Corley's Avenue bridge rehabilitation project which again necessitated the relocation of structure 189 and this diversion of Greenacres Parkland will occur after this portion of the line rebuild is complete. If underground conduit and
power lines are installed and supported by the current Corley's bridge using this alternative B, there would still be significant impacts to residents. Those who are powered from this line when bridge construction commences would likely face temporary service outages as
the bridge crews safely remove and temporarily support the power lines until the new bridge is constructed. The bridge option also faces the same hurdle as the underground option regarding the placement of a riser structure. As described a moment ago, a
riser would need to be placed in Interlaken. Trenched construction would still need to occur along Corly's Avenue, posing the same obstacles and impacts as the underground option. The construction time frame would also be similar with impacts to roads and
rateayers for at least one continuous calendar year. A green acres diversion would likely still be necessary as the trench would transition to underbridge construction in the same parcel on on the southeast side of the intersection of Corley's and
South Edge Mir Drive. That is block 76 lot one. Trench construction would require a larger work area in this parcel, causing a greater impact than the currently proposed overhead route, meaning the diversion area would be larger.
So, finally, we have alternative C, and that's the northern reroute option. This option was considered where the overhead transmission route was modified to cross Deal Lake one or two blocks north of the current crossing location either at the intersection of North Edge Drive and
Myrtle Avenue or at North Edgemeir Drive and Palmer Avenue. These are the orange and green lines respectively. As compared to alternatives A and B, this proposed alternative C is more feasible from a technical perspective
and has fewer potential impacts. Alternative C would utilize similar construction methods to what is currently installed along Corley's Avenue, consisting of single poles carrying an average of 12 wires, two
34.5 KV circuits, two 12.5 KV circuits, and various joint use utility attachments. Most structures would be unguide direct embed wood poles. However, as the center line makes the two 90° bends to branch off of Corley's
Avenue and turn down either Myrtle or Palmer Avenue, guide wood structures would be necessary with the possibility of needing steel poles on concrete foundations. So, this slide depicts the alternatives um overhead only.
The purple is the proposed cory's overhead route and we have again the two northern routes depicted in orange and green as compared to alternatives A and B. Again a is the underground B is the bridge. Alternative C being the northern
route. Alternative C represents the lease impact to land owners but it shifts the burden from residents on Corley's Avenue and South Edge to the residents of either Myrtle Avenue or Palmer Avenue. Alternative C is the least impactful of the three alternatives we've provided in terms of
construction window at approximately two months of above grade work with tra traffic disruptions as needed for safe work practices. All of that said the northern overhead route would be longer overall contributing to longer construction
windows and alternative C would still require a green acres diversion. Again, the purpose of why we're here tonight as instead of encumbering block 76, lot one, the northern route would instead impact block 59, lot 26. So, there's
green acres on both the southern side and the northern side of uh the Corley's Avenue bridge. So, um in conclusion, no benefit over the proposed Cors Avenue overhead route was identified. So, proposed construction activities
This is all based on current best available information but the potential impacts to roads particularly south edgemir and cories um associated with pouring the foundation and setting the pole. We would anticipate at present a single lane closure of south edgemir
during both the construction of the foundation and setting of the pole. Um with respect to the duration of the foundation installation and pole setting, the best estimate is approximately one week for foundation construction and approximately 2 weeks
for the pole setting and overhead work. With respect to safety considerations, um JCPNL would um obtain or submit um NJ DOT daily lane and shoulder closure request form and any additional
permitting would be submitted and obtained as required by the municipality or other agencies. And with respect to trees, some trees um will be removed and mitigation will be provided. So this slide shows a proposed um
rendering. Um note the pole on the left is the current structure 189. Um that is the pole to be removed and the new structure 189 is on the right. I don't know that offhand at the moment.
I'll I'll check my notes. >> Can we hold the questions till the end? I I apologize. It's just we have to create a record. And so the point is we really want to have the court reporter take down everybody's comments. So the Greenacres process, we started
back in May of 2025 with a pre-application meeting with the Township of Ocean and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program. Um we are now here tonight for the scoping hearing which is sort of step one in this process. um
after and the public comment period remains open for the next 14 days until December 30th, 2025. So if you don't feel like making a comment tonight or if there's a particular um comment or question that arises after tonight, you can submit
written comments um as in the public notices you received or the public notices that are on the front table um again by December 30th. So the next step would be to finalize the package. It will get approval by the township. Then it would be submitted um as the
pre-application and final application part one which would include a copy of the transcript from tonight as well as any written comments and a variety of other application materials that would be submitted to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Green Acres Division. um and uh at a meeting if approved the next step would be to hold a second public hearing. You would then have the benefit of all the written application materials
in advance of that public hearing and then again if approved after that the next step would be go to go to the state house commission. But all of those dates are uncertain because they all depend on the next the next set of approvals.
So, I'd like to thank you all for your attention and your good questions so far. Um, I'd like to call you up one by one to pose your questions based on those of you that signed up. Um, let's see the list. So, um, Michelle Shane.
>> Okay. >> We've been waiting for the new bridge going over Lake and it's dangerous. It's narrow. And is this going to impact that? Is it going to push back? >> Uh, it it should not. I candidly I don't
know Mammoth County's timing, but my understanding is they're in the neighborhood of years um based on their own permitting requirements. So, we are moving the poll at Mammoth County's request. The pole needs to be moved for the
bridge widening project. How many trees are we trees around? It's a shame. >> Yeah, I believe based on the tree survey, it's six trees, all of which
will be mitigated for and replaced um in accordance with regulations uh in the same watershed in the Deal Lake wershed. Okay. William Watts. Okay.
>> Maggie Boyce. Okay. Roger Boyce. >> Yes. planning to replace that. >> So, um JCPNL and the township haven't finalized
the compensation plan for the greenacres diversion of parkland. Um the intent is to replace with comparable parkland at a 4:1 ratio. So, uh 0.046 046 acres time 4
is roughly a/4 acre um of replacement parklands. The alternative if if we can't find suitable parkland is a monetary a 10:1 ratio of the value of this parkland. >> You're welcome
Patty Kronheim. >> Yeah, thanks for coming. Um I have a few questions. First of all, one of them just on the last the different hearings that will follow. Will those be hearings held in Ocean Township? Are those going to be hearings held in Trenton or where
>> you heard her right? >> Okay. >> Where were the willent hearings be held? Ocean Township where they held >> with respect to this Green Acres diversion and the relocation of structure 189. There will be a public
hearing um probably in late spring here again in the township of ocean. Um I don't know if green I don't believe that the green acres meeting to review applications is public but I'm not sure of that and you could reach out to the
county steward. Her information is also on the public notice Jessica Patterson. And then with respect to the very final after the you know application has been given the blessing of green acres it goes to the state house commission um
that the public can attend and the last time I attended one it was virtual so hopefully it will be again >> and I just have some basic questions here the the number of polls that are
going in across the bridge along um how will the go from the Alen side to the other side of the bridge on South Edge. Is that one pole on each side? Is there a pole on the bridge? Where do they go?
>> Annette, do you want to weigh in on this? >> And and please make sure the court reporter can hear you. I'm sorry. It's in Ocean Township and then there's a hole on the other side on Lake Drive 188 and then that's where
>> the wires actually see how it's white >> you know it's not county stay away from our bridge or replacement so we can do our work they gave us no build so that's
what we're moving into this And so >> I'm sorry. >> And that's how many square feet? >> 1,993 square feet. Do you know what the actual
footage you know walk by what in that area is going to be >> going from near to the lake versus >> Yeah, >> one of my many maps has that information. So, I'm checking.
>> Yeah. And do you have an exact count of I'm also on commission. >> I believe it's six. >> I live near. >> Yeah, it's it's also it has to do with the the diameter breast height. So
there's a tree survey. >> Yes, you can. >> Green has a requirement of the tree replacement and above. That's the requirement to um my other question is what is the height of the poles
versus the current height of the poles? Yeah, >> I live in the neighborhood. >> Yeah, it'll certainly be available on the next round of renderings, but >> I would think you guys would know that >> we're this we're at preliminary stages
here. Scoping hearing is in advance of all applications which was about a year ago and JCPNL engineers were there. Other people were there who had answered all these questions. Is there you should bring that information here as well. Talk to
us >> also. What is the size of the bases? I just have to say we had a engineer from Ohio and he got sick >> and all your questions he could answer and
>> yeah he's unfortunately ill tonight >> got the answers and you're right I should have those answers with But he was supposed to be here and he designed it. He would know all those answers >> and I'm looking to try to find an answer
for you and he would also be able to alternatives from an engineering perspective as well from the HDB alternative in particular. I mean we we are an area now that has very different extreme weather than we did even 10
years ago. The state of New Jersey had tornadoes. I was once watching the news and there was a tornado watch. My husband and I were in the basement because the local news was saying yes to and there was a we're seeing activity swvenue right where you're going to put your poles.
it came right down the street and so to I don't know that JCPNL is taking you know extreme weather changes pattern changes into account when looking at what the impact would be of putting this and I I agree we need hardening
infrastructure I have a fully electric house you know induction stoves heat pumps I understand that we need to harden and have more infrastructure but I also know that you know you can it is more expensive it is more timeconuming for residents to have HD uh done.
However, long term, it's safer for the infrastructure. The entire city of Miami is putting everything underground. We're a short community. We get extreme weather. We get tornadoes now. And I really think that, you know, I know as a resident, I would put up with more
inconvenience uh for my traffic patterns to have these. Um I think that when we have the opportunity infrastructure we should we should have buried our lines in New Jersey years ago before millions of dollars a mile and
now we have that opportunity so that's my official comment these should I should be go underground and do the HD the risk of crackout is pretty small especially in this kind of soil this isn't you know we're not we're not doing not building pipelines you know this is
a this is a different a different kind of infrastructure we're not doing three foot accomodating a three foot pipeline here. This is these are narrower the crack out would be less uh so you know I think that JPL should be
considered these lines. >> I think JCPNL should bury the lines for long-term safety and resiliency of the project and for and for you know the beauty of the area as well
that we don't know how high they are and we don't know This is also a 34.5 transmission line. It's not the wires that go into your house. That's distribution. This is transmission. I think I'm just trying to explain that
not only would say you put this under, you're still having your >> No, I I understand actually my lines I have buried in my house and mine do too. >> But but no, I understand these are just I understand these are transmission lines and I know that you can bury
transmission lines that are you know a foot in diameter get very you know they get buried even offshore. So I know you can bury you can bury lines and I just think I know it's more expensive too but I do think that you know this to
preserve deal life and beauty of deal life in our community and long-term resiliency and and safety of the project in extreme weather conditions especially they should be better. >> Thank you for your comments.
>> Well, if there's nothing further, that conclude concludes not only tonight's pres Yes. >> Oh, okay. >> Could you please state your name for the record? My name is Earl Jackson. >> I live at 503
across the street from I would just ask if the materials are available for review or if this is just your presentation see the materials. So there aren't official materials at this time. The scoping hearing is just
to solicit um comments before we sit down and put pen to paper on all of the application materials. So that will be the next step. >> Is is there any way that can be made available so that >> so there is with respect to the scoping
hearing and tonight's presentation, you have until December 30th to submit written comments if you so choose. The written materials will then be prepared. They'll be submitted to the agency and then there will be a second public hearing, a more robust public hearing
after you've had the benefit to review all those materials. And there will again be the opportunity to comment both at the hearing and within 14 days from the hearing. >> I would ask that what you have preped tonight you send to the township and the township put on it website.
We'll take that under adisement. Thank you. >> I I've been to many spoken hearings over the years for utility projects. Uh and generally there are there are materials available when you attend scoping hearing whether it's a federal scoping
hearing from the federal regulatory commission or the BP. So you've got these materials. Uh what you've got as an alternatives analysis you've already done. You should be able to share the alternatives analysis with us so we can look at
>> meaning this screen. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> And your alternatives and uh do you have any rational you know what your reasoning was on rejecting them? >> Thank you for your comments. So this concludes tonight's hearing. I thank you
all for your attendance. Again, they to remind everyone, the public notice is on the front table and written comments may be submitted until December 30th um as indicated on the public notice.