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Water Main Construction Has Community Boards Fighting Over Where It Should Go

By DNAinfo Staff on April 7, 2010 9:48am  | Updated on April 7, 2010 1:01am

Community Board Six Chairman Mark Thompson directs a public hearing over the construction of a water main below E. 56th Street Tuesday.
Community Board Six Chairman Mark Thompson directs a public hearing over the construction of a water main below E. 56th Street Tuesday.
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DNAinfo/Gabriela Resto-Montero

By Gabriela Resto-Montero

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MIDTOWN EAST — Construction of a secondary East Side water main has turned into a political hot potato that two community boards are trying to push into each others' neighborhoods.

The York Theatre at St.Peter's Church on E. 54th Street overflowed with Community Board 6 residents attending a public hearing Tuesday over the city's consideration to install a water main on E. 56th Street.

"It's an area that is so inundated with uses that to add to that is both dangerous and thoughtless," said Rita Hirsch, a resident of E. 57th Street.

Community Board 6 stated its opposition to the project on E. 56th Street, between First and Third Avenues, on the basis that the street was already overburdened with construction projects and traffic.

The board also objected to the Department of Environmental Protection's about face on a pledge to build the secondary main, which will connect to the E. 59th Street water main, along E. 61st Street.

The city rejected the E. 61st Street plan because E. 56th Street is three feet wider and would give crews enough room to work regular hours and finish construction on time, said Matt Mahoney with DEP.

As an alternative to disrupting the quality of life on E. 56th Street, Community Board 6 suggested building the water main below E. 64th Street.

That proposal, however, does not sit well with Community Board 8 members who say they were not consulted in the process and that their district is also overburdened with capital projects.

"The result of all these projects is traffic in Board Eight is a mess and worse as each of these projects goes into effect," said Judith Schneider, a member of Community Board 8.

In response to a request from Community Board 6, planners will conduct a study on the impact of construction of the water main on E. 56th, E. 61st, E. 63rd and E. 64th Streets before reaching a final decision, said John Martin, with the Department of Transportation.

"The common denominator is that we don't show any favoritism," Martin said.