National Grid asks North Brookfield to release 1894 sewer easement to expand Lashway substation

National Grid representatives asked the Town of North Brookfield to release a 16.5‑foot sewer easement dated 1894 that bisects the Lashway substation parcel so the utility can expand and upgrade the facility to increase capacity and add feeders. The utility presented a concept plan at a Select Board meeting and said the expanded Lashway substation, located at 39 East Brookfield Road, would increase capacity from the current three‑feeder, 21 MVA design to an initial 110 MVA with five feeders and provision for three additional feeders for future growth. National Grid described a project schedule that lists an easement release in 2025, design completion in 2026, local permits in July–August 2026, construction starting late 2026 and a construction completion date of October 2028. Town officials and National Grid officials discussed practical and legal issues: the linchpin was that the town’s existing sewer easement cuts through the substation parcel, but National Grid said the 12‑inch clay sewer that once sat in the easement was cut and abandoned about 30 years ago and there are no current plans to install sewer pipe in that exact location. National Grid proposed either a releasement of the existing easement or swapping/moving the easement to a side access road so the town would retain a useable sewer corridor if needed. Select Board members pressed National Grid on pavement restoration and long‑term road settlement if the company must cut the recently paved East Brookfield Road to run water or sewer service for a required site bathroom. National Grid said it would saw‑cut, mill and reinstall pavement and return later to mill and topcoat after settlement if necessary. National Grid also said the site could be directionally drilled to reach a manhole across the street but that options depend on final equipment layout and wetland avoidance. Town members raised the fact that the easement is a town asset; one official asked whether the town should expect compensation, noting a prior example in which a private cell‑tower developer paid the town a one‑time fee for use of town property. National Grid representatives said equipment added at the substation would be taxable property and would therefore increase the town’s property tax base; they also said the substation upgrades are intended to be paid by the solar developers and distributed generation customers seeking interconnection (the presentation referenced a SIP/connection fee), not by retail ratepayers. National Grid representatives identified regulatory and permitting steps the company will follow, including local permitting and building permits, and said the project was ordered by a regulatory docket referenced in the presentation (identified in the meeting as TPU 2075). The company asked the Select Board for the easement release or a path forward; the board asked staff to research whether an easement release requires a town meeting vote or can be handled by the Select Board and to return within weeks with options, including the possibility of a special town meeting or Select Board vote. No formal vote or agreement to release the easement was taken at the meeting. Board members and National Grid staff agreed to continue discussions on whether an easement swap or other accommodation could preserve town sewer options while allowing the substation expansion.