Council approves Eversource infrastructure petitions and adopts resolution pushing state utilities regulator to investigate rising bills and streetlight outages

The Springfield City Council approved a package of Eversource petitions for gas-main replacements and electric upgrades on April 7 and also adopted a separate resolution asking the state Department of Public Utilities and the Massachusetts Legislature to investigate recent increases in gas and electricity costs and the utility’s handling of streetlight outages.

In a single action the council moved and approved petitions numbered 5 through 15, a set of mostly gas-main replacement projects and several electric upgrades. DPW Director Chris Signoli described the work as replacements of “leak-prone” cast-iron and bare-steel mains with modern plastic pipe and installation of new three-phase electric lines where needed for capacity. Keegan Ritchie, Eversource’s director of construction for Western Massachusetts, said the pipes being replaced are older infrastructure with a history of leaks and that the company has provided the city a work plan and is prepared to share project details — schedules, scopes and affected addresses — with the council and the public.

Nut graf: Councilors pressed for better, routine communications and faster response to streetlight outages; after discussion the council approved the petitions and separately passed a resolution urging a state-level examination of recent utility rate increases and asking the Department of Public Utilities to consider remedies for consumers.

Council concerns focused on transparency, streetlight outages, and public safety. Councilor LaVar Klick Bruce and others said residents report many lights out citywide and urged the city and Eversource to provide prompt repairs and clearer contact processes. DPW staff said they are holding back some permits for older work that Eversource needs to finish and that the company has identified dozens of above-ground luminaires and 19 underground feed locations that will require work this spring. Signoli said Eversource estimated roughly 80 locations in the city would need attention once above-ground and underground issues are counted.

The council also adopted a resolution, sponsored by Councilor Klick Bruce and cosponsored by multiple councilors, that calls on the Massachusetts Legislature and the Department of Public Utilities to investigate whether recent price increases are justified, to consider consumer relief measures for Springfield residents and to review the utility’s service practices. The resolution passed by council vote.

Eversource representatives agreed to leave contact information with the clerk and to work with the DPW and council to improve notice to neighborhoods about upcoming work. Signoli recommended waiting until the utility completes its LED streetlight conversion — roughly 80 percent complete, he said — before commissioning a formal audit of the streetlight inventory and repairs.

Ending: The council approved Eversource’s petitions, asked for stronger communications and a timetable for repairs to known outage locations, and sent the resolution to state leaders and the Department of Public Utilities for review.

(Quoted and paraphrased remarks are taken from the April 7 Springfield City Council meeting.)