Council continues Park Hill pole petition after residents report fires, requests site visit

The City Council continued a March 20 public hearing on a National Grid/Verizon petition to set a new pole on Park Hill Road after residents described recurring safety problems and asked the utility to conduct a site visit.

The hearing matters because National Grid says the new pole would reduce an unusually long span of overhead wire that company engineers say increases risk of sagging, swinging and arcing in ice and wind; neighbors said the proposed location would sit near mailboxes, driveways and a house picture window and noted three fires on the local lines in the past two years.

Robert Ide, National Grid community engagement specialist for western Massachusetts, and a company engineer described the plan: the pole would be set “about 240 feet west of the center line of Whittier Street” and would be roughly 10 feet taller than adjacent poles, with “a significant amount of tree trimming” planned. Ide said locating the new pole under the existing wires is the “easiest, cheapest, simple construction” and avoids the more extensive cost and easement work required to move lines across the street.

Residents countered with safety and visual-impact concerns. Colleen George, who said she lives on Park Hill Road, told the council that “there have been 3 fires in the last 2 years,” that the line is close to homes, and asked the city and National Grid to perform a site visit so engineers could see the layout and the shorter as-the-crow-flies distance between existing poles. Another resident, who gave his name as Travis and said he lives at 95 Park Hill Road, said a proposed pole would be “directly in the view of that” house’s large window and questioned whether the existing steel support cable and a large oak tree could continue to support the line.

National Grid staff explained options and constraints. Laura Killeher, with National Grid’s third-party attachments team, said communications companies attach below the support cable and emphasized minimum road clearance standards. Ide said the company trims circuits on a five-year cycle and also runs a hazardous-tree mitigation program for specific failure risks; he urged residents to report potentially dangerous trees so forestry staff can assess them. He also said customers with life‑dependent equipment can register with National Grid to receive priority response in outages if they provide a physician’s note.

Councilor Mary Anne LaBarge, who represents the ward where the petition would affect neighbors, pressed for a site visit and said she had requested one earlier without response. Councilor Elkins formally moved to continue the hearing for two weeks; the council voted to continue the public hearing to April 3 at 6:30 p.m. and asked National Grid to coordinate a site visit that would include the petition’s abutters, the company’s engineers, Mayor (name not specified), and, if appropriate, representatives of the fire department and the city’s tree warden.

The council’s continuation leaves the petition unresolved. National Grid staff said the pole location can be tweaked left or right but moving it across the street could add cost and require easements. The company also said work would follow DigSafe and permitting processes and that trimming and other mitigation would be part of the installation plan.

Next steps: National Grid and city staff will arrange the requested site visit before the council’s April 3 meeting; the council will reconvene the hearing at the continued date.

Votes at a glance: Council voted to continue the public hearing to April 3 at 6:30 p.m. (roll-call majority).