Select Board grants Middleborough Gas & Electric permission for eight poles on Cross Street to serve 9 Cross St.

After a public hearing on Monday evening, the Lakeville Select Board granted Middleborough Gas & Electric (MG&E) and Verizon New England permission to install eight new poles identified as Poles 33 through 40 on Cross Street to service 9 Cross Street.

Zach Hershey, electric division manager for Middleborough Gas & Electric, told the board the new line will be a standard primary line on 40-foot poles and will include a transformer on the last pole to serve the property. The proposed alignment jogs along the right-of-way to minimize tree trimming and to provide service without altering existing supplies to adjacent properties, Hershey said.

A nearby property owner asked whether the new poles would allow future connections for adjacent homes. Hershey said the new line would enable future customers on that portion of Cross Street to connect without interrupting service to existing customers. Residents and the board heard there are currently no poles on part of that section of Cross Street and that the new poles would serve the immediate property and could be used to extend service to new development later.

Motion and vote: The select board closed the hearing and voted to grant permission to Middleborough Gas & Electric and Verizon New England to locate the eight new poles on Cross Street to provide service to 9 Cross Street. The board's approval included standard franchise/permit conditions and notification to abutters; the motion passed on roll call.

Why it matters: The decision authorizes public utility infrastructure in the town right-of-way, enabling new service to a property and facilitating future development possibilities along Cross Street.