National Grid seeks underground conduit on Tall Tree Drive; council pauses hearing to collect resident impact info

National Grid representatives described a plan to install underground conduit and handholes on Tall Tree Drive at the Oct. 20 Beverly City Council public hearing and warned the work would require temporary service outages for nearby residents.

Ismael Miku, National Grid distribution designer, said the project — about 545 feet of conduit and two handholes — will replace existing direct‑buried cable to reduce voltage drops and faults. He told the council work will take two to three days to complete and said "this work will also cause 48 hours outage for few residents on Toltry [Tall] Drive." National Grid said it would mail notices and the outage/outage department would contact affected customers in advance.

Councilors pressed National Grid about the scope and timing of outages and about mitigation for vulnerable residents. Councilor Spang and others asked for in‑person notification of affected households and urged robocalls in addition to mailed notices. Councilor Husband pressed the company to provide a "very robust plan" and said he expected more than mail notice for a multi‑day outage; he also said generators or other assistance should be considered for all residents during a two‑day outage, not only those on the medical‑needs registry.

National Grid said it maintains a list of critical‑customer medical accounts and can deploy generators for medically critical customers; the company said it would check with its outage team about broader mitigation and promised to coordinate more outreach. Councilors also asked the company to confirm the affected address list and to verify subsurface ledge and other site conditions that can change schedule.

The council recessed the hearing so residents could have time to weigh in and set a continuation for Nov. 10, 2025. Councilors requested National Grid provide the council with a clearer outreach and mitigation plan before that date.