Falmouth clears new power pole for municipal police training facility

On Dec. 19, 2024, the Falmouth Select Board voted unanimously to approve a petition from NSTAR Electric Company (doing business as Eversource Energy) and Verizon New England Inc. to install a new jointly owned pole (to be labeled 1091/7.5) on Technology Park Drive to provide electric service to 71 Technology Park Drive, the site of a municipal police training facility currently under construction by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

Select Board member Goldstone, who said she had toured the soon-to-be training center, urged careful adherence to process and noted timing concerns. "I recently toured the, soon to be training center and it is, impressive," Goldstone said. She asked why the utility application did not reach the town manager's office until Nov. 26, given the facility's scheduled opening date of Jan. 13 and the need to run HVAC and other systems for weeks before opening. Mister Renshaw said he did not have information about the late submittal; another board member called it "an oversight" but said the DPW hearing and engineer review had been completed.

Renshaw had told the board the DPW held a public hearing on Dec. 18 and the town engineer recommended approval. He noted a developer request to expedite processing so electrical and HVAC systems could be operated in advance of the planned Jan. 13 opening. Goldstone made the motion to approve the pole installation; the motion was seconded and carried by unanimous voice vote.

The petition authorizes installation of a jointly owned pole labeled 1091/7.5 approximately 25 feet north of existing pole 1091/8 on Technology Park Drive. The transcript did not specify construction start dates, contractor schedules, or funding arrangements for the facility's systems. The board's action follows the DPW public hearing and the town engineer's recommendation as recorded in the meeting packet.