Council approves two utility pole petitions amid questions about poles at nearby solar project

The Richmond Town Council considered multiple petitions from Rhode Island Energy (Narragansett Electric) and Verizon to install new utility poles at town locations during its Nov. 19 meeting.

An attorney for a nearby landowner, David Marland, told the council that poles recently constructed within a solar project appeared to be aboveground distribution work that, he said, contradicted earlier testimony and plans that distribution in that solar area would be underground. Marland asked the council and solicitor to review prior zoning transcripts and the project’s energy impact study before approving additional pole placements: "I would ask that the council and solicitor consider these transcripts," he said on the record.

George Watson, counsel for Narragansett Electric, told the council that one requested pole (P52) was not required and had been withdrawn. After discussion on the record about the relationship of the poles to the solar project, the council voted to approve petitions for poles P6 and P8 on Chinook Hill/Channic Hill Road (petitions identified during the meeting). The transcript records the motion and subsequent voice vote; exact roll-call tallies are not listed.

Council remarks made clear a distinction: if poles in the solar array itself constitute a zoning enforcement issue, that would be handled separately from the right‑of‑way petitions before the council. The council did not take an enforcement determination on the above‑ground poles reported inside the solar field at the Nov. 19 meeting.

What happens next: The approved pole placements proceed as permitted in the public right‑of‑way; concerns about above‑ground poles within the solar array were raised for follow-up with planning and zoning staff and legal counsel.