Brockton council grants two National Grid petitions to install utility poles, including one to support new EV chargers

The City of Brockton on Feb. 9 granted two petitions from National Grid to install poles for utility safety and to power electric vehicle chargers.

At a public hearing, Mohammed, speaking for National Grid, described a stub pole requested for Toby Road to replace an existing pole that was being anchored to a tree. "We're just looking to install a stub pole," Mohammed said, adding the work would allow National Grid to remove the wire from the tree because "that's not part of our standards anymore." When asked whether the work would change wire heights over the street, Mohammed said the new pole "is gonna be behind the pole where it's gonna be similar height to where the existing wire already is." The council granted that petition by a hand vote.

A second petition would add a new mid‑span pole on Crescent Street intended to feed a transformer for proposed electric vehicle chargers at the Dunkin' Donuts located at 634 Crescent Street. Mohammed said the pole "will feed a transformer" serving the new EV chargers. No members of the public spoke in favor or opposition during the hearing; the council granted that petition by hand vote.

Both petitions were introduced with paperwork on file and hearings scheduled as required by the city's process. The council did not record a roll‑call vote for either petition; in both cases the president called for a hand vote and announced the petition was granted.

The petitions are listed on the city's agenda and will proceed to permitting and field work under National Grid's utility standards and the city's permitting process.