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National Grid absent at Leominster hearings; residents raise access concerns for Marguerite Ave pole work
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Summary
Two National Grid petitions to place mid-span poles and underground laterals on Marguerite Avenue drew resident concern about pole locations and access; National Grid did not appear and the city kept both public hearings open and scheduled continuations for April 13 pending police, fire and planning referrals.
The Leominster City Council and subcommittees on March 23 heard public concerns about two separate National Grid petitions to install poles and related equipment on Marguerite Avenue but kept both hearings open after the utility did not appear to answer questions.
At the public-service subcommittee hearing, officials read petition 38-26 (National Grid and Verizon New England request permission to locate poles and a mid-span pole for a capacitor bank) and petition 39-26 (a mid-span pole to serve a future solar customer at 259 Lancaster Street). Multiple residents attended to ask about precise pole placement and to make sure installations would not block access to gates or otherwise interfere with property use.
Michael Belcher (who identified himself at the podium) said the property where a pole is proposed has a fenced gate that should remain accessible. "We just would like to make sure that that pole does not get put in front of the gate so that we can access the gated area," Belcher said. Eric Hanson, a nearby business owner, asked whether he and other nearby property owners would be notified of the next meeting and expressed particular concern about underground lateral work.
Committee members said they had received a favorable referral from the Department of Public Works but noted they had not yet received formal recommendations from the Leominster Police Department, the fire department or the planning board. Because National Grid did not have a representative present to explain location plans and answer neighborhood questions, the subcommittee unanimously recommended further time and asked the clerk to get the outstanding referrals.
The council scheduled continuations for the two petitions on April 13: petition 38-26 at 6:20 p.m. and petition 39-26 at 6:25 p.m., and directed staff to confirm outstanding departmental referrals prior to that date.
