Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Construction topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Eversource asks Falmouth for seven-day work window on Vineyard cable project; board seeks stronger mitigations and legal review
Summary
Eversource requested a Jan'May seven-day operations window (12-hour workdays) for directional drilling and cable work related to the Martha's Vineyard project. Residents raised concerns about noise, beach-parking access and timing; the Select Board requested legal and engineering clarifications and tabled formal approval pending written mitigation commitments.
Eversource engineers and town Public Works staff told the Select Board on Sept. 9 that the company seeks permission for seven-day operations between January and May to keep the Martha's Vineyard cable project on schedule. Staff said the requested schedule would allow 7-day construction with 12-hour workdays, generator and pump use, and mitigation measures including sound and light curtains erected around staging areas.
Peter McConn, director of Public Works, briefed the board and said the request reflected contract scheduling across multiple project segments and the need to coordinate work on the Vineyard side and the Falmouth side to meet a late-spring completion window. He said the company's contract allows work with town approval and that the firm was seeking explicit Select Board authorization to operate seven days per week during the window.
Eversource representatives said directional drilling and duct-bank installation require continuity and that the company plans to erect 12-foot sound curtains and lighting shields around staging areas to reduce impacts. Philip Bert, Eversource community-relations, described ongoing redesign to reduce tree removal on the bike path and said final construction drawings were near completion.
Residents and board members pushed back on timing and potential beach-season impacts: speakers asked if both parking lots (Surf Drive and Mill Road) would be under construction simultaneously and how the town would ensure cleaning and reopening by May. Concerns included noise during weekends, generator noise despite curtains, and the risk of project delays pushing work into the summer season.
After extended discussion the Select Board did not grant immediate authorization. Town counsel and staff were asked to review the memorandum of understanding and any request to alter the existing MOA; the board sought more explicit written mitigation commitments from Eversource around cleanup, parking availability by May, engineered noise estimates, and a plan B if weather or equipment delays jeopardize the timeline.
A follow-up presentation with construction drawings, specific mitigation commitments and legal review was requested before the Select Board will consider formal authorization for 7-day operations.
