Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Engineers recommend coordination study, phased pole replacement and annual quadrant tree‑clearing for Middletown electric system
Summary
Engineers from ISC told the Middletown Town Council their study recommends a System Coordination Study, a policy to replace 20–30 utility poles per year (starting in the southwest area), and a contracted quadrant-based tree‑trimming schedule to reduce outages; the council took the recommendations under advisement.
Bill Castrodale and Philip Lopresto of ISC presented the results of an engineering study of Middletown’s electric power system at the June 17 council meeting. They outlined three primary recommendations aimed at reducing outages and improving reliability.
The first recommendation was a System Coordination Study to determine proper fusing and phase balancing across the distribution network so that faults can be isolated to the smallest possible area. Castrodale and Lopresto said the study would clarify protective-device settings and reduce the geographic scope of outages.
The consultants’ second recommendation was a multi‑year pole replacement policy and method, replacing roughly 20–30 utility poles each year and prioritizing the southwest area of town, which the presentation identified as having some of the oldest poles. The presenters described this as a planned, ongoing capital program rather than a one‑time project.
Third, ISC recommended a line‑clearing (tree trimming) schedule that assigns an outside contractor to clear one quadrant (one‑fourth) of town each year. The presenters described this cycle as a way to keep vegetation from contacting lines and to reduce the risk of outage-causing storms.
Council President Betty Riley and other members heard the presentation and took the recommendations under advisement; the council did not take immediate action or vote on implementing the study or funding any of the recommended programs.
The council may place implementation or funding decisions on a future agenda after staff and the town attorney complete review and any required budgeting steps.
