Selectmen approve National Grid plan to install 17 poles on Gerson Road

The Sheffield Board of Selectmen voted July 15 to approve National Grid’s request to install 17 utility poles from Berkshire School Road down to Gerson Road to provide service to a new residence.

Steve Hayward, a National Grid representative, presented the company’s plan and said the route from Berkshire School Road is shorter than alternatives and therefore less costly for the customer. Hayward said the installation would include 17 new poles and a short underground run from the final pole to a heavy-duty handhole that will serve the private service connection.

During public questions board members and residents asked whether the line could be entirely underground. Hayward replied that full undergrounding was cost-prohibitive for the customer and complicated by wetlands along the road, and that National Grid typically pursues separate environmental review with the Conservation Commission for tree work and wetlands impacts. He also said the new line would serve only the one house and would be fused at the intersection with the existing line so an outage on the new tap would not necessarily interrupt other customers.

Following the presentation and questions, a board member moved and the board voted to approve the pole installation and closed the public hearing.

The board’s approval clears the way for National Grid to proceed with local permitting steps; Conservation Commission review for environmental/tree work was noted as a separate process.