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Brookfield board approves National Grid pole petitions tied to reconductor work; one member abstains
Summary
The Brookfield Slack Board on May 6 approved National Grid pole installations tied to a broader reconductor project, including a pole near 47 South Maple and a shore‑road location; engineers said the poles will host load‑break switches and spacer cable to improve reliability, and one member abstained because the pole was adjacent to a family property.
The Brookfield Slack Board on May 6 approved multiple petitions from National Grid to install new utility poles as part of a larger reconductor project that engineers said will improve line reliability.
At the outset of the meeting the board recognized National Grid representatives; "Charlie Morales, distribution design engineer," introduced himself before members moved to open the first pole hearing for the petition tied to work order 31198673. Engineers said the reconductor run covers roughly 5–6 miles and that the new poles are needed to install a load‑break switch and to reduce tension on adjacent poles.
"It's just a protective switching device in case of back flowing current," said Carlos Cregado, identified in the meeting as a distribution engineer, explaining the load‑break switch's function and how it lets crews reconfigure feeds to minimize outages. Cregado and other engineers also described spacer cable and tighter midspan poles as reducing sag and lowering the likelihood of tree‑related outages.
A board member raised a conflict and said, "I believe that's my son's property, so I'm going to abstain." The member did not participate in the subsequent vote to approve the pole adjacent to 47 South Maple Street; the board moved, seconded and called the question, and members present voted in favor.
The board also moved to open and approved a second pole hearing for an installation described as near the East Brookfield river/shore road area (referred to in the meeting variously as Quaboag/Quail Box Street). Members discussed span‑distance norms during that portion of the meeting; the engineers said a rule of thumb for midspan poles is typically 150–180 feet (previous spans in the area were about 250 feet) and noted spacer cable can allow shorter spans with higher tension.
Later in the session the board approved an additional petition for a pole in the vicinity of a shore‑road location and a nearby pond. In each instance the motions were made, seconded and carried by voice vote.
Board members and National Grid staff referred to the work as likely part of a larger Department of Public Utilities project (members mentioned project numbers in the 2070–2075 range), but those administrative details were not confirmed on the record at the meeting.
Members also used the meeting to schedule a short recess and previewed a draft "bell tower" agenda item for an upcoming session. Separately, an administrative conversation noted the town's warrant books (200 copies, ~55 pages) were printed at a cost of about $1,400.
The board concluded the agenda items related to the pole petitions after the voice votes; no further substantive action on these petitions was recorded at the meeting.
