Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities Capacity topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Selectmembers sound alarm on utility and infrastructure capacity amid state mandates
Summary
Board members warned that utilities told the town they lack capacity for major building projects and cited wastewater and water-pressure constraints; the board plans a utilities forum and a press conference to press the legislature for coordination with towns.
Selectmembers used updates to spotlight infrastructure constraints that could affect growth and renovations across town and the region. The presiding official said utilities have "admitted there is an issue all over the place" and announced plans for a public forum with utilities to explain capacity constraints to residents.
"They admitted there is an issue all over the place," the presiding official said after recounting conversations with utility providers. He directed town staff to check with utilities when applications come in and said three utilities committed to hold an early-September forum with the town.
Selectwoman Rachel described a tour of the Grass Island wastewater treatment plant and provided plant figures: "The facility is able to process about 12 and 500000 gallon gallons of waste a day, and we generate about between 7 and 8, currently." She said the plant is an "activated sludge plant" and walked the board through the treatment steps observed.
The meeting also flagged a recent Eversource filing: Rachel said Eversource is seeking a rate increase of nearly $700,000,000 and that if approved "the average residential customer could see rates rise by about 18%." She urged residents concerned about rate impacts to file comments with PURA, citing docket number 26-05-10 and providing an email contact for the PURA executive secretary.
Why this matters: officials said aging infrastructure and constrained utility capacity can raise costs for homeowners and developers, delay projects and require municipal mitigation (for example, cisterns for fire protection). Town leaders said the forum and outreach to state legislators aim to ensure mandates are practical and matched to utility capacity.
