Special City Council Virtual Meeting

The City Council held a special public hearing on National Grid’s petition (bill 2026-123) to install underground conduits on Sparhawk Street and Main Street as part of work tied to a new substation on Hillside Avenue. National Grid staff explained the conduits are needed because existing poles have no room for additional wiring; they said the older substation site will be left green with a natural slope. The DPW Director’s approval letter was read into the record and the Council discussed timing and notification requirements that delayed placement of the item on the July agenda.

Councilors asked about reliability and outage impacts: National Grid indicated the upgraded substation is integral to reducing outages, that this phase will not disrupt service, but that there may be some outages during the final switch-over at the end of the two-year project. Questions about pole removal (none planned) and taxation of underground infrastructure (affirmative) were answered. After the hearing was closed, the Council voted to approve bill 2026-123 as presented (passed unanimously 6-0).