Committee Report - Public Util 7-20-10 — File 189942

July 20, 2010 Public Utilities and Public Works Committee Page 1 of 2 Printed 8/21/2010 REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Sean T. O’Donovan Chair Present Walter F. Pero Vice Chair Absent Robert C. Trane Ward Seven Alderman Absent William A. White Jr. Alderman At Large Present Dennis M. Sullivan Alderman At Large Present John M Connolly Alderman At Large Present Bruce M. Desmond Alderman At Large Present William M. Roche Ward One Alderman Present Stan Koty Commissioner of Public Work Present Steve MacEachern Superintendent of Lines and Lights Present Phillip Ercolini Director of Housing Present Nicholas Stiles Police Officer Present William Zamparelli Public Affairs Representative Present Interested members of the public Present Alderman Connolly appointed himself to the committee for this meeting only, to establish a quorum. Alderman Roche recused himself because of a conflict on interest. The meeting was held at the Cross Street Center, 165 Broadway. 189805 - That the Committee on Public Utilities and Public Works requests that a representative from NStar appear before the Committee to address concerns over the numerous recent power outages in Ward One and the measures being implemented to ensure that such outages cease, and that this meeting be held at the Cross Street Senior Center, if possible.: The committee discussed the recent power outages in East Somerville with NSTAR representative William Zamparelli and heard comments from several residents on the matter. Several members expressed concern that an engineer and/or technical expert from NSTAR was not present at this meeting, leading Alderman White to request that the City Solicitor file a complaint with the Department of Public Utilities regarding the issues with NSTAR’s service, with the understanding that it would be withdrawn in the event that an adequate solution to the problem is found prior to the next meeting of the Board of Aldermen. Alderman White read a newspaper article into the record (regarding an NSTAR official who had problems in his own neighborhood).

Committee Meeting July 20, 2010 Public Utilities and Public Works Committee Page 2 of 2 Printed 8/21/2010 Commissioner Koty told the members that there is a lack of cooperation from NSTAR and that antiquated equipment should be replaced. Mr. Zamparelli spoke about the equipment in the Ward 1 area, noting that there is one particular circuit that is a problem, and he spoke about the outage that occurred on May 23rd, leaving 2,000 customers without service. Mr. Zamparelli explained the complexities involved in circuit distribution and reviewed the steps taken by NSTAR to deal with the problems. He told the members that he would return with an action plan after the engineering analysis is completed. The committee heard from several members of the public on this matter, summarized as follows: • A suggestion that NSTAR be penalized for outages • NSTAR needs to do a better job of informing residents of the problems • Problems related to the transformer on Cross Street East • NSTAR’s claims procedure is not helpful • Outages cause angst among the elderly population and those needing electricity to deal with medical issues • Outages may lead to an increase in crime • Complaints of weekly outages (since May) Mr. Zamparelli told the members that he would respond by August 3rd. Motion: That the Commissioner of Public Works and the Superintendent of Lines and Lights confer with the City Solicitor to prepare to file a complaint with the Department of Public Utilities regarding the issues with NSTAR’s service. Submitted by Alderman White. RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Sean T. O’Donovan, John M Connolly ABSENT: Walter F. Pero, Robert C. Trane