Committee Report - Public Util - 9-8-10 — File 190151

September 8, 2010 Public Utilities and Public Works Committee Page 1 of 3 Printed 9/22/2010 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 Present Robert C. Trane Ward Seven Alderman Absent Rebekah L. Gewirtz Ward Six Alderman Present Bruce M. Desmond Alderman At Large Present William M. Roche Ward One Alderman Present Dennis M. Sullivan Alderman At Large Present William A. White Jr. Alderman At Large Present Maryann M. Heuston Ward Two Alderman Present John M Connolly Alderman At Large Present Joseph Curtatone Mayor Present Omar Boukili Administrative Assistant Present Stan Koty Commissioner of Public Works Present Rick Willette Director of Operations, DPW Present Steve MacEachern Supt. of Lines and Lights Present Patricia Jehlen State Senator Present Denise Provost State Representative Present William Zamparelli NSTAR Representative Present Bob Masci NSTAR Representative Present Steve Sullivan NSTAR Representative Present Amin Jessa NSTAR Representative Present Ken Price NSTAR Representative Present Fred Martins NSTAR Representative Present Stan Usovicz Verizon Representative Present 189019 - That the Commissioner of Public Works Attend the Next Public Utilities and Public Works Subcommittee to Discuss Any and All Business, Especially the Issue of Double Poles.: Presently, there are 124 double poles in the city and Verizon’s failure to remove their wires is causing a backlog in the removal of double poles, therefore, Mr. Koty asked Verizon for a schedule in order to reduce the number of double poles. Mr. Koty discussed concerns over Verizon’s failure to pull permits and will report on how much money the city has lost due to this failure and he also spoke about other implications of failing to pull permits. Mr. Koty noted that Mr. Peter Bowman, Verizon’s Regional Vice President was not present at this meeting and added that Mr. Bowman made promises last January that have not been met.

Committee Meeting September 8, 2010 Public Utilities and Public Works Committee Page 2 of 3 Printed 9/22/2010 Chairman O’Donovan requested that Mr. Usovicz, from Verizon, be present at the next committee meeting and have a plan available to address the double pole issue. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE Next: 12/31/2010 12:00 AM • East and West Somerville power outages Chairman O’Donovan discussed the severity of NSTAR’s power outages throughout the city and invited members of the public to relate the problems the outages have caused. Chairman O’Donovan, speaking as a business owner, stated that from April through August of this year, there were 15 power outages. Somerville residents and business owners placed 200 power outage related calls to the city’s 311 line in June, July and August and the Board of Aldermen has submitted 130 orders relative to power outages in recent years. Members raised concerns regarding reimbursement claims for losses experienced by residents and advocated for those who are dependent on electrical service to power medical equipment. Mayor Curtatone added that this is a critical issue, noting that besides the disruption to residents and business owners, Somerville requires reliable power for the growth it needs. The committee will be scheduling a well publicized public hearing on this issue in the very near future to afford residents and business owners the opportunity to speak on this matter. The committee requested the following information: • how many circuits were down this summer in Boston, Chelsea, Charlestown, etc., • what is the plan is to increase capacity in the sub-station, • what is the dollar amount spent by NSTAR in other communities to upgrade equipment, • how was Somerville included on NSTAR’s systematic plan, (as referenced by Mark Reid), • clarification of how nuisance outages would be repaired, • an engineering plan from NSTAR (by October 2010), • a plan for upgrading the Willow Avenue sub-station (in time for the next meeting), • how many switches and circuits are in the city, • how many new switches have been installed in Somerville compared to other communities, • what circuit upgrades have been performed in abutting cities/towns Chairman O’Donovan informed those present that an invitation to participate in this meeting was sent to the Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and noted that no representative from that agency was present. Chairman O’Donovan’s motion to submit the minutes of this meeting to the city’s State Delegation, was approved.

Committee Meeting September 8, 2010 Public Utilities and Public Works Committee Page 3 of 3 Printed 9/22/2010 Mr. Reid apologized for the outages that occurred and said that NSTAR is committed to doing a better job and would keep the city informed of the progress. Other NSTAR representatives spoke about how the outages occurred, upgrades in Union Square, NSTAR’s maintenance plan and capacity constraints. 188632 - That a Representative of NStar Appear Before This Board’s Committee on Public Utilities & Works to Discuss Power Capacity in West Somerville, Anticipating the 199 Housing Units at MaxPac.: Discussed in conjunction with above item, (power outages). RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE Next: 12/31/2010 12:00 AM