Committee Report - PUPW - 1-24-12 — File 192498

January 24, 2012 Public Utilities and Public Works Committee Page 1 of 5 Printed 1/25/2012 REPORT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Sean T. O’Donovan Chair Present Robert C. Trane Vice Chair Present John M Connolly Alderman At Large Present Maryann M. Heuston Ward Two Alderman Present Stan Koty DPW Commissioner Present Steve MacEachern Supt., Lines and Lights Present Mark Reed NSTAR Present Mr. Reed told the members that he met with Commissioner Koty, Superintendent MacEachern and Administrative Assistant Omar Boukili to review several issues of concern to the city. Mr. Reed has assured the committee that he will make the concerns known to the appropriate individuals at NSTAR and report back to the Committee in 30 days with an action plan and a date certain for repairs. Mr. Reed asked that Aldermen report any chronic reliability issues directly to him so that he can have a histories run on the frequency of specific problems. Commissioner Koty informed the members that the city will be resubmitting its SPOFF program in an effort to get the utility companies to adhere to the city’s regulations/ordinances, essentially requiring them to front money to cover the costs associated damages to city property. Dealing with Verizon has proven to be problematic, as Verizon feels that its actions are permissible under the Department of Telecommunications and Cable (DTC) regulations, something that the city disagrees with. Alderman Trane’s motion that the City Solicitor review the Department of Telecommunications and Cable regulations to determine what rights the city may have in dealing with utility companies and what protections are afforded to utility companies, specifically Verizon, was approved. Chairman O’Donovan’s motion that the Administration re-file the SPOFF program with the Board of Aldermen, was approved. Alderman Connolly’s motion that the City Solicitor investigate the legality of Verizon charging a low voltage fee and passing that fee on to its subscribers in the city, was approved.

Committee Meeting January 24, 2012 Public Utilities and Public Works Committee Page 2 of 5 Printed 1/25/2012 189988 - That the Commissioner of Public Works Appear Before the Subcommittee on Public Utilities and Public Works to Report on the Progress of the Magoun Sqaure Reconstruction Project and to Discuss Its Completion.: Commissioner Koty reported that the city will be receiving a communication from the Secretary of Transportation regarding Magoun Square and that, as of now, the city is not prepared to sign off on the project. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 190062 - That the Commissioner of Public Works Direct the Appropriate Utility to Remove the Double Pole at 29 Delaware Street and Check the Utility Lines for Safety as They Appear to be Touching the House.: This item will be discussed with Verizon's Peter Bowman at the February 29, 2012 PUPW Committee meeting. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 190068 - That the Commissioner of Public Works Notify the Appropriate Utility to Repair the Streetlamps at at Morrison and Newberne Aves., 256 Morrison Ave., 22 Winslow Ave., Ciampa Manor, and College and Park Aves.: This issue is being addressed by NSTAR. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 190133 - That the Public Utilities and Public Works Committee discuss the damage done to the roof of 140 Willow Avenue by the utility companies working there.: NSTAR has determined that this is a Verizon issue, therefore, it will be discussed with Verizon's Peter Bowman at the February 29, 2012 PUPW Committee meeting. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 191056 - That the Commissioner of Public Works contact the appropriate utilities to address the overloaded and low hanging wires at Somerville Avenue at Kent Street, Somerville Avenue at Linden Street, and along Tyler Street.: The Kent Street issue has been investigated and additional work is needed by NSTAR to properly resolve this matter. The Somerville Avenue/Linden Street/Tyler Street issue needs to be addressed by Verizon, therefore, it will be discussed with Verizon's Peter Bowman at the February 29, 2012 PUPW Committee meeting.

Committee Meeting January 24, 2012 Public Utilities and Public Works Committee Page 3 of 5 Printed 1/25/2012 RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 191365 - That the ADA Compliance Officer conduct an assessment of ADA accessibility at the corner of Somerville Avenue and Kent Street and provide the findings to the Ward 2 Alderman.: Commissioner Koty explained that apparently, NSTAR installed the utility pole prior to the location being ADA accessible and now, in order to comply, a mailbox needs to be relocated, however, the business owner at this location is objecting to the move. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 191674 - That the City Clerk request that representatives of NStar Gas and Electric appear before this Board’s Committee on Public Works and Public Utilities regarding the recent power outage in Magoun Square (June 14-15), ongoing repairs in West Somerville, and ongoing repairs and improvements citywide.: Commissioner Koty stated that something happened in Magoun Square and that there is a problem that still needs to be fixed. He provided the boundaries of the area experiencing the problem to Mr. Masci, of NSTAR, earlier in the day. Mr. Reed will look into this situation. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 191944 - That the Commissioner of Public Works report back to this Board on the completion of the Somerville Avenue MA Highway project and the timeframe for accepting the street from the State.: Commissioner Koty reported that the project is almost complete, with just a few small things remaining to be rectified before he can sign off. Alderman Heuston reported that there are greater problems with the design and that she has submitted another Order on this matter, which will be put forth at the January 26, 2012 Board of Aldermen meeting. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 191981 - That the City Clerk contact NStar Electric to request that a representative appear before this Board to explain the process for requesting commercial service.: Commissioner Koty stated that a 12 month advance request for commercial service is too long a period of time to wait. He reported that one business in the city waited 8 months for NSTAR to take down lights and then ended up doing the work themselves. Mr. Koty feels that the city should be able to get faster service, somewhere in the area of 4 to6 weeks. Mr. Reed will follow up and include this when he reports back in 30 days.

Committee Meeting January 24, 2012 Public Utilities and Public Works Committee Page 4 of 5 Printed 1/25/2012 RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 192242 - That this Board requests that the Administration coordinate efforts with NStar to inventory the non-operating lights in West Somerville and make them operational as quickly as possible.: Mr. MacEachern told the members that NSTAR’s performance was unacceptable. As an example, Mr. MacEachern used the lists of defective lights and lights repaired, provided by NSTAR’s Community relations Representative, Annmarie Walsh, to verify their accuracy. Although the list of repaired lights was found to be accurate, an additional 126 lights were found to be in need of repair, raising the number of inoperable lights to between 300 to 400. Mr. Koty explained that NSTAR changed its procedure of dealing with inoperable lights to a 3 prong process, or a series of eliminating steps, thereby extending the repair time. The DPW will request that the Traffic and Parking Department’s PCO’s report any lights that are out and discovered during their rounds. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 192279 - That this Board requests that NStar and National Grid create a policy to notify the Mayor’s Office, Communications Dept., Constituent Services Dept. and all affected Aldermen of scheduled outages, ensuring that a repeat of the November 16 incident, where only residents were notified, is not repeated.: Mr. Reed will include the Police, Fire and Lines & Lights Departments to the notification list offered by Ms. Walsh. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 192309 - That the Commissioner of Public Works arrange for all utilities with equipment on double poles to meet with the Committee on Public Utilities and Works early in 2012.: Several utility companies have equipment that needs to be removed and/or transferred, with Verizon being the worst offender. A meeting will be scheduled for February 29th. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 192404 - That this Board requests that a representative of NStar appear before this Board, ASAP, to discuss the recent series of power outages in East Somerville and to propose a corrective action program to ensure consistent power throughout the winter months.: RESULT: WORK COMPLETED

Committee Meeting January 24, 2012 Public Utilities and Public Works Committee Page 5 of 5 Printed 1/25/2012 192405 - That this Board requests that a representative from NStar appear at the first meeting of this Board’s Public Works and Utilities Committee in 2012 to explain the consistent power outages in East Somerville.: RESULT: WORK COMPLETED