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Don Hughes submitting comments re: #208600, an application for a Grant of Location at 36 Laurel St submitted by Eversource.
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Official Text
To the Honorable City Council:
I am a Somerville resident of 35 years and have lived for almost 20 years in a two family home I jointly own with my wife on North Street in Ward 7.
I am writing you all regarding a petition for a grant of location for work to be performed by Eversource at a property I own at 36 Laurel Street in Somerville. We are seeking to have Eversource bring additional service required for the rehab of the existing property, to which two additional units will be added.
Our petition for the grant of location was before the City Council last month on July 11th. I was surprised when our contact at Eversource informed me that the grant of location had not been approved and that no grants of location were approved that evening.
I read the minutes and watched the video of the July 11th meeting during which I saw that the City Council, at Mr. Scott’s urging, voted to table all Eversource grants of location until Eversource finished the work they were doing in Union Square.
As a Somerville resident, I am well aware of the disruption caused by the construction in Union Square, and I support Mr. Scott and the Council’s efforts to prompt Eversource to complete their work in a timely manner. I also understand wanting to find a leverage point to get Eversource to be more timely and responsive in the work they are doing in Union Square. However, I respectfully disagree with the approach of holding hostage all other projects in the City which require work to be performed by Eversource, nor do I believe it is an effective point of leverage.
As a long time Eversource customer in my own residence, and in having dealt with them while completing similar projects in Somerville over the last few years, I do not believe that Eversource is in any way harmed, nor motivated, by these projects not being allowed to move forward. They have plenty of other projects to focus on in surrounding cities and towns and across New England.
Denying Eversource these grants of location does not really impact them, but it does negatively impact residents, and property owners and taxpayers such as myself, and Mr. Sherman, the gentleman who testified the night of the July 11th hearing. Holding up the work do be done on active construction projects also negatively impacts the neighbors of such projects as these unnecessary delays just serve to lengthen the time of the construction project next door to them or on their street.
I spoke with the City Clerk John Long last week and he told me that my petition and all the other ones which had been tabled are likely to be revisited as unfinished business when the City Council reconvenes this Thursday evening August 22nd.
I request and encourage you to move forward on approving the petitions for grants of locations that have been tabled, including the one for my property at 36 Laurel Street.
As a constituent, I would appreciate an opportunity to talk with all of you further about this and request that you call me sometime before this Thursday night’s meeting. Please call me on my cell phone at 857-389-2526.
Thank you for your attention to this matter,
Sincerely,
Don Hughes