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Date: 5/26/2021
HOLYOKE – The proposed installation of utility poles created friction between neighbors during a public hearing at the May 15 Holyoke City Council meeting.
The disagreement took place during a public hearing related to installing new utility poles on Valley Heights Street. The installation of the poles near 36 and 39 Valley Heights St. would “remove backyard poles after all parties' electrical and communication services are relocated to the street.” According to the agenda item description, “Removals will occur as soon as possible and may require permission from private land owners for temporary removal of existing structures, such as fences or other obstructions, in order to access the back yard poles.”
Holyoke Gas and Electric (HG&E) Communication Director Kate Sullivan gave a brief presentation and said they’d been working over the years to find a safe solution to be able to effectively service the neighborhood. Since the installation of the poles and wiring 70-years-ago, representatives from HG&E said physical obstructions had been built along the pole line and natural vegetation had grown, making it difficult to get to the structure.
Sullivan said due to the high voltage and age of the structure, this made it unsafe to continue to have these in people’s backyards. Of the poles planned to be installed, one would be owned by HG&E while six others would be owned by Verizon. Three poles would replace concrete light structures on the street and would move all utility wires from residents’ back yards to the front of properties where they could be easily accessed.
Councilor James Leahy expressed concerns over a pole being placed in the middle of the cul de sac on the street. Sullivan said residents felt similarly and they would go with a design that would not include a pole in the middle of the cul de sac. Councilor Linda Vacon questioned, due to the age of the infrastructure, if the current poles in the backyards of residents would be removed. Sullivan said Verizon would remove all infrastructure from residents’ private back yards and should that not happen in 60 days HG&E would remove the structures.
After the presentation, residents were given an opportunity to comment on the matter. One resident said they were worried the look of the poles in front of their homes would devalue their homes as it would take away from the aesthetic appearance of the street. They also said they were worried about the responsibility of the homeowner with regard to clearing vegetation and other obstacles should the poles be placed in the homeowners’ backyards.
Residents disagreed with each other and created a moment of tension when one resident said another had claimed she was opposed to the project at another forum. This, she said, was not the case. When her neighbor claimed he had not said that, councilors Todd McGee and Juan Anderson-Burgos said as neighbors they should be working together to find a solution that benefitted everyone living on the street.
Many residents said they would prefer that the utility wires be placed underground to avoid the needed poles altogether. However, Sullivan said the cost to place the wiring underground would be close to half a million dollars. While some residents were opposed to the appearance of poles in the front of homes, they also noted that should the design be chosen where the new poles were installed in backyards they would lose property, space in their backyard and be forced to move some structures that had been erected.
After many residents spoke on the topic, councilor David Bartley said he believed the matter should be tabled until some outstanding matters could be resolved. He also spoke out against Verizon and how he felt that they had turned their back on the city numerous times, but had respect and admiration for HG&E. However, he said he was not prepared to vote in favor of the matter and believed there should be a forum for residents to speak with each other. Councillor Howard Greany said he also didn’t feel comfortable voting on the matter and would like to see the cost estimates for the various options that had been presented.
Leahy agreed tabling the matter would be best and more information such as price cost was needed prior to taking a vote on the matter. Councilor and Acting Mayor Terrance Murphy said he also agreed that more information was needed and that he’d made a note to talk to both the conservation commission and HG&E with regards to trimming trees around the current lines. Councilor Peter Tallman said he felt as though it was important to listen to residents as this was “a very important issue” for those who lived on the street.
Councilor Joe McGivern questioned if there were similar situations around the city, but Sullivan said there were no comparable streets this situation would apply to. Ultimately, the city council agreed that the public hearing would continue during their June 1 meeting, meaning that residents would be able to continue to give testimony to help the council make their decision.
The council then went on to discuss the matter of several ordinance changes that would benefit the cannabis industry. Among the changes were to allow for cannabis production facilities to operate 24-hours a day and to allow for the delivery of recreational marijuana businesses to establish their business within the city. Councilor Rebecca Lisi, who serves as chair of the ordinance committee, emphasized that should the council choose not to allow for delivery within the city it would not stop the delivery of cannabis within the city from businesses operating outside of the city, but would simply stop businesses from being established within the city. The city council voted in favor of adopting and ordaining the changes by a vote of nine to three with councilors Greaney, Bartley and McGee voting in opposition to the matter.
Councilor Libby Hernandez also announced she would not be seeking reelection to her seat on the city council. She said the reason for her decision was with regard to family matters and her mom. “As of right now I'll be stepping down after December and making way for others to take the platoon,” she said. Hernandez added that she would miss her interaction with councilors, but would be close by and still involved in the community.
Leahy also announced that after several inquiries online, he had reached out to city officials and confirmed that the City of Holyoke would not be hosting fireworks this year. McGee then addressed illegal drag racing reports that had been present in the media, and said that the police department had been invited in to discuss the issue and present solutions. Murphy said, “The drag racing is a major problem. I’ve heard up to 50 or 70 cars out there at two to three to four in the morning drag racing.”
He said people felt threatened by both the speed involved with the drag racing and the way the racers had “taken over our streets.” Murphy added that he had plans to speak with state police, the West Springfield chief of police, the Holyoke chief of police and West Springfield Mayor William Reichelt to see how they could work together on the matter.