Special to the Times-Free Press
Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata (District 1) held a hearing to examine the maintenance and safety protocols of overhead electrical equipment to keep communities safe from utility-related hazards. The hearing brought together City officials, utility companies, and residents to discuss ongoing concerns, current practices, and opportunities to strengthen emergency notifications and ensure multi-agency response systems function effectively. Councilor Coletta Zapata sponsored the hearing to review utility companies’ maintenance protocols, inspection schedules, and emergency response plans, and to evaluate long-term infrastructure solutions that better protect residents especially in high-density neighborhoods. The hearing was called in response to the July 29 incident on Bartlett Street in Charlestown, where overhead electrical wires caught fire, igniting parked vehicles and causing a power outage for dozens of residents.
“This hearing is a step towards trying to understand how to move forward in an effective way where we have broad buy-in from all stakeholders of the community if there are going to be impacts to their quality of life and financial impacts. Residents deserve to know that when they walk down their block, the wires above them are safe, inspected, and capable of withstanding increasingly volatile weather patterns,” said Councilor Coletta Zapata. “I look forward to future conversations. Thank you to everyone who joined to provide their perspectives and experiences.”
The Councilors heard from an administration panel who provided an overview of the City’s coordination efforts with utility companies and the challenges of undergrounding infrastructure in densely populated areas. The Public Improvement Commission clarified that its role is limited to reviewing the location of utility infrastructure and not determining its appropriateness, viability, or necessity. Those assessments fall to the utility companies and the State’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU). Councilor Coletta Zapata emphasized the need for clearer communication, timely responses, and critical infrastructure upgrades.
Utility companies present discussed the challenges of coordinating multiple utility projects in the same area and the importance of clear communication with city agencies. Eversource and National Grid shared that undergrounding wires could cost millions per mile, with additional costs for conduits, permits, and excavation. They emphasized the complexity and high costs involved, noting that municipalities would bear the initial costs. During the hearing, the utility companies also addressed the impact of undergrounding on utility companies and their operations such as the complexity and cost of undergrounding, including the need for additional manholes and engineering costs.
This docket will remain in the Committee on City Services and Innovation Technology. A recording of the hearing can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCvk_co6PJQ
For additional information please contact the Office of Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata by phone at (617) 635-3200 or by email at [email protected].