Double Poles Could Lead To Permit Denials!

With his, "I'm going to do it right or not do it at all" attitude, Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan abruptly ended last night's Comittee on Public Works and Utilities meeting due to a lack of representative from Verizon. To avoid "finger pointing," a new meeting has been tentatively scheduled for September 8th where the existence of 114 double poles in the city will need to be explained by all utility companies.

114 may seem like a large number, but the process of taking down a double pole is quite simple: move the wires and transformers from the old pole to the new pole, so NStar can come and remove the old pole. To date, 34 poles have been removed since early July.

Giving an interesting perspective on the issue, was DPW Commissioner Stan Koty and Ward 4 Alderman Walter Pero who both pointed out that the Board of Alderman has been dealing with this issue for over 10 years-back when Koty served as Ward 5 Alderman himself.

In the meantime, gaining a permit in Somerville could be problematic for some companies, as O'Donovan (as well as other members of the Board of Alderman) have stated that they will deny until the poles are taken of which could effect constituents and cause delays in service connection. If you find yourself in this situation, call your potential service provider's customer service number and demand that they place their wires on new utility poles, so the old poles can be removed. Please know that there are companies who have been abiding by the Board's request-removing their equipment from old poles accordingly. And, these companies, clearly, care about the city and deserve your business!