SPRINGFIELD — The City Council approved 11 petitions that will allow Eversource to replace stretches of old, leaking, natural gas lines and make other electrical upgrades, but continues to push efforts to hold the utility company accountable for skyrocketing rates and service lapses.
During a meeting Monday, the council also voted 12-0 to pass a resolution calling for the state Legislature and the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to investigate the high rates that are leaving residents struggling to pay significantly larger bills. Each councilor asked to be included as a co-sponsor of the bill.
“The city of Springfield respectfully requests an investigation into the factors contributing to the recent surge in gas and electricity costs and whether these increases are justified or represent potential issues with utility practices or market inefficiencies,” reads the resolution submitted by City Councilor Lavar Click-Bruce.
After hearing from hundreds of people complaining that their monthly bills doubled from the preceding year, the City Council in March voted to delay approving routine petitions to do work under city streets, essentially to force the company to discuss all problems facing city residents.
City Councilor Malo Brown, chairman of the council’s utility subcommittee, called a meeting about the petitions and other issues with Eversource “constructive,” as evidenced by eight representatives from the utility attending that evening. Typically no one from Eversource is present.
“We need them to be more transparent and get more information quickly,” Brown said, adding that Eversource agreed to submit reports of improvements to be made sooner and post them publicly, so councilors and residents have time to review them before any vote is taken.
The proposals are routine ones, with the majority requesting approvals for the company to replace older cast-iron pipes that are leaking with new, higher-pressured PVC pipes on streets throughout the city, including Boston Road, Jean Drive and Murray Hill Avenue.
Several other proposals called for routine maintenance to the electrical infrastructure, including several jobs at the intersection in Forest Park, best known as The X, to prepare for a four-year reconfiguration project, said Christopher Cignoli, director of the Department of Public Works.
There is quite a bit of unreliable cast-iron pipe in the city that is prone to leaks, so the company is trying to replace them, said Keegan Richey, director of gas operations for Eversource.
He promised to provide the information requested by the City Council and have a representative at the council meetings when improvements are proposed ”for years to come.”
During the discussion about the resolution, councilors also turned to concerns about burnt-out streetlights, which have been a problem for decades.
Click-Bruce said he will research a plan to stop the city’s payment on street lights that are reported burnt out if they are not replaced in three business days.
“We had a meeting in August and, it takes a lot to get me annoyed, but there is no follow up,” he said. “It is an ongoing issue in our city.”
He said, just in his routine travels, he has seen as many as 15 streetlights out and some in crucial places, such as the High School of Science and Technology.
City Councilor Brian Santaniello agreed, saying that he counted at least nine streetlights that were not working in a recent drive from Forest Park to Sixteen Acres.
“They are not doing us a favor. We pay for it,” Councilor Victor Davila said.
He estimated the city pays $3.5 million to keep the streetlights bright.
“It is a public safety issue,” Click-Bruce said.
Contacted after the meeting, Eversource spokesperson Sarah Paduano said in an email that streetlight rates are determined by multiple factors, based on the customer’s installation requirements.
“Each light has a fixed monthly charge for the municipality, based on the type of streetlight and pole, as well as any other equipment needed for each fixture,” she said. “When there are multiple lamps on one pole, the monthly distribution charge and wattage is multiplied by the number of lamps installed.”
Paduano said Springfield has multiple accounts with the city, and that the city’s streetlights have varying specifications.
Eversource provided The Republican with a rate sheet for the various streetlights. Monthly charges varied widely, from $7.96 a month for LEDs to $21.68 for flood lights, for example. The pole upon which the lights sit also affects costs, such as a wood pole for $10.30 a month and $27.35 for a premium decorated aluminum pole.
The company didn’t share the city’s total cost for lighting its thoroughfares.
“We cannot provide specific customer information such as how much they pay in total for all streetlights,” Paduano said.
This story has been updated with comments from Eversource spokesperson Sarah Paduano.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
