A representative from National Grid met with the city council Monday night to discuss the issue of double poles in the city at the request of Councillor-at-Large Joanne McKenna.
The term “double pole” refers to the situation when a replacement utility pole is built alongside the pole to be replaced for the purpose of transferring the electric, telephone, cable, or other wires from one pole to the other, according to the state’s public utilities website.
In Revere, the proliferation of double poles in the city has been a concern of a number of city councilors for years.
Jim Mckay, the lead process manager in the outdoor lighting and attachments group for National Grid in Massachusetts highlighted the process of removing the damaged poles in the city. He said that he currently has a count of 150 of the double poles in Revere.
“In Revere, 91 percent of the poles that are in the ground are jointly owned between National Grid and Verizon,” said Mckay. “We own 50 percent, in essence, they own the other 50 percent.”
The most recent joint pole ownership agreement between the two utilities states that National Grid is responsible for setting the poles and Verizon is responsible for removing those poles.
“In general, a lot of poles that you are going to see in the city are ultimately waiting to go from the top down, from the top attachment down to the bottom, for Verizon to make that pull,” McKay said.
After the pole gets set, he said the first thing National Grid does is create an Engines ticket, which Mckay said is a tracking database used for all the parties using the utility pole to collaborate and understand who is next to transfer utilities from one pole to another.
“If you have a National Grid transfer, they are going to cut off the top of the pole at the electric, and then if fire wire is on the pole, and then Comcast, and then Verizon, it is going to be in that order showing from top to bottom who has to go,” said McKay.
As the party completes the transfer, they mark it complete in the tracking system and the next group is notified.
Of the 150 double poles Mckay said have been identified in the city, he said 70 are waiting for Comcast to make the transfer of its wires.
“My target right now is to get them moving so that those 70 tickets in Comcast’s name can trickle down to Verizon and Verizon can start pulling those poles on a regular basis,” said Mckay.
Mckay said there can be issues moving the process along because there are seven different companies that are listed as next to go when it comes to transferring the wires.
Mckay said that one of the more visible double poles in the city at the Broadway rotary should be removed by early April.
Ward 1 Councillor Jim Mercurio asked if there was a way a subcontractor could be hired by the utility companies to transfer the wiring and remove the poles. Mckay noted that it could be an issue with the Verizon union.
However, Mckay said there is a conversation that the state’s public utilities department is having that could put a process such as that in place in the coming years.
“Electric would still be on its own, but the telecommunications would be, in theory, one contractor doing all that work,” said Mckay. “I think the biggest thing to that being successful would be Verizon having buy-in, as well.”
Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya said there are several double poles in her ward that are a safety hazard.
“I just need those taken care of ASAP, I’m afraid they are going to fall and someone is really going to get hurt,” said Guarino-Sawaya.
In addition to the safety issues with the double poles, McKenna brought up the issue of a number of streetlights that have been in need of replacement, in some cases for years, including along Short Beach and on Bennington Street on the crosswalk near the Beachmont School.
Council President Anthony Zambuto thanked Mckay for coming in to meet the council and said he hoped it was the beginning of improved communication between the council and National Grid.