Somerville City Council Licenses and Permits Committee Meeting – March 11, 2026

Note: The user-provided date (2026-03-12) conflicts with the meeting minutes and transcript, which both state the meeting occurred on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. This summary uses the date from the source material.

The Licenses and Permits Committee met on March 11, 2026, via Zoom, from 6:01 PM to 6:36 PM. The committee approved the previous meeting’s minutes and considered a grant of location for Eversource. The discussion centered on long-standing double-pole and dangling-wire issues on Ivaloo Street, leading to a conditional approval.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes (ID #26-0296): The minutes from the February 25, 2026, meeting were approved by a roll call vote of 3 in favor (Councilors Davis, Wheeler, Hardt), 0 opposed.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Chris Dwan (resident of 26 Ivaloo Street): Described a six-year history of double poles, chafing wires, and tree damage on Ivaloo Street. He stated that Eversource had made a verbal commitment in January 2020 to address the issues but did not follow through, resulting in the death and removal of two mature trees. He requested that the council incentivize Eversource to maintain its infrastructure safely.

Discussion Items

• Grant of Location – Eversource (ID #26-0181): Eversource applied to install 62 feet of conduit on Ivaloo Street from Utility Pole 179/5 to 38 Ivaloo Street.
  • Jacqueline Duffy (Eversource): Confirmed that RCN and Verizon need to remove wires before Eversource can add a utility pole. She stated that low-hanging wires are communications lines from RCN, Comcast, or Verizon. She committed to taking the issues back to Eversource and sent a text to a community relations person to get the process moving.
  • Councilor Davis: Provided historical context, noting that a state law allows the city to remove abandoned wires and charge utility companies, but coordination is difficult. He suggested raising the broader issue at the full council level with all utilities present.
  • Councilor Wheeler: Questioned whether using the grant-of-location process is the ideal mechanism for addressing systemic utility problems. He supported a more proactive, city-wide approach.
  • Chair Hardt: Reported that she is working with Councilor Scott and city staff to develop a systemic solution for double poles and dangling wires, building on past efforts.

Key Outcomes

• Grant of Location Approved with Condition: The committee voted 3-0 to approve the grant of location for Eversource, conditioned on Eversource making a formal evaluation of the poles and lines on Ivaloo Street and submitting a written report of their findings. Councilor Hardt moved the condition; the vote was 3 in favor (Davis, Wheeler, Hardt), 0 opposed.
• Next Steps: Chair Hardt indicated she will introduce a resolution to address the double-pole and wire issue at the full council level, involving all relevant utilities. The committee also noted that future work will involve coordination with the legal department and city engineering.