Residents, Officials Demand Mitigation, Communication from NSTAR

Residents learned Monday that NSTAR will “take a breather” this week from clearing a right-of-way that runs through Wayland’s Oak Hill and Meadowview roads neighborhood.

The news came as residents from Wayland, Sudbury and Framingham gathered at the Wayland Town Building Monday afternoon to “speak for the trees” destined to be cleared from NSTAR’s right-of-way running through those and other towns.

The Selectmen’s Meeting Room couldn’t hold the crowd, which seemed to come with a couple of main points in mind: Is there a plan and budget in place for remediation of the cleared trees and who at NSTAR is in charge of the project?

Representatives from NSTAR agreed to meet with Wayland selectmen and residents after outcry from neighbors in Wayland’s Oak Hill and Meadowview neighborhoods joined with that of residents in Sudbury and Framingham already speaking out against the planned vegetation maintenance in the 250-foot wide right-of-way under NSTAR’s high voltage lines.

Nancy Stevens, director of consumer affairs for the Department of Public Utilities, told the crowd that NSTAR crews were being informed of the plan to halt cutting for a week as she left her office to attend the public hearing.

“We did not issue a moratorium,” Stevens said, explaining that the Department of Public Utilities is attempting to determine what role it plays in this NSTAR project. “We wanted to hear the specifics of what are the [particular] concerns of each community. What’s so different this time that it’s causing the angst among all the communities?”

Walter Salvi, NSTAR manager of community relations, told the group that the work in question is part of a program “to eliminate tree contact with high tension lines.”

“Basicially, underneath the high-voltage line, we will not allow anything over three feet,” Salvi said. “We’d like to get it down to a meadow. We will go after trees that pose an imminent threat to the safety and reliability of the lines there. We’re ensuring to the best of our ability the safe and reliabile delivery of electricity to your homes and businesses.”

NSTAR Senior Arborist Bill Hayes explained that the clearing in the right-of-way targets “incompatible trees” or those that have the potential to grow to more than 15 feet tall.

“We do encourage certain vegetation to be out there, and discourage other types,” Hayes said.

The crowd acknowledged NSTAR’s right to clear the right-of-way, some of which runs through open land and conservation areas. However, as Wayland Selectman Joe Nolan pointed out, in Wayland a portion of the right-of-way is comprised of easements taking up a majority of a resident’s property.

“Long, open rights-of-way are one thing,” Nolan said. “Get into Oak Hill, it’s a different animal than on the other side of the river. I think you can do a better job of outreach in a neighborhood like this.”

Nolan pressed NSTAR reps on whether a mitigation plan exists for replacing some of the cleared vegetation with appropriate species or removing the stumps left behind.

Salvi said NSTAR did not have a blanket plan in place, but could be willing to meet with residents on a case-by-case basis to determine appropriate action. That action, Salvi said, would not involve leaving particular trees, but could involve talks to “ease the pain” through stump removal or new plantings.

“We mitigate a lot of issues in a lot of different spots,” Salvi said. “It is not a one-size-fits-all answer.”

Sudbury Board of Selectmen Chair Larry O’Brien spoke up to say that NSTAR had initially been unwilling to meet with Sudbury residents and selectmen, but that reps now plan to attend a June 14 meeting. O’Brien said the changing of the plans highlights a communication problem.

“That gentleman says one thing, this gentleman says something else,” O’Brien said. “They pass the buck, they swirl the buck.”

Rob Noa, a Meadowview Road resident, said that he felt there was more than “incidental stump grinding” necessary in his neighborhood and he encouraged the Department of Public Utilities to put a moratorium in place until an official mitigation plan could be put in place.

“It’s nice to hear of NSTAR’s willingness to undertake incidental stump grinding and vegetation,” Noa said, going on to say those actions weren’t enough. “It represents most of our backyards. When they get through it will be a wasteland. It is absolutely disrespectful to not provide answers to these questions to neighbors on Meadowview and Oak Hill Road.”

Wayland Selectman Steve Correia told the utility representatives that Wayland would pursue an official moratorium if NSTAR did not take steps to provide a mitigation plan, including a budget. He also asked that town officials be provided with the names and contact information for the individuals at NSTAR who are in charge of the project, a request echoed by murmurs throughout the crowd.

“What they have going now is complete divide and conquer,” Noa said. “No one knows what the hell is going on. We have absolutely no reason to believe … that they’re going to make good on remediation efforts whatsoever. Our neighborhood is going to be ravaged if these people follow through on what they’re planning.”

The two-hour meeting concluded with Salvi agreeing that NSTAR would be in touch with Wayland officials later this week or early next week about mitigation efforts and to answer the other questions.