National Grid will be replacing the underground electrical service on a portion of Hawk Hill Road with an aerial solution. At a pole hearing on August 24, National Grid received Select Board approval for the poles to be placed in the road right of way. Once complete, National Grid will allow the Charlemont municipal fiber network to use these poles for the fiber optic cable.
Originally a path preparation project, Charlemont put out the procurement for the underground conduit installation, however National Grid expressed concern about the proximity to the electrical service and the difficulty in maintaining the lines in this section of the road.
National Grid proposed an aerial solution for that portion of the road to replace the buried lines and will grant the municipal fiber network space on these new poles. After a number of outreach calls and an in-person meeting at the Fairgrounds to discuss the proposal, the Select Board voted to approve the new National Grid poles with several residents supporting the project. The fiber path is expected to be complete this summer.