Select board continues National Grid/Verizon pole hearing on Ames Road to March 16

The select board opened a public hearing on a joint National Grid and Verizon application to install a mid‑span pull and supporting pole on Ames Road to accommodate a transformer for a nearby solar installation. The applicant's designer identified himself on Zoom as Steven and said the mid‑span pull was needed because an adjacent pole (Pole 18) has a riser where a transformer cannot be installed.

Board members questioned whether the work is tied to a residential rooftop or the larger solar farm and asked whether the project crosses the municipal boundary; staff could not confirm those details. The board said the applicant should provide clearer mapping, a permit history and confirmation from planning and assessing staff about whether expansion of solar panels is proposed and how that interacts with the town's pilot/assessment rules.

To avoid re‑advertising, the board voted to continue the hearing to 6:00 PM on March 16, 2026. The motion to continue was moved by a select board member and seconded by the chair; the motion passed by voice vote. Town staff said they will reach out to the applicant and to departmental reviewers to request the missing documentation before the continued hearing.