[MassHistPres] Electric Meters & other utility locations

[Wendy Nicholas]

All,

There was a similar situation in Rhode Island last year.  National Grid, Rhode Island's natural gas purveyor, began installing unsightly new gas meters on the fronts of houses in Providence's Broadway-Armory Historic District . . . and did so without any owner consultation.  Neighborhood residents - many of whom had devoted years to restoring their Greek Revival and Victorian-era homes - were outraged.  Imagine coming home after a hard day's work and finding a battery of grey steel bolted to the front of your house!

That's exactly what happened to State Representative Steven Costantino, the  powerful chairman of the RI House Finance Committee who lives in the Broadway-Armory neighborhood.  He, his Senate colleague Paul Jabour, and City Councilor John Lombardi joined neighborhood and preservation leaders - including the National Trust for Historic Preservation - in efforts to press National Grid to respect the historic district by leaving the meters in the basements or putting them in less visible locations.  They asked National Grid to give property owners the courtesy of a consultation beforehand.  National Grid refused.

Now, Rhode Island has legislation requiring consultation, and requiring visually unobtrusive location of gas meters and regulators.  The Rhode Island General Assembly passed this precedent-setting legislation that merits preservation activists' notice.  It requires gas companies to consult with property owners prior to installing new gas meters or regulators regarding owners' preference of location.  It requires utilities to avoid placing the equipment in visible locations without owner consent and only unless no prudent and feasible alternative is available.  In designated local historic districts, the utility must obtain a certificate of approval from the historic district commission.

Here's the info:  2009 -- S 0107 SUBSTITUTE A
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LC00325/SUB A
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2009
____________
A N A C T
RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS - LOCATION OF GAS
REGULATORS AND GAS METERS
Introduced By: Senators Jabour, Perry, Cote, Picard, and Pinga
Date Introduced: January 29, 2009

Wendy Nicholas  | Director, Northeast Office
National Trust for Historic Preservation | 7 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, 4th Floor. Boston, MA 02109
Phone: 617-523-0885 | Fax: 617-523-1199 | Email: wendy_nicholas at nthp.org<mailto:wendy_nicholas at nthp.org>.  www.PreservationNation.org<http://www.preservationnation.org/>


From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of Burks, Sarah
Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 12:44 PM
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Electric Meters & other utility locations

We're seeing this same change in Cambridge. We're trying to open conversations with NSTAR, which used to be responsive to our recommendations for meter placement for designated properties. NSTAR has indicated that they don't want any new gas service installs (and this applies to many major rehabs too) to be inside the building due to concerns about corrosion of the pipes inside the walls.

I'm interested to hear that this is a more universal problem and not unique to Cambridge. If they hear enough complaints from enough communities, maybe they'll begin to cooperate. Is there any trigger for an NR/SR review process to begin with MHC?

I have likewise found that they don't need building permits or electrical permits so there's no way for the Historical Commission to find out about the work if the owner doesn't let us know. A large transformer box was installed on grade along Mass Ave near Harvard Square and we are treating it as a violation in the Harvard Square Conservation District.



______________________
Sarah L. Burks
Preservation Planner
Cambridge Historical Commission
831 Massachusetts Ave., 2nd Fl.
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone 617-349-4687; Fax 617-349-3116; TTY 617-349-6112
http://www.cambridgema.gov/historic




From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of Kristi Chase
Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 9:32 AM
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: [MassHistPres] Electric Meters & other utility locations


We have a spate of new electric meters being placed on the front of buildings in our LHDs.  We only find out about them when the owners object, otherwise the electricians just install them wherever.  The City Electrical Inspector told me that the placement of meters does not fall under MGL 143 section 6A because the Electric Code is different from the Building Code and therefore we have no say about the location.

How are other cities handling this?  Are there other tools we could be using to relocate the meters?

Thanks,

Kristi Chase

Kristenna P. Chase, Preservation Planner
Historic Preservation Commission
Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development
93 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA  02143
(t) 617-625-6600 x2525, (f) 617-625-0722
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