Needham Neighbors Support South Street Tree Removal Plan

Neighbors expressed support at the Board of Selectmen's hearing Tuesday night on the tree removal plan.

  Dead trees around South Street are coming down--in fact, neighbors believe it will make things safer there. The Board of Selectmen held a hearing on the fate of a number of trees along South Street, many of which appear to be on their way out. Officials are working with NStar on a removal plan to take away over 100 dead or dying trees, or ones which are expected to grow into active power lines. The trees marked for removal have a blue ribbon on them. This is not related to NStar's vegetation management plan, which the ultimately asked NStar to halt last year. Town Tree Warden, Lance Remsen, said that about two thirds of the trees are dead or dying, only one third fall into the category of growing into power lines. He has personally …

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Selectmen Talking Needham's Trees Tonight

NStar and Needham officials proposing removal of 100 dead, dying or diseased trees along South Street. Public hearing scheduled for June 11.

Selectmen Talking Needham's Trees This Week

NStar and Needham officials proposing removal of 100 dead, dying or diseased trees along South Street. Public hearing scheduled for June 11.

  Marked in blue ribbons along South Street, there are more than 100 trees which officials are considering for removal.  These trees, according to an announcement on the Needham Town Website, are diseased, dying or dead. According to the Town site, the Board of Selectmen will hold a hearing to discuss the fate of these trees on June 11, in a week's time.  Officials are working with NStar, again, on a removal plan to "ensure safe, reliable and continuous service to the Town." The trees marked for removal have a blue ribbon on them, as they have been identified as hazardous, the announcement says.  Anyone with input can present it in person at the Hearing Tuesday night. However, for those who can't make it can address their thoughts to the …

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Letter to the Editor: NSTAR, Officials Agree on DeFazio Park Tree Removal

After negotiating with NSTAR about several trees in the area, five have been marked for removal.

Below is a letter to the editor from officials involved in last July's summit with NSTAR about utility right-of-way and trees at Defazio Park: We are pleased to share that the proof of the coordinated, positive, proactive work of the Town of Needham, concerned residents, and the State Representative with NSTAR on the concerns related to vegetation management along the transmission lines has resulted in good communication and a targeted approach to address five (5) trees which threaten the integrity of the transmission lines at Defazio Park. This week, representatives from NSTAR requested a meeting with the Parks and Forestry Superintendent, Ed Olsen and his staff to discuss two areas of concern along NSTAR’s transmission lines at DeFazio …

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NSTAR: Power Back On After Hurricane Sandy

The company is moving its resources down to Connecticut to assist a partner company with outages there.

The lights are back on for NSTAR customers across the state who lost power during and after Hurricane Sandy, NSTAR reports. "After a remarkable repair and restoration effort by all of our employees and contractors, we have returned every town in the NSTAR service territory back to normal operations," NSTAR spokesman Mike Durand said in an email Friday morning. As of 9 a.m., the company's online Outage Map showed 84 Needham residents without electricity, along with other outages in surrounding towns, but Durand said those issues are not related to the storm. "Please remember our online outage map is a real-time reporting tool and therefore includes outages not related to Hurricane Sandy," he said. NSTAR customers who are still without power…

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2,200+ Needham Homes Remain Without Power

NSTAR is working to restore electricity around the region following Hurricane Sandy.

More than 2,200 Needham residents remained without power at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning following Hurricane Sandy. About 18 percent of NSTAR's customer base in town are still experiencing outages after the storm brought down trees and limbs all over town, according to NSTAR's Outage Map. NSTAR's Outage Map does not go into detail about where outages are. Needham Public Schools closed for the day because there are still so many without power and there is still much cleanup to be done on local roadways.  Residents are encouraged to report all weather-related issues to the town by calling 781-455-7550 and selection Option 2, then Option 1 to connect to the Department of Public Works administration. To report a power outage to NSTAR, call 800-…

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2,600+ Customers Without Power in Needham

Hurricane Sandy continues to cause outages around the region, according to NSTAR.

[UPDATED Monday, 10 p.m.] Power was slowly being stored to Needham residents late Monday night, as the number of households without electricity dropped to 2,482 by 10 p.m.—about 20 percent of the local customer base. [UPDATED Monday, 9 p.m.] About 23 percent of NSTAR customers in Needham—about 2,814 households— were without power as of 9 p.m. Monday evening. [UPDATED Monday, 6:40 p.m.] With Hurricane Sandy still making its way up the coast toward New England, about 22 percent of NSTAR customers in Needham were reporting power outages at around 6:40 p.m. A total of 2,687 customers in town were without electricity, according to the company's online Outage Map. Nearby towns with even higher percentages of outages at this time include: Dover …

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BREAKING: Tree, Wires Down on Garden Street

The issue was reported at around 2:40 p.m. Friday.

Reports are coming in of a tree, pole and wires down across the roadway near 249 Garden St. in Needham. NSTAR has been requested. Needham Patch will have more information as it becomes available.

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NSTAR Proposes Lower Rate for Gas Heating

Needham customers could save as much as $15 per month on their bills this winter if the state approves the rate.

NSTAR customers in Needham could save more than $15 per month on their heating bills this winter if the company's proposed supply rate is approved by the state. NSTAR Gas has submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities a supply rate of 57.32 cents per therm, a drop by 18 percent from the 2011-12 price of about 70 cents, according to a press release from NSTAR provided by company spokesman Mike Durand. If the state approves the rate, it would take effect on Nov. 1. “As we head into another heating season with low prices, it’s no wonder we’re seeing record numbers of customers converting their heating systems to clean, efficient natural gas,” NSTAR Gas President Rod Powell said in the press release.  “In today’s economy, …

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Letter: Federal Report Suggests a More Reasonable Tree Plan for NSTAR

This letter was submitted by a Needham resident.

This June, NSTAR left  “Courtesy Notifications” on doors of Needham residents who abut the transmission line along the commuter rail tracks citing "strict federal and state standards mandate utilities manage vegetation along transmission lines" driving the new and aggressive policy to clear cut trees within the right-of-way along the line. The Needham Town Hall (www.needhamma.gov) linked to a report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) on “Transmission Facility Outages During the Northeast Snowstorm of October 29-30, 2011.” One of the primary findings of that report is that lines like Needham’s are not covered by federal or state mandates. Because utilities had argued "the …

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