Eversource and Town of Needham staff briefed the Select Board on Oct. 29 about planned winter utility work that will include underground electric conduit on Webster Street and continued gas main replacements across the town.

Cara Sluste, Needham director of public works, said the Webster Street conduit is part of a larger electric modernization tied to the MWRA redundancy project. She said portions of the work on Highland Avenue fall under MassDOT jurisdiction and therefore are permitted separately; the company is seeking permits from Needham only for the segments within the town’s jurisdiction. Eversource told the board it will install manholes, place conduit and later “pull the cable,” a two‑stage sequence that has civil construction and then a less disruptive cable‑pull phase.

Joanne Callender, an Eversource representative, described a specific grant of location request earlier in the meeting for 160 Countryway to install “approximately 10 feet of conduit” from Pole 344 to provide underground electric service to a new all‑electric home; the board approved that petition by motion and vote.

The project will affect trees and sidewalks. Sluste said three Norway maple street trees will be removed for the Webster work; Eversource has committed to replace those with up to 12 new trees and to consult neighbors about setback plantings or nursery stock if the right of way cannot accommodate all replacements. Sluste and board members pressed Eversource to provide clearer, site‑level notices for abutters — for example, posted signs or QR codes that link to construction schedules and restoration plans — and the utility agreed to continued direct notifications and weekly updates.

On sidewalk and driveway restoration, Sluste said sidewalk repairs will meet town standards and ADA compliance and that driveways will be permanently patched during the next permanent pavement season after trench settlement. She confirmed the town’s preference for asphalt outside business districts and explained the rationale (maintenance, root damage, salt damage to concrete).

Eversource also briefed the board on gas distribution work. Dylan (Eversource gas) said the company has a goal of “relaying all the aging and leak prone gas pipe in Needham by 2034” and on average is trying to replace roughly three miles per year; he said that translates to roughly 30 miles remaining to reach the goal. Kyle Gavoni, Eversource construction supervisor, said the new pipelines are “predicted to last, at least 200.”

Eversource and DPW said they have coordinated schedules to avoid cutting into recently paved roads and to stay ahead of the town’s capital paving plan; the company said it will not leave plates on the road overnight, will patch trenches temporarily, will perform curb‑to‑curb permanent repaving as required, and will assume snow‑clearing responsibility in active work areas. The town added a condition that utilities doing off‑season work provide curb‑to‑curb repaving and avoid leaving equipment that obstructs plowing.

Town staff and Eversource described test pits for an underground cable modernization project; the test pits are a prelude to construction, expected to be late 2026–early 2027 for the major pull‑through work. Eversource also described manhole sizes and explained that larger access vaults are needed so technicians can work while pulling multiple conduits and wire bundles.

On public‑safety and environmental risk, town and utility staff said methane leaks are tracked and prioritized: immediate repairs for the highest priority leaks, monitoring for medium‑priority items and continued observation for lower‑priority items. The companies said none of the public testimony indicated an imminent safety crisis in Needham, and DPW and the utility framed the multi‑year replacement program as driven by Department of Public Utilities mandates and state safety standards.

What’s next: Eversource said it will continue abutter outreach, share schedules and maps of current work, and provide updated lists of the streets expected to be worked on in the coming winter season. DPW said it has assigned a town representative to provide day‑to‑day oversight and mediation with abutters during active construction.

Provenance: Eversource and DPW briefing at 12:24–47 and extended discussion 13:59–48:30 (transcript).