Town officials say they’re eager to see improved temporary patch jobs and to accelerate re-paving on streets dug up during the installation of natural gas service in New Canaan.
Eversource’s installation of a main and service lines has left “temporary patches which are, in some cases, not very good patches,” according to First Selectman Kevin Moynihan.
“We have some pretty bad patches that have to force them to improve,” he said during a meeting of the Selectmen Advisory Committee on Facilities and Infrastructure, held Monday via videoconference.
Eversource began installing a main line for natural gas in New Canaan two years ago. In 2018, the work included 30 roads. Last year, the project extended five additional miles, with another five planned for 2020. Those seeking hook-ups along the route have three years get that work done before a rolling two-year moratorium goes into effect.
Public Works Director Tiger Mann said he’s asked Eversource “to detail out the number of residents that are left and the roads that we have that are ‘done,’ so to speak and they are working through that list—specifically, the big five being Brinckerhoff, Mortimer, Fieldcrest, Lockwood and Village.”
“And then other areas, say Lakeview from Millport to 123 where it’s just Avalon, the cemetery and [the Transfer Station], things of that nature where we can come in and take care of that work. Or even Little Brook Road, where if they finish Little Brook to the end and get it out to Clapboard Hill then we would be done. The school is already hooked up, there is one resident hooked up off the back side of the Hoyt Farm development. No one else seems to be able to do that. Or want to do that. And then we can pave Little Brook, especially since it’s right beside the school, and there’s a ton of traffic that goes through there. So we are just waiting or that. We are in a little bit of a holding pattern in that regard.”
The comments come about one month after town officials said Eversource hasn’t been forthcoming about its plans for this year since the onset of the COVID-19 public health emergency—a characterization that the utility company has denied.
Town officials said last month that Eversource had put the natural gas installation into New Canaan on hold. This year, the project was to enter the the final piece of a three-year initial phase-in that covered the downtown.
Coming into New Canaan from Stamford along Route 106 and then turning up Farm Road to South Avenue, the natural gas main last year was run into parts of downtown New Canaan, officials say. Specifically, Eversource got as far as Main Street at East Avenue, South Avenue near Elm Street and Park Street to the Park Street municipal parking lot. Town officials had been hoping Eversource this year would expand further down Locust Avenue as well as Pine Street and upper Elm Street at Grove. In addition, town officials hoped that service lines would be run to downtown buildings along Elm Street (from behind them, so that the street itself would not be dug up).
Mann said during the meeting that the town has asked Eversource “to take a look at a revised look at downtown area.”
“Kevin [Moynihan[ has been very good at giving them areas that are expanding and where we feel people want the gas or businesses want the gas—specifically upper Elm Street, Grove Street, Pine Street, Locust Avenue heading all the way down to Forest and then possibly going down to Cherry Crossing and Vitti,” Mann said. “They said that they would take a look at it and get back to us. They still have their staff working on it. We are still somewhat in a holding pattern as we move forward.”
The hookups should have been made to every lot line so that the roads are dug and done once rather than every 2 years. I know it costs a million dollars a mile, but that cost just rises by only 20% to finish the job. But expecting efficient from a utility is pointless.