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NORTHBRIDGE, Mass. - JAFLO Tree Co. began trimming trees around power lines on Northbridge roads last week in preparation for the upcoming storm season.
Last August, Tropical Storm Irene brought the Central Mass. area, includng the town of Northbridge, to its knees when wind and rain brought down trees and tree limbs on electrical lines. Some residents were without power for days.
That was followed in October with an early nor'easter, with heavy snow bringing trees and limbs down onto power lines. In that storm, some residents were without power for up to a week.
The storms would not have affected the power grid as severely as they did if National Grid had monitored and trimmed trees around its power lines, officials said.
Attorney General Martha Coakley said she planned to fine National Grid $16 million, accusing the company of inadequately preparing for storms.
“Combined, these two storms left nearly a million National Grid customers without power, some for more than a week,” Coakley said in July. “National Grid’s preparation for these storms was inadequate, and its response was unacceptable. The company compounded these mistakes with a lack of communication to municipalities and first responders about restoration efforts, leaving many of them in the dark as they were making critical decisions around public safety and emergency treatment.”
On Monday afternoon, JAFLO trucks and workers were trimming and shredding trees on Church Avenue in the Rockdale section of town.
JAFLO will also be working on the following streets:
Main Street
Lake Street
Linden Street
Chestnut Street
High Street
Forest Street
Church Street
Pleasant Street
Willow Street
Brook Street
East Street
Granite Street
Hill Side Street
Highland Street
Thurston Street
Laura Lane
Plummer Street
Rumonoski Street
Trajanowsli Street
Quaker Street
School Street
Sutton Street
Puddon Street
Bean's Lane
Legion Way
Plantation Street
Taft Street
Gendron Street
Violette Circle
Jefferson Avenue
Eisenhower Drive
Lincoln Circle
Cooper Road
Fowler Road
Kelly Street
Moon Hill Road
Menden Road
Quaker Street
JAFLO has a preplanner, Riley Rubio, working in Northbridge to coordinate with customers. He can be reached at 508-733-1816. The superintendent for JAFLO is Sandra Guzman, and she can be reached at 304-276-6230.
Comments (4)
Nice to see trees being trimmed but who gave them the permission to leave the messes on the sides of the roads and in peoples yards, for example East St. Church St. Willow St. Leland Rd. etc.
I'm sure that nobody gave them "permission." It beats having the power go out every time the wind blows, doesn't it?
How about Benson Road!
So Coakley wants to fine NG $16M? Exactly where would that money go? (I bet nobody knows!)
It seems it'd be far more sensible to have NG spend that money on other things - LIKE TREE CUTTING!!!