Some homeowners in Wallingford are concerned about Eversource cutting down hundreds of trees to keep the lights on when the weather is at its worst, leaving many residents feeling powerless against the power company.
Brenda Tyler said the trees along her Mulligan Drive property are part of the reason she bought her home 13 years ago and she is now worried that the trees could be cut down.
“I didn’t buy my house so that it would be devalued," Tyler said. "I bought my house so that we would add value to it.”
Many Wallingford residents are concerned about Eversource's rplan to remove hundreds of trees that could someday fall onto transmission lines.
An Eversource spokesperson said that the transmission lines carry power to thousands and thousands of customers in the region. Trees falling onto these transmission lines can be disastrous, as was seen with prolonged power outages after a damaging October 2011 storm. The company said the work needs to be done very soon.
“We will balance our need for reliable power with their need for aesthetics on their property," said Frank Poirot, an Eversource spokesman. “Anybody with an electric meter, whether they’re a customer of Eversource or someone else, will benefit or otherwise be impacted by what we do for maintenance of these lines.”
On Tuesday night, a meeting was held to continue the conversation between Eversource, the town council and the people of Wallingford.
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Among those at the meeting was John Nasznic, a Wallingford resident, who expects to lose a lot of vegetation outside of his Twin Oak Farm Road home. “About 90 percent of the trees behind my property is going to be removed," said Nasznic. “I would hope there’s a little consideration for nature and for everybody’s property values," he said.
The basic Eversource mission is to clear all trees that are within one hundred feet from each of the transmission lines outermost conductors. Existing rules give the power company the legal right to do just that; and it appears the tree chopping could start soon despite any opposition.
“They’re going to come in and clear cut and they’re just appeasing everybody by doing this meeting," Nasznic said as he left town hall on Monday night.
Eversource said it was attempting to meet with each homeowner who would be impacted. But the plan to cut the trees down is moving forward, with work in Wallingford potentially starting in late November.
