House to vote to protect historic neighborhoods
1:30 PM Tue, Jun 16, 2009 | Permalink
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The state House of Representatives is to vote on Tuesday afternoon on a proposed state law to regulate public utility improvements in historic neighborhoods. But residents in the city's West Broadway neighborhood say the bill lacks the homeowners protections necessary to address its complaints with National Grid, the utility that is upgrading natural gas lines throughout the state. Residents in the historic neighborhood last summer complained that the new meters and gas regulators that National Grid installed detracted from the historic character of their homes. They complained that the utility did not give residents adequate notice and information about the upgrade process. Senator Paul V. Jabour and House Rep. Steven M. Costantino, both of whom represent the neighborhood, introduced legislation (Senate Bill 0474) to address residents concerns. The House and the Senate have each approved versions of the bill, and will now be considering the other chamber's versions of the bill, according to House spokesman larry Berman
It also requires utility companies to consult with homeowners and give preference to places that are the least visually prominent. On homes in historic districts, the legislation prohibits the installation of gas meters or regulators on the exterior unless the property owner and the historic district commission give their consent. The bill gives owners the option of obscuring the outdoor meters by painting them or hiding them behind shrubs or other landscaping elements. It additionally requires homeowners with indoor meters to provide the utility company access to the meters or face service termination. But the bill, as approved by the state Senate in May, eliminates a proposed appeals process for homeowners disputing alterations to their property for gas meter and gas line improvements. In exchange, National Grid has agreed to restore properties that homeowners say were damaged when the utility upgraded gas lines in the West Broadway neighborhood last summer. 
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