Berlin closes hearing on National Grid pole project

Conservation · Meeting of October 7, 2026

BERLIN — The Berlin Conservation Commission closed a hearing on National Grid's plan to replace 91 poles along a transmission line through local wetlands. Chair Carolyn MacDonald presided as National Grid consultant Joshua Surrett detailed a voltage upgrade from 69 kilovolts to 115 kilovolts, with construction proposed from May to December 2027; the closure is contingent on a state DEP file number. The commission also voted unanimously to pay the Sudbury Valley Trustees $13,388 from its Open Space account for permanent monitoring of the newly finalized Powderhouse Hill conservation restriction.

Separately, members flagged an unresolved discrepancy of up to $240,000 in town accounts tied to a closed rail trail design grant, with one member calling the situation "a black hole." The commission also began planning an accessible "All Persons Trail," citing a $100,000 state DCR grant with a 20 percent local match due in February.

In the full story:

• Treasurer's Report and the ARPA Funds Discrepancy
• National Grid Notice of Intent: W-23 Transmission Line Pole Replacement
• Powderhouse Hill Conservation Restriction and SVT Monitoring Payment
• All Persons Trail and Peace Garden Planning
• Rail Trail Phase 2 and DCR Coordination
• Other Business
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,694 words

Source: the Conservation meeting of October 7, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.