Sudbury historic panel continues Eversource transmission-line permit to August

SUDBURY — July 7, 2022 — Sudbury Historic Districts Commission delays Eversource rail-removal permit near 1890 tool house. The commission voted 3-0 on July 7 to continue case 22-15 to its Aug. 4 meeting after Eversource project manager Mike Hager proposed pulling 150 feet of rails and ties and installing a 14-foot gravel access road within the George Pitt's Tavern Historic District for a 115-kilovolt underground transmission line. Sudbury Historical Commission Vice Chair Diana Warren read a unanimous memo opposing the project, saying removal "would negatively alter and impact the historical significance, integrity and context of the section tool house," the only surviving Boston and Maine example in Massachusetts. Member Anuraj Shah called the application "all detrimental … with no upside" given that the future DCR rail trail is not part of the filing. Chair Susanna Finn directed Eversource to return with renderings, comparable installation photos and alternative-surface proposals.