The Town of Greenwich Board of Selectmen on April 3 discussed a request from Eversource for temporary lane closures to support test pits and conduit work on Greenwich Avenue, with residents and selectmen pressing the utility for earlier outreach, a clearer schedule and options to limit overnight noise.

First Selectman Fred Camillo said the town had received concerns from nearby residents and business owners and that Eversource’s outreach would need to reach “as many people as you can.” Camillo urged the company to adjust sequencing so work near restaurants would be finished before sidewalk dining began and to consider a mix of daytime and overnight shifts to “share the misery.”

Eversource and its outreach contractor described their plan. An Eversource representative said the company is seeking permits and intends to start test pitting and to run a bypass around an aging manhole built in the 1940s that the company said is too congested for safe work. Outreach coordinator Matt Wright of Watkins Strategies said he would distribute notices and knock on doors once permits and start dates were set. "I'll redraft the letter and talk to everyone," Wright told the board.

Residents asked how work times were being chosen. Selectmen asked whether overnight hours were strictly necessary or mainly intended to avoid daytime traffic and business disruption. One resident suggested scheduling work late in the week rather than early when restaurants are busiest. Eversource said the planned traffic control would keep at least one lane open where possible and that some work could be done during daytime hours where feasible.

The board and Eversource discussed operational adjustments: starting work in the middle of the project area so restaurants’ sidewalk dining would not be blocked, increasing daytime work on specific blocks, and setting an expectation that the company would return to the board with progress updates. Camillo said the company should come back to the board on April 10 to revisit the plan and any strong neighborhood feedback.

Selectmen also raised the opportunity to coordinate utility upgrades while the road is open. Selectman Lauren Rabin asked whether Eversource could bury some electric lines during related digs in Glenville. An Eversource representative said the primary driver for the current job is safety and that the company often leaves spare conduits when doing excavations, which “would have the potential for another day to pull more conductors in if that became part of a plan.” The representative noted that other utilities (for example Verizon) and property owners would also need to participate in any undergrounding effort.

Landscape architect and planner Peter Alexander, who spoke online, asked whether the electric work increases capacity; Eversource staff replied the primary driver is the congested manhole, not capacity expansion, although spare conduit could permit future work.

The board and Eversource agreed to refine outreach materials, to provide residents and businesses with contact information for project coordination, and to return to the selectmen on April 10 with updates. No formal vote was taken; the conversation was recorded as the second read of the temporary lane-closure request and outreach plan.