Fed up with power outages, broken street lights, double poles, faulty street repairs and what's perceived as a lack of responsiveness from the electric company, Somerville stopped issuing work permits to NSTAR beginning today, according to comments made at Tuesday night's Board of Aldermen meeting and from NSTAR.

Until the matter is resolved between the city and NSTAR, residents needing work done by the utility company are out of luck.

Speaking at the Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday night, Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan, who chairs the board's committee on public utilities and public works, said, "[Department of Public Works] Commissioner [Stanley] Koty did state in the [committee] meeting tonight that right now his office is not issuing any permits to NSTAR."

Addressing Annemarie Walsh, community relations and economic development specialist with NSTAR, who attended Tuesday's meeting, O'Donovan said, "Tomorrow, if your company walks into DPW for a permit, they're not going to get it."

"Who suffers from this, when you have NSTAR butting heads with the city, are our constituents, their rate payers," said O'Donovan. "Our constituents, who may be looking for service for whatever reason … now the city's not going to issue any permits."

Walsh, speaking to Somerville Patch Wednesday morning, confirmed the situation, saying, "We will not be given grants of location until we resolve these outstanding issues in the city."

"It's NSTAR's intention to actively work with the city of Somerville to resolve any issues that remain an obstacle for us to do business in the city," she said.

Unresolved issues

Aldermen are fed up with power outages, which happen mostly in East Somerville, broken street lights, double poles—when one pole supports another—and other matters they say have been brought to NSTAR's attention long ago.

"I keep hearing over and over and over that they're doing updates to the system, and all I get is bad news from residents over and over," said Alderman At-Large Dennis Sullivan. "It gets a little frustrating, over the past year, and we're dealing with the same problems."

"I have a hard time believing … that if we're talking about Brookline, Weston, Newton, it wouldn't be happening," he said.

Ward 7 Alderman Robert Trane echoed that sentiment. "We've been getting lip service here in this community for years," he said. "In the tonier suburbs they'd be fixing this stuff and fixing it pronto."

"A lot of citizens are walking down streets that are not well lit … the public safety is compromised," said Alderman At-Large John Connolly.

"You have no idea what we've been through with NSTAR," O'Donovan said.

Walsh told the board Tuesday night that NSTAR was planning to replace five transformers in East Somerville during the first two weeks of 2012.

Somerville Patch contacted the city's communications department for more information about the situation, but had not heard back as of this posting.