Click here for Mobile Site: http://m.wbztv.com
  • Font Size    
Advertising
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

N. Attleboro Home Built Too Close To Power Lines

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +    Comments
Dec 28, 2006 6:23 pm US/Eastern

N. Attleboro Home Built Too Close To Power Lines

North Attleboro (CBS4) ― A North Attleboro man has been forced to stop construction on his new home because it sits too close to high-voltage transmission lines. The electrical current in the area is so strong, fluourescent bulbs inside the home light up even when they are not plugged in.

Chris Zagami, 31, has invested more than $300,000 to build the 1,700 square-foot home off Lindley Street. But less than 30 feet away lies 345,000 volt transmission lines owned by National Grid.

Work on the home has ceased because an electrical inspector has refused to issue a final permit.

"In the house you can get an electric shock of the sink, the dishwasher....anything metal in this house has voltage on it," said Zagami.

Zagami is upset with the town because he was granted a building permit. North Attleboro's acting building commissioner Sharon Fontaine said the surveyor hired by the builder is at fault because the certificate issued to the town does not indicate the home would sit on National Grid's easement.

To make matters worse the building commissioner who issued the permit left his job on Nov 17.

Fontaine said Zagami needs to have an electrical engineer inspect the property and provide steps for to remedy the situation. Once that is done the builder can resume work on the home.

"If you were going to live in that house, knowing how close it is to the high tension wires, wouldn't you have hired someone to see how much current was in there before digging a foundation?," said Selectman John Rhyno.

A spokesperson for National Grid said the power company sent warning letters to Zagami telling him not to build the home.

Zagami claims his builder can prove the home isn't on National Grid's property.

"My heart's been torn out. I put everything I had, physically, mentally, financially into this house."

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Add Comment

here. here. Need a log in? Register here
  •  * Will not be displayed with comment
  •  * e.g. (http://www.mywebsite.com)
  •  
  • Click here to refresh with new letters

Show Comments (0)

Close Window Login


Close Window Flag Comment


loading...
You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Boston Area News

Top News Stories

© MMX, CBS Corporation. All rights reserved.