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Andover Officials Monitoring Lawrence Gas Leak

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Town of Andover
Andrew P. Flanagan, Town Manager
36 Bartlet St.
Andover, MA 01810

townsealandoverFor Immediate Release

Friday, Sept. 27, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Andover Officials Monitoring Lawrence Gas Leak

At Present, No Danger to Public Safety in Andover

ANDOVER — Town Manager Andrew Flanagan, Emergency Management Director Patrick Keefe and Fire Chief Michael Mansfield report that officials in the Town of Andover are actively monitoring a reported major gas leak in Lawrence.

At present, there is no danger or threat to the gas distribution system in the Town of Andover

The Andover Fire Department began providing mutual aid services to the City of Lawrence at 3:45 a.m. Town Manager Flanagan has been in contact with Mayor Dan Rivera of Lawrence to offer additional assistance.

“We stand with our friends and neighbors in Lawrence, and we are ready to assist in any way,” Town Manager Flanagan said.

Officials continue to monitor the gas leak incident in South Lawrence, and municipal officials in the Merrimack Valley are in contact with state officials and the utility company.

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GLTS and Columbia Gas Host Engineering Event for Elementary School Girls

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Greater Lawrence Technical School
Superintendent John Lavoie
57 River Rd, Andover,
MA 01810

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Contact: Jessica Sacco
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

GLTS and Columbia Gas Host Engineering Event for Elementary School Girls

Students from Andover, North Andover and Lawrence Participate in Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

LAWRENCE — A group of elementary school girls took on the role of engineers during an event held at GLTS in conjunction with Columbia Gas.

On June 10, GLTS and Columbia gas held “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day,” which served as an opportunity for girls in grades three through five to experience science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) in a fun, hands-on environment.

Columbia Gas reached out to GLTS as its first partner school in Massachusetts to host the event, given its strong focus on career technical education and academics.

To start off the morning, President Mark Kempic welcomed approximately 80 girls from Andover, North Andover and Lawrence, encouraging them to get excited about STEAM, because if they put their minds to it, they can change the world.

“Engineering continues to be a male-dominated field due largely to the number of males vs. females who study these areas,” Kempic said. “Our hope is that programs such as Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day will encourage more females to study STEAM education and pursue opportunities in these fields.”

Students then proceeded to gym, where they broke up into 10 teams and had 35 minutes to build a bridge — using materials like cardboard, plastic straws, tape, pipe cleaners and tinfoil — that could withstand increasing amounts of weight. Each team had to build its bridge over an 8-inch gap between two tables and had $100 of play money to purchase materials.

“It’s nice for girls to be together and find their voice,” said North Andover state Rep. Christina Minicucci. “I think it’s important for them to realize they can do whatever they want to do, and to be exposed to female engineers, biologists and women in science.”

On one side of the gym, the black team — third grade students Marisa Aarons, of North Andover, Devin Francis, of North Andover, and Sydney Klein, of Andover; fourth grade students Leilani Guzman, of North Andover, Charlee Annarelli, of Andover, and Kiara Montilla, of Lawrence; and fifth grade students Shammielle Garcia and Dhruvisha Shukla, both of Lawrence — quickly got to work.

The girls folded their cardboard horizontally in half, wrapped it in tinfoil and then added straws underneath for support. They taped pipe cleaners to the side and secured all their materials together with a handful of elastic bands.

In a different part of the gym, the blue team — third grade students Elsie Riley, of North Andover, Emma Abbott, of North Andover, Verity Joy Chave, of Andover, and Katelyn Aquilera, of Lawrence; fourth grade students Lindsey Kenny, of Andover, and Hanna Fitzgerald, of Lawrence; and fifth grade students Katie Odden, of Andover, and Ensley Espinal, of Lawrence, took a slightly different approach to their design.

The girls folded their cardboard vertically and taped Popsicle sticks between the folds for added support, and even added Popsicle stick ramps for cars that would travel over the bridge.

When time was up, GLTS HVAC students Selenny Vasquez and Brianna Candelario went around to each group to judge projects. The activity was especially meaningful for the two, as they are both pursuing careers not traditionally occupied by women.

“I want these girls to recognize they don’t have to be stereotyped into a specific group,” Candelario said. “It’s not only guys who can be engineers. They have choices.”

To test which bridge could withstand the most weight, GLTS students attached a bucket to the base and slowly filled it with varying size weights.

The black team was the first to be judged. As Candelario and Vasquez began filling the bucket, the girls’ excitement and awe at what they had created could not be contained.

“Oh my gosh, I am so nervous. What’s going to happen?” Aarons said. “This is the first time I’ve ever built something.”

Their bridge held 22.8 pounds before the tape holding it between the two tables came undone.

The blue team’s bridge earned second place for holding 88.2 pounds. As more and more weight was added, the entire room fell silent, with team members hoping for the best.

“Hold, hold, please hold,” Chave ordered. “Be a good bridge, don’t break!”

It was the brown team, however, that came out victorious, with their bridge withstanding 85 pounds of weight.

Third grade students Jana El Danab, of North Andover, Daria Bernat, of North Andover, and Athena Ma, of Andover; fourth grade students Melina Chacha, of North Andover, Rebecca John, of Andover, and Katelyn Belanger, of Lawrence; and fifth grade students Shanya Tavarez, of Lawrence, and LizMarie Feliz-Torres, of Lawrence, received certificates of completion from Columbia Gas, not to mention bragging rights.

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Communities, Columbia Gas Reach Agreement for Reimbursement and Roadway Repairs

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Communities, Columbia Gas Reach Agreement for Reimbursement and Roadway Repairs

$80 Million Provided to Lawrence, Andover and North Andover

ANDOVER — The leaders of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover announced today an $80 million settlement agreement reached with Columbia Gas of Massachusetts and its parent company, NiSource Inc. for reimbursement of expenses and major roadway repairs in the aftermath of the Merrimack Valley Gas Emergency.

In a settlement agreement reached among all four parties, Columbia Gas will pay up to $80 million, including:

  • $57 million earmarked for curb-to-curb road repairs
  • $10 million for expense reimbursement
  • $12.8 million for claims/losses incurred by the municipalities

Andover Statement:

“I am pleased that we have reached a settlement agreement with Columbia Gas. This resolution will improve the quality of life for residents and businesses impacted by the gas disaster. The settlement, reached with the taxpayers’ interests in mind, provides Andover with the resources to fully restore the impacted roads and sidewalks. The settlement not only compensates Andover for the full cost of its response to the disaster, it also positions our community well for the future,” said Andover Town Manager Andrew Flanagan. “I want to thank the community for its patience and resilience as we recovered through the fall and winter and as we negotiated an agreement that will make our community whole again. Our work will begin immediately but it will take several years for this effort to fully recognize the benefits of the settlement. I’ve said since day one that we would be stronger communities and a stronger region in the wake of the disaster. This resolution represents a major step in making that commitment a reality. “

Lawrence Statement:

“This settlement represents the best effort of the municipalities to get the most dollars from Columbia Gas to fix what was broken during the Gas Emergency, including roads and parks, and it provides much-needed money to pay the bills that would otherwise fall to the taxpayers to support the recovery and restoration and settle claims,” said Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera. “We all wish the number was higher, but taking the ‘time value of money,’ and the costs of lengthy litigation into account, this is a good deal.”

North Andover Statements:

“The local government of North Andover incurred real costs as a result of this disaster. Not only did we have to increase staffing in our public safety departments, we also had to rent and purchase additional equipment, and incur overtime costs in many of our non public safety departments,” said Lyne Savage, Interim Town Manager. “On top of all that, it will cost more than $500,000 to repair the damage caused by having to place 60 recreational trailers on Grogans Field. This settlement will cover all of those costs and more making the town financially whole.”

Added Andrew W. Maylor, Comptroller of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, who was North Andover’s Town Manager at the time of the Gas Emergency: “There were so many consequences that resulted from the gas over-pressurization event. This settlement ensures that the trenches which were created to repair the gas lines and which now stand has a visual reminder of the scars left behind by this disaster will be replaced by a clean surface which will symbolize a fresh start for the communities.”

Background and Settlement Details:

Dozens of explosions and fires broke out shortly after 4 p.m. on September 13, 2018. One person was killed and several others were injured in the incident and its aftermath. Hundreds of homes were damaged, nearly 10,000 gas customers lost service and many thousands of appliances, furnaces, ovens and hot water heaters required replacement. In the recovery effort, nearly 50 miles of roadways in Andover, North Andover and Lawrence were dug up and temporarily patched to accommodate gas main replacement work, which lasted through December 2018.

The funds will be divided among the municipalities based on the scope of restoration work and associated claims.

Roadway Repair Work:

  • Lawrence: $31.91 million
  • Andover: $13.965 million
  • North Andover: $11.3 million

The $10 million for expense reimbursement will be divided into a $5 million share for Lawrence, $3 million for Andover and $2 million for North Andover.

The remainder shall be divided up into shares of not more than $6.4 million for Lawrence, $3.85 million for Andover and $2.56 million for North Andover.

The three communities will perform their own repair work, which will be reimbursed by Columbia Gas. Work includes road repair in accordance with Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities standards and includes full, curb-to-curb street restoration, repair or replacement of sidewalks damaged as a result of the gas emergency, installation of ADA transitions, and replacement of damaged signs, street lights and traffic lights.

“We are pleased that we have reached an amicable resolution on these important issues. We recognize the tremendous impact the September event had on these communities and the larger-scale, more complicated work conditions than typically occur in relation to routine pipeline replacement work. For these reasons, we have been willing to go above and beyond to address the municipalities’ needs including fulfilling the request to repave curb-to-curb,” said Mark Kempic, President & Chief Operating Officer of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts. “Columbia Gas remains committed to restoring these communities to where they were before this tragic event. We appreciate the time and energy that each municipal leader has devoted to this effort. This agreement marks a significant milestone in the overall restoration efforts.”

The settlement was formally announced at a press conference earlier today at the Andover Public Safety Building, which houses the town’s Emergency Operations Center, or EOC. The Andover EOC was activated within an hour of the first reported fires and remained staff and operational for more than 10 days, during the initial response, assessment and first recovery operations.

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*MEDIA ADVISORY* Andover, North Andover and Lawrence Officials to Hold Press Conference with Columbia Gas

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*MEDIA ADVISORY*

Andover, North Andover and Lawrence Officials to Hold Press Conference with Columbia Gas

Settlement Reached to Reimburse Three Communities, Repair Roadways and Restore Neighborhoods

ANDOVER — Leaders in the three communities affected by the Sept. 13 Merrimack Valley Gas Emergency will gather in Andover to address the media and the public regarding a settlement reached with Columbia Gas of Massachusetts and its parent company NiSource Inc. to compensate the communities for road restoration and for municipal claims and costs associated with the response.

WHEN:

TOMORROW — Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at Noon

WHERE:

Andover Public Safety Building

(Fire House Garage Bay)

32 N Main St.
Andover, MA 01810

WHO:

  • Andover Town Manager Andrew Flanagan
  • Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera
  • Interim North Andover Town Manager Lyne Savage
  • Police and Fire Chiefs and DPW Directors in all three communities
  • Columbia Gas representatives

WHAT:

The Merrimack Valley Gas Emergency necessitated an unprecedented emergency and municipal services response in each of the three affected communities. Significant overtime, staff, contractor, utility, supply, clerical, and other costs were incurred by Andover, North Andover, and Lawrence.

Additionally, nearly 50 miles of roadways in Andover, North Andover and Lawrence were dug up and temporarily patched to accommodate gas main replacement through December 2018.

The leaders will detail a settlement with Columbia Gas that will fund complete road restoration in the three communities and reimburse the communities for all of these expenses. Company representatives will be in attendance to answer questions from members of the press.

This settlement is being delivered directly to the three municipalities and goes above and beyond direct repairs and reimbursements to the approximately 8,600 natural gas customers who were affected by the gas emergency.

Members of the media interesting in attending the press conference are kindly asked to RSVP by contacting John Guilfoil (617-993-0003 or [email protected]). Cabling to live trucks will be permitted. A mult-box/press box will be provided by WCVB-TV for broadcast/audio recording. 

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