Superfund Site Update in Wilmington

Last night I participated in an important meeting about the Olin Chemical Superfund Site in Wilmington. The federal government's Environmental Protection Agency is looking at steps for a final cleanup plan for the site. Officials answered questions from residents and gave an update on the process.

Olin Chemical produced chemicals at the site until the late 80s. Water wells and municipal drinking supplies were contaminated and it's been very difficult for residents. With Representative Dave Robertson and Representative Ken Gordon, officials from EPA and the town, and many residents.

Manufacturing Award Ceremony Information

The Massachusetts Legislative Manufacturing Caucus held its 4th Annual Manufacturing Award Ceremony at the State House today.

Increasingly, our state has become a leader in advanced manufacturing. We have skilled workers trained to use powerful equipment and a customer base actively seeking machined parts from local business. It is important for government and industry to work together to pursue innovation. The Manufacturing Caucus has more than 60 legislators - we have focused on training for manufacturing employees, encouraging innovation by helping start-up access resources, and expanding apprenticeship opportunities in key manufacturing sectors.

I was happy to talk with and present Senate citations to representatives from local businesses including - Riverdale Mills Corporation, Dawn’s Sign Tech of North Andover, Salem Metal, Inc.from Middleton and others.

Commuter Rail Delays For Newburyport/Rockport Trains

The MBTA has just announced that the Rockport Train 8:35 am from North Station is now operating 25-35 minutes behind schedule between Swampscott and Rockport due to earlier single-track traffic with late inbound trains. The Newburyport Train 164 (10:00 am from Newburyport) is expected to depart Newburyport 5-15 minutes behind schedule due to the late arrival of equipment caused by earlier service disruptions on the line.

They say to expect trains to continue experiencing significant delays in both directions. Seek alternate transportation where possible. News accounts say that a pedestrian was struck near Beverly Depot.

UPDATE-  The Boston Globe reports that the Transit Police that the pedestrian is conscious and alert.

Groveland Police Association Annual Harvest Dinner for Senior Citizens

I had a wonderful time at the annual Harvest Dinner sponsored by the Groveland Police Department Association. The Association has put on the dinner for senior citizens, in cooperation with Groveland's Council on Aging, for more than 25 years.

The dinner was held at the Bagnall Elementary with a great turnout. I have attended many times in the past, and I look forward to many more.

 

Georgetown Youth Community

I was very happy to visit the Georgetown Youth Community Center last night with Representative Lenny Mirra. Superintendent Carol Jacobs of Georgetown, MA Public Schools invited us to join her and other Georgetown officials, residents and students for an Open House event.

Representative Mirra and I secured $30,000 in state funding for developing the Youth Community Center in the state budget. This is a great example of why we have worked together with our partners in local government to place funding where it can support great ideas. The center will provide a place for young people to meet and socialize. I am thankful that the students gave me a tour of their new place and I encourage others to support them and the center.

National Grid Power Outage Report

National Grid has shared the following information with me.

Our current global ETR in Massachusetts and Rhode Island – that is, the time by which 95 percent of customers are expected to be restored – is Saturday night. That doesn’t mean everyone will be without power for days – that’s a worst-case scenario. The majority will be back sooner and as that information becomes refined, we will be providing updates.

We have nearly 1,260 field personnel in New England who have been activated as part of our emergency response operations. This includes: more than 1,000 in MA and 280 in Rhode Island, inclusive of overhead line crews, forestry, contractors, underground, wires down, and substation workers. These numbers will increase, as we have also requested additional crews through our mutual assistance partnerships.

Please note the restoration estimates on our outage map reflects the time the last customer in your town is expected to be restored, so we recommend logging in instead for a more personalized estimate.

Encouraging Customers to Stay Connected:
• Report power outages at www.nationalgridus.com or call 1-800-465-1212.
• Receive text message alerts and updates when you text the word STORM to NGRID (64743).
• Use your mobile device to track outage information and storm-related safety tips through National Grid’s mobile site accessible at www.ngrid.com/mobile.
• Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram; we post all the latest storm and restoration updates.
• Track outages and ETRs at www.nationalgridus.com/outage-central.

Gloucester Power Update

Gloucester has experienced a significant number of power outages, downed trees, downed wires, broken branches, and other hazards. The Gloucester DPW, Gloucester Police Department, Gloucester Fire Department, National Grid and Comcast are working to clean-up and restore utilities. The Rose Baker Senior Center and Sawyer Free Library have power and heat and are open to the public during normal business hours.

Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken informs me that further updates are expected.

Latest outages by utility-