Town To National Grid: No Response No Permit

The town administrator told selectmen the town would not consider National Grid's requests for utility work permits in the future if the company fails to respond to town concerns such as a safety item that recently arose.

That item was the painting of crosswalks on Humphrey Street in the wake of underground utility work last year.

A local contractor has agreed to step in and pay for the work, but National Grid said on Monday that it plans to do the work at night this week.

At last Wednesday's selectmen's meeting, Selectman Glenn Kessler asked  if everyone was on board that National Grid would receive no work permits until they painted Humphrey Street crosswalks.

The crosswalks in question are at the Lynn line and beyond the Monument Avenue area, heading toward Fisherman's Beach.

Department of Public Works Director Gino Cresta told the board that he had gotten the runaround from the utility company on the painting request.

He said the developer of the Concordia condo units on Humphrey Street, Bruce Paradise, has stepped up to pay for the painting — also to include center lines.  The painting will get done in the next week or so, he said, estimating the cost at a few hundred dollars.

In an email Monday, National Grid spokeswoman Deborah Drew said the painting was not done at the conclusion of the project because cold weather prevented them from continuing. 

She said Mirra is the utility's subcontractor for this work, and it will be done at night sometime this week. 

"We have a good working relationship with the town and have reached out to the town administrator so the community is aware (of) the work," she said.  

Town Administrator Thomas Younger said on Wednesday that as far as he is concerned, National Grid will receive no permits for future road work if they fail to respond to town requests.

"In the future if the same thing occurs, I will not entertain ..," he said.

Selectmen must authorize permits before the utility can open up the ground on roads, the director said.

The town and National Grid have gone head-to-head in the past. 

Residents and local officials were concerned about the bumpy condition of Humphrey Street last year while the utility was installing underground conduit.

In 2010 and 2011 the town and utility clashed over street light repair responsibilities.

Then town administrator Andrew Maylor said the service the town had received from the company had been poor in the past and he didn't expect it to improve in the future.