Columbia Gas Press Release Irks Residents Still Without Service

ANDOVER, MA -- Columbia Gas of Massachusetts issued a press release Tuesday saying that it had completed the replacement of more than 43 miles of underground transmission lines in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover "three weeks ahead of schedule." While the mammoth undertaking was an accomplishment, the company only mentioned the thousands of residents still without heat or hot water who were told last week that the company would miss a deadline to complete the recovery from last month's gas explosions.

"Separately, last week, local and state officials and Columbia Gas announced an updated timeline for the ‘house-ready’ process and efforts to pursue rapid relights," the press release said. But it did not mention that the "updated timeline" was effectively an admission than many residents won't have gas service until a week before Christmas, or that some of the fixes would be temporary and require the company to come back after the winter, effectively extending the recovery effort well into 2019.

Several news outlets, including CBS Boston, Fox 25 and Channel 7 News, carried the utility's glass-half-full assessment of the latest development. Those reports did not mention that as of Monday, the utility had only restored gas service to 1,309 of the 7,342 homes and businesses that have been without service since Sept. 13, when the explosions damaged or destroyed 131 buildings in the three communities and killed an 18-year-old Lawrence man.

"I do not get how our local journalists are not standing up for their neighbors here who have been victimized by the utility’s lack of action in replacing outdated equipment. Lazy lazy lazy reporting," one resident posted in a closed Facebook group for residents still without gas service.

Residents have taken to Facebook to commiserate, vent and exchange information in the weeks following the explosion. Over the weekend, Columbia Gas executives met with residents at meetings in each community, where those concerns and complaints were aired in real time. The company has also been criticized for poor communication, refusing to reimburse people for expenses in a timely fashion and a temporary housing plan that has people being moved to hotels as far away as Manchester, NH.

"It's not that it's inaccurate, it's that they are only 1/2 reporting, so people outside of this mess think they are doing an amazing job!! Sooo infuriating!!!" another resident wrote on Facebook.

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Top photo from left to right: Columbia Gas of Massachusetts President Steve Bryant, NiSource Chief Executive Joe Hamrock, Chief Recovery Officer Joe Albanese and Chief Restoration Officer Pablo Vegas at a meeting with North Andover residents on Saturday. Photo and video by Dave Copeland/Patch.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).