By Councilor Ana Levy
On Tuesday, October 23, in the dining room of Lawrence High School a meeting was held sponsored by the City of Lawrence and the gas company, to this meeting all affected merchants were invited during the explosions and fires that took place in the city last September 13th.
Employees from the City of Lawrence, state government and a large number of Columbia Gas employees participated in this meeting. According to what I could hear the purpose was listening to the merchants’ complaints and find solutions to the problems they are facing.
Columbia Gas promised to add another $2 million to the emergency loan fund to help companies and businesses in the Merrimack Valley affected by the gas disaster.
They helped business owners navigate the process of filing a claim against the utility company for the losses they have incurred.
There are still many shops that have not been able to open their doors or have not been able to provide the customary service to their customers. The situation is chaotic and they are losing a lot of money without being able to recover their investment.
We do not know how long this situation will last and Columbia Gas admitted that the estimated date we received of November 19 will not be fulfilled.
