National Grid's Response to Sandy Raises Issues in Westborough

Westborough Town Manager Jim Malloy will meet with National Grid officials about issues arising here during Superstorm Sandy, Selectmen Chairman Leigh Emery said Tuesday night.

Outages in neighborhoods with underground power lines will be part of the discussion after some residents raised the issue with selectmen Tuesday night.

A petition signed by about 40 residents asks the board to “throw its weight at National Grid, and get them to perform in some sensible fashion,” Byard Lane resident Cliff Watts said.

Homes in Watts’ neighborhood were without power during the Monday night that Sandy began subsiding, he said. However, the East Main Street substation was on, and several homes with above-ground power lines had electricity,  said Watts, who presented the petition with his wife Lynn and neighbor Jackie Eagen.

“There was plenty of power available,” he said.

“We had five or six of us call National Grid, reporting the outage. As of the following morning at noon,” the utility “no knowledge of it. That’s about the time the power came back. So, obviously, somebody stumbled on it somewhere.”

Malloy said he will include this issue among those he raises with National Grid.

“The president of National Grid stopped by my office,” he said.

The issues include tree trimming, “their whole reporting system” and improving “where they place their crews,” Malloy said.

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