‘COMMUNICATION ... LACKING’
Hundreds of Lawrence residents beg Columbia Gas for service, answers
Hundreds of Lawrence residents poured into the city’s high school yesterday, imploring Columbia Gas executives to restore gas service as quickly as possible, improve communication and consider the lasting impact of last month’s deadly disaster. “It’s the worst start we ever had in a school year, just not being able to be home and trying to make an adjustment,” said Paul Neal, a principal in the Lawrence Public Schools. Neal and many others came to Columbia’s open house in Lawrence yesterday, one of three throughout the day in the communities that are still dealing with the impact of the gas fires and explosions more than a month ago. Executives from Columbia and NiSource, Columbia’s parent company, went on the three-city tour a day after saying the company would miss its Nov. 19 deadline to completely restore service by as much as a month. “We hear the frustration, we understand it, and we’re frustrated as well that we’ve not been able to meet people’s expectations with detailed communications and clear communications,” said Joe Hamrock, chief executive of NiSource. “We're working around the clock to fix that right now.” Friday, Columbia officials said they would restore gas service by Dec. 16, and temporarily delay plans to entirely replace gas appliances in affected homes. The company said it will come back after the winter to replace stoves, boilers and water heaters. For many, the delay means Thanksgiving plans are now up in the air. “I’m a family of six, and we don’t have family in the vicinity, so, what, are we supposed to not have Thanksgiving because we may not be ready?” Lori Martin said. “I have no stove, I have no hot water heater hooked up, I have no furnace hooked up, so what do I do?” Martin said her family has Thanksgiving traditions that go back decades. “We have turkey, we have ham, we have potatoes, we have all the fixings, we eat, we play games in the afternoon, by the time evening comes, me and the grandkids set up the Christmas tree,” she said. “It’s been a tradition since my kids have been little, and now this year it may possibly not happen.” Hamrock said Columbia will work with residents who do not have gas by Thanksgiving to make other arrangements for the holiday. The company has said about 30 percent of the roughly 8,000 affected customers will be without service after Nov. 19. Others said they understand Columbia has a complicated job to do, but sharply criticized the poor communication. Many said they had been given several different answers to the same questions. “Communication is key. In the last month, me personally, it’s been lacking,” Armand Buonanno said. “My street was scheduled on the 24th. The 24th came and went.” Lori Pruitt-Olson told Hamrock and other executives it has been difficult to get clear answers about when service will be restored. “I’d rather know it’s going to be two months, three months, four months,” Pruitt-Olson said. “We want the truth, that’s all we’re asking.”