ANDOVER
The West Andover substation went back on late yesterday afternoon, Town Manager Reginald "Buzz" Stapczynski said, returning power to a couple thousand customers. But crews were still working to restore power to individual streets all over town.
All of the town's streets are open and passable, he said.
"They're telling us this was their biggest ice storm in 25 years, and it seemed like it bounced back pretty good," Stapczynski said.
He attributed much of that to the fact that National Grid had done a lot of work trimming trees near power lines in recent years.
LAWRENCE
Lawrence Department of Public Works crews spent the day yesterday picking up the remaining tree branches littered around the city.
The Mount Vernon area was hardest hit, and the lights came back on between 7 and 9 p.m. Friday. The power had been there out since 11 p.m. Thursday, said Mayor Michael Sullivan.
"We're pretty much back to normal," he said.
The city kept a shelter open overnight Friday at the Arlington School and closed it at 9 a.m. yesterday because nobody showed up, Sullivan said. That was a good sign, and things were looking much better around Lawrence yesterday, the mayor said.
METHUEN
The 200 people evacuated from the Methuen Housing Authority Mystic Street complex on Friday were allowed to return home yesterday after power was restored overnight.
Mayor William Manzi announced the good news to residents who spent the night at the Red Cross shelter at Comprehensive Grammar School at 100 Howe St. while they ate breakfast yesterday.
As of yesterday, the only public school in the city with power was Comprehensive Grammar School. The other four schools have been running on backup generators. All roads were open in the city, although they weren't all necessarily clear of debris. City workers also responded to three water main breaks and got them all under control, according to Emergency Management director John Santoro.
Crews from National Grid were making progress restoring power, Manzi said.
"It's definitely improved and we're seeing more National Grid crews with bigger and better equipment, so progress is being made," he said.
NORTH ANDOVER
In North Andover, Barker Street was closed last night because of a tree blocking the road and resting on a wire, said police Sgt. John Pickard.
Residents in the Bradford Street area were still waiting for power to be restored, he said.
"The DPW is still dealing with the cleanup," Pickard said. "They're watching the roads too with the ice up."
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