Residents say post office too slow
NORTH ANDOVER — More than 800 people told town leaders they often go out of town for postal services rather than stand in line at the downtown post office.
A survey sent by the selectmen to residents brought 1,300 responses. Ninety-four percent said they had to wait in lines longer than five minutes at different days and times.
"That over 1,300 people took the time and energy to fill out a survey speaks to a wide concern by residents," said Town Manager Mark Rees. "For a town close to 30,000 people to have that size of post office causes some problems."
The most disturbing part of the survey, the selectmen said, was that 64 percent who responded said they regularly go to post offices in other communities to avoid long lines, meaning they miss an opportunity to visit other businesses on Main Street.
"Many people say they don't even come to the (downtown) post office anymore," said Selectman Rosemary Smedile. "They go to Andover and that is really unfortunate."
U.S. Postal Service spokesman Bob Boisselle said officials are studying the survey.
"We are going to look to see what, if anything, can be done to accommodate them," Boisselle said.
— Drake Lucas
Proposal for commuter station at Osgood Landing revived
NORTH ANDOVER — The owner of Osgood Landing is making another attempt at putting a commuter rail station on the property, despite a 2006 study that questioned the feasibility of a station there.
Ozzy Properties, the owner of Osgood Landing, is applying for a federal grant to study how a commuter station would fit in with its plans to develop the 169 acres off Route 125 that used to belong to Lucent Technologies. Those plans include hundreds of apartments, as well as retail, restaurants and other businesses.
A 2006 feasibility study by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority showed a station there would cost $11.9 million, but generate only 290 new daily riders by 2025. That is low in comparison to other local stations in Haverhill, Lawrence and Andover where the number of daily riders getting on at each station is between 450 and 700, according to the MBTA.
Ozzy Properties and Avalon Bay, which plans to build apartments on the property, are submitting an application for a $250,000 federal grant through the Federal Transit Administration that would expand on the previous study that looked at ridership, parking and cost of the station. Tom Connery, development director at Avalon Bay, said the study they are requesting this time would build on the last study to include layout, traffic and a design of the station and parking.
"The notion now is to look at the feasibility of a passenger rail station that is part of an approved smart-growth district," Connery said. "It doesn't only focus on the demand of ridership. It will look at functional and engineering feasibility."
Connery said a rail station could be a big draw to people looking at apartments in the area because it would make for an easy commute to Boston.
— Drake Lucas
