Comment
I wanted to take a moment to weigh in on the proposed rate hike that National Grid is proposing. I think that everyone can agree that no one wants to pay more for any service that they receive (water, cable, N-Grid, etc.). I am not here to advocate for or against a rate hike. What I am here to do is to make everyone realize that National Grid is far more than "just another bill" that we receive in the mail. An overwhelming amount of people that receive National Grid service will never need anything beyond turning service on or off, and I sincerely hope that is the extent, because that's easy. I, and the residents of the Village of Whitesboro, were not so fortunate on July 1st of this year. That Saturday evening, hundreds of homes in our village were decimated by a flood that displaced hundreds that day, with waters that destroyed furnaces, hot water heaters, and electrical panels, leaving people without the basics required to stay in their home. Second only to the firefighters, National Grid representatives were there in what seemed as little as minutes. They worked around the clock to make all of the homes in our village safe until homeowners could begin clean-up. First thing the next morning, a contingent of reps. from National Grid began going door-to-door to not only assist, but to educate all, every single one, of our residents as to the process that needed to be undertaken to prepare for their utilities to be turned back on. Over the course of the next two days, homeowners worked with contractors of their choice to get furnaces, hot water heaters, and electrical panels replaced. Most of the residents were ready to have their services restored on the morning of the 4th of July. At daybreak on the 4th of July, more than 50 National Grid Technicians walked the streets of our village making sure that no resident went one minute longer without service than was absolutely necessary. Those days in early July would have been much more difficult as a Mayor and as an impacted resident had the response from National Grid not been what it was. The genuine compassion, care, concern, and attention will be forever appreciated by the residents of our village. In closing, I want to make sure that everyone knows just what a valuable service that National Grid provides, and with the professionalism that they provide it. The hike may occur, or it may not. Either way, as a Mayor and a flood victim, I looked at the next National Grid bill that I opened very differently.