Power blackout to hit Diamond District next week

Item Staff ReportLYNN – Diamond District residents might think twice about spending a day or two working from home or buying the perishables next week.Next Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, National Grid will shut off the power in that area in order to improve the electrical system in that area. The area has endured many power failures in recent years.The outage, which will begin at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13 and continue until about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 14, will serve as the final planned outage to correct the long-standing electrical reliability issues in the Diamond District. Residents are urged to make necessary arrangements in order to avoid problems that being without power for up to 12 hours could create.During that time, some homes and businesses will have up to 12 hours without electrical service, and should plan ahead. In addition, the traffic signals in that area will also not be working for up to 12 hours. The lights at Eastern Avenue at New Ocean Street, and the lights at Lewis Street at Ocean Street will be out for 10 to 12 hours. The lights at Lewis and Autumn streets, and at Lewis Street and Lafayette Park will be out for six to eight hours.National Grid performs planned outages whenever electrical systems are in need of repair. By scheduling them, the repairs can be made in a much shorter period of time, and minimize the impact on area residents and businesses.Next week’s outage may be postponed, however, if outside temperatures are below 20 degrees, above 90 degrees, or if severe weather is predicted (steady rain or snow), the company will move the outage to Wednesday, May 14 for the same time period. Should the weather not allow work on that day, the outage will be moved ahead to Thursday, May 15.Customers should notify their security and alarm providers of these planned outages. Also, sensitive electronic equipment should be shut down during the outage, and restarted once service is restored. Customers who rely on special equipment for health reasons are urged to have backup systems in place to insure a continuous supply of power. Also, some home heating systems may need to be restarted by service technicians.It is suggested that residents do not open their refrigerators or freezers during that time, in order to reduce the chances that food will spoil as the result of not having power.Residents who have questions about the planned outage should call the National Grid Operations Engineer at 781-388-5347, or customer service at 800-322-3223.The outage will affect addresses on the following streets:Aubrey Terrace, Beyer Place, Blaisdell Terrace, Eastern Avenue to 35, Gray Circle, Greystone Park, Kenwood Terrace, King Street, Lafayette Park, Landon Circle, Lewis Place, Lewis Street to 32, Lovett Place, Lynn Shore Drive to 85, New Ocean Street, Norcross Terrace, Norwood Terrace, Ocean Circle, Ocean Street, Ocean Terrace, Oceanside Terrace, Pierce Road, Seaside Terrace, Stone Place and Wallace Road.