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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMiscellaneous - 59 SALEM STREET 4/30/2018 (3) J � 3� / n+h IJ � rrrr 1 59 Salem Street North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 January 10, 2001 Mr. James L. Diozzi Gas Inspector Town of North Andover Office of the Building Department 27 Charles Street North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 Dear Mr. Diozzi: Thank you so much for your letter of January 8, in which you explained your role in now infamous gas logs. It is unfortunate that I was so moved to write letters to you, Yankee Gas, Fireplace and Grill City, and the Better Business Bureau. I regret that I was unable to contact you before I took this action, but I did not know how to contact you being unaware that you were under the direction of the Building Department. If I had been able to reach a human voice at Yankee Gas, Fireplace and Grill City instead of the ridiculous series of voice mails upon which Yankee Gas depends, I would have been able not only to acquire your name but also your location. It is obvious to me that both you and I have been duped by Yankee. I appreciate immensely the copy of the letter you sent to me that Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City sent to you regarding me and my complaint. Sadly for Yankee, it only validates the duplicity under which it operates. The letter, written by Athenia Massios, makes several false and misleading statements. Let me assure you that Yankee never told me that an inspection of the logs would occur after installation, especially two weeks after installation. There was absolutely no misunderstanding on my part but a total omission of vital information by Yankee and its salesperson. Only at the time of the installation on December 11, did I learn of the inspection which would come very quickly, certainly before Christmas. In regards to Yankee's attempt to contact me and being unable because of a dysfunctional answering machine, their pretending to be dutiful is absurd. My phone worked just fine, and if I were indeed valued as a customer,they could have reached me at home after 3:00 p. m. By the way, the answering machine was only out of order for a day or so. I resent Ms. Massios'implication that my"zeal"to have the unit installed imposed and "pressed on other store personnel for information of which they did not have direct knowledge." I am appalled by her cheap shot and again her statements only validates the duplicity under which Yankee operates. If following up on an order over a period of six weeks implies"zeal", I wonder what she would call her company's inability to respond to our numerous phone messages? Ms. Massios also stated that Yankee was unable to contact me after Christmas because we were away. How strange it is that on December 26, 2000, 1 spoke with and was chided by Victor who was responding to our criticism that no one was responding to our calls. He mentioned that the pressure gauge had been attached to the outside pipes and that someone would soon be able to light the pilot. He never offered to have someone do it immediately, and so I told him we were going away at noon on December 27. Here were two more lost opportunities to make our logs functional. After I sent out the letter to Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City, I received a phone call from a very pleasant woman who was most apologetic and wanted to make it very clear to me that you were not responsible for the problem. I informed her, however, it was from two different individuals at Yankee who told me that you work only from 10:00- 11:00 am, weekdays. I was also informed that you had to accompany the technician during the inspection. These two facts were not figments of my imagination. Although Ms. Massios claims that I"pressured" two employees for information about which they did not know, these two people seemed most adept at the time when I spoke to them. In retrospect, I suspect that they were directing fault toward you to save their own posteriors. This entire experience has been most disturbing to us and no doubt it has been to you also. I responded in a most responsible way, in spite of the fact that you were dragged,into-the situation. As I mentioned to you in my first note, I was thrust into the middle of this, to no fault of,my own;' Sadly for° ; !! r. .. / I t s ! I l. : JAN IL Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City, I have learned a great lesson about accountability and the shirking there of. I find it offensive that Ms. Massios sent you a letter with specious statements, suggesting that I am the cause of their mishandling and inefficient business practices. On one hand she talks about the company's apology to me and then makes a complete turn about and places fault on me. Shame on them for being so deceptive and insincere. I regret that you were implicated in this entire matter, and I want to commend you on your integrity and professionalism. Thank you. You have restored my faith in public service. Sincerely yours, J,zt�o �� , Jeanne M.Willis cc: Athenia Massios Yankee Gas, Fireplace,and Grill City 59 Salem Street North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 December 30, 2000 Gas Inspector North Andover Town Hall 120 Main Street North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 Dear Mr. Gas Inspector: As an individual who certainly pays my share of taxes, especially since I have no children in the public schools, I am most frustrated by a service to which I am entitled and not able to acquire. On December 11, we had gas logs installed in our home by Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City in Middleton. We were supposed to have immediate use of the fireplace, certainly by Christmas at any rate. However, according to Yankee Gas, Fireplace and Grill City, the gas inspector never returns calls and is only available for inspections between 10:00 and 11:30 am on week days. The bottom line is that we have paid for a product which we are unable to use because the gas inspector and Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City seem unable to communicate. I am stuck in the middle of their predicament ° and am very unhappy with the situation created by the gas inspector and Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City. I would appreciate that my concerns could be brought to the attention of the gas inspector and our gas logs made functional. Sincerely, Jeanne M.Willis cc: Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City Better Business Bureau- Natick, Massachusetts 59 Salem Street North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 December 30, 2000 i Yankee Gas. Fireplace and Grill City Route 114, 140 S. Main Street Middleton, Massachusetts 01949-2438 Dear Owner: In early October, 2000, 1 decided to purchase gas logs, glass doors, and installation for an existing I fireplace in our home on Salem Street. On my way home from my job, I stopped into your show room in Middleton in hopes of making a purchase and installation of the logs. What I observed from the very beginning should have been a warning to me, but in good faith, I pursued my goal. After waiting at least ten minutes for a salesperson, along with two other customers, out from the inner sanctum of your offices appeared a less than enthusiastic individual who told me about the logs, glass doors, and finally the need for a representative to come my house to take measurements. After paying$25 for this representative to take measurements, I left. Several days later, I was contacted and a date for the measurements was made, October 30, 2000. On the expected day, the individual who does the measurement came and did what had to be done. He promised an estimate in the mail by the following Friday. The estimate arrived on Thursday and in the contents of the estimate was a letter saying that I should return the agreement, signed in order to give prompt service and placement on a work list. Being very eager, I hand delivered the signed I agreement the very next day, Friday, believing, foolishly however, that I might gain some time on the process. Again, upon entering your showroom, there was no salesperson, only another customer pacing the floor, obviously frustrated and offended by the neglect. Finally, out of the inner sanctum, came a representative who only appropriately, took care of the other customer and then he dealt with me. Again the wait was lengthy, but this time it was twenty minutes, not ten. The salesperson, took the order,took my credit card, and ran the card through the machine, finalizing the purchase, including the work order for the installation. I was told that I would be contacted when the installation was to be performed. A week or so later, I received a phone message on my machine telling me that the logs, doors, etc. were in and for me to come and pick up the materials. The next day, I again made the mistake of going.to your showroom to meet eye to eye with a human being, not an obscure voice on voice mail who was always away from his or her desk. My question to the representative was"Why am I supposed to pick up the materials when installation was part of the agreement which I signed and assumedly paid for. This individual went out back and spoke with someone who then gave me December 11, at 8:30 am for the installation date. Mind you, this last visit to your showroom was before Thanksgiving, November 3, to be exact. Obviously, I would not have my logs installed by Thanksgiving, but surely Christmas was not unreasonable...ho-ho, or so I thought. Finally, Installation Day arrived; my son took a day off from his job to be in the house in order to let the installer inside. Naively, I thought that my logs would be operational that very day. My son was told by the installer before he left my home that the job would have to be inspected first before we could use the fireplace. My son then asked the installer if we would have to arrange for that process. He was reassured that Yankee Gas, Fireplace and Grill would make the arrangements. A week went by and no inspection. I then called Yankee and after many voice mails, heard a woman's real voice. She said that she would contact the gas inspector in North Andover who would set up a time. I was assured she would let me know when this date was set. When no one called, I called her again, and she said that the gas inspector was not returning calls and that she would definitely call me when she heard from him. Meantime, Christmas was coming closer and closer. Both my husband and I called on separate occasions, but no one returned our calls. As you can imagine, I was no longer frustrated but very angry. Last week,the day after Christmas, I received a call from Victor who became very defensive and attempted to make me out as unreasonable and make Yankee look like a victim. He claimed that he tried to call many times, but my answering machine was not working. So WhatM Is part of your customer relationship dependent on answering machines? I was home everyday by 3:00 pm at which time 59 Salem Street North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 December 30, 2000 Better Business Bureau 235 West Central Street, Suite 1 Natick, Massachusetts 01760 To Whom It May Concern: Last October, I began the process of purchasing gas logs, glass doors, and installation from Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City, Route 114, 140 S. Main St., Middleton, Massachusetts 01949-2438. From the very beginning of the relationship, the service was poor and communication was most difficult, having to go through voice mail and a series of phone key options. After over a month of frustration, I finally had an installation date which would provide me with use of the gas logs by Christmas. Unfortunately when the gas logs were installed and paid for, we were told we could not use the logs until they were inspected. We had been assured that Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City would make the necessary arrangements with the gas inspector from the Town of North Andover. Both my husband and I have tried on far too many occasions to contact Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City, only to leave recorded messages and in return receiving no reply. It is now three weeks later, Christmas is over and we do not have use of the fireplace and logs. Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City claims that it cannot contact the gas inspector and he does not return its calls. Meanwhile, we sit and wait for service. Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City has been paid in full and we have no recourse. The attitude of the company reflects arrogance, incompetence, and inefficiency. I would like any prospective customers to be made aware that the service from Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City may prove to be less than satisfactory. Enclosed are the letters that I have sent to that company and the Gas Inspector in the Town of North Andover. Sincerely, Jeanne M.Willis 3 200 Town of North Andover NOR*N Of st�°o °�ti0 Office of the Building Department �p Community Development and Services Division Y • s i k William J. Scott, Division Director �;� ��-• ° ' 27 Charles Street 9SS�CHU D. Robert Nicetta P ( )978 hone North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 Tele 688-9545 Building Commissioner Fax (978)688-9542 January 8,2001 Mrs. Jeanne M. Willis 59 Salem Street North Andover Massachusetts 01845 RE: Gas Log Dear Mrs. Willis: First of all I would like to say 1 am sorry for the problems you had with Yankee Gas, regarding the installation of your gas log. I have been in contact with Yankee Gas and informed them that I amnot happy with the way they are doing business and dealing with the homeowners. I will be having a meeting with them to discuss these problems. I am told they are going to finish your project on Friday. Mrs. Willis, my job as the North Andover Plumbing and Gas inspector is part-time. My hours are 7:30-9:30 a.m. in the office, with inspections following, Monday through Friday. Mrs. Willis in reference to your letters, I wish that you had made an attempt to contact me or the Building Commissioner to verify the information given to you by Yankee Gas before you write a letter making false accusations against me. On December 21, 2000 1 called from Yankee Gas requesting an inspection that was received by Mr. R. Nicetta, Building Commissioner during the day. Mr. Nicetta gave me the message the next morning and I also received a call from Yankee Gas requesting an inspection at your property. 1 informed Yankee Gas that I would take care of the inspection between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. on that day. 1 did the inspection and tagged the gas line after I saw the test. My gas inspection was done and became the responsibility of the installer to finish the project. I am also the Plumbing and Gas inspector in other towns and take my job very seriously. I have an excellent reputation from the State level on down, and I don't appreciate false accusations made against me to tarnish my reputation. Again, I am sorry for the problems you had and if I can be of any assistance to you please do not hesitate to call me at 978-688-9545 during my office hours. Yours truly, ames L. Diozzi U lumbing/Gas Inspector BOARD OF APPEALS 688-9541 BUILDING 688-9545 CONSERVATION 688-9530 HEALTH 688-9540 PLANNING 688-9535 Jan-05-01 12 : 17A Yankee Fireplace 978-777-2634 P.02 YANKEE GAS, FIREPLACE & GRILL CITY 140 S0. MAtN ST.,RTE. 114 MIDDLETON.MA 01949(978)774-2760 FAX(978)777-2634 January 4, 2001 Mr. Jim Diozzl North Andover Town Hall 120 Main street North Andover, MA 01845 Re: Jeanne M. Willis'Letter dated December 30, 2000 Dear Mr. Diozzi: I appreciate your time yesterday aftemoori on the phone and having the opportunity to review the concerns expressed in Ms. Willis'letter of December 30, 2000. As we discussed, I would like to address Ms. Willis'statements and to offer a more complete explanation as to the details In this matter. First, let me assure you that it is our sincere desire to assist our customers as quickly as possible. If we could reduce a customer's waiting time to nothing,we would. Unfortunately, a customer may find they have to wait a short time, especially at the very height of our gas log season. As you can imagine,there is a great deal of interest in this product come Fail every year, and each and every customer wants to have their installation by Christmas. Knowing this, every store employee makes a concerted effort to communicate to our customers the installation process and the length of time which may be required to pull all the pieces together. As Ms. Willis noted in her letter, we received a signed proposal and deposit for the installation of her unit on November 3, 2000, as evidenced by the enclosed copy of Ms. Willis'proposal. Our records also confirm that installation was scheduled for December 11,2000. At no time during the sales, scheduling or Installation process, would we have communicated to Ms. Willis that her unit would be operational immediately upon installation. I imagine that in Ms. Willis' eagerness to have her new unit installed, she may have misunderstood or did not take note that installed units required inspection and that that Inspection would not necessarily take place at thetime t e of installation. As you know, we contacted you on December 20, 2000 to perform an inspection,which was completed two days later. We were unable to reach Ms. Willis during the week of Christmas, as she was out of town for the holidays. The next thing we knew, Ms. Willis'letter arrived. It is also important tp mention that we indeed attempted on several occasions to contact Ms. Willis and return her calls only to encounter no answer or any means to leave a message. Unfortunately, it seems that in Ms. Willis'Zeal to have her unit installed, she pressed certain other store personnel for infiormation of which they did not have direct knowledge. Jan-05-01 12 : 17A Yankee Fireplace 978-777-2634 P.03 Mr. Diozzi - 2 - January 4, 2001 Under no circumstances though would anyone here tell a customer that a delay in their installation was the result of a gas inspector not returning our calls. That just would not be true. We have always appreciated and respected the relationship we have with you and other North Andover town officials. In fact, truth be told, the response and service provided by you has always set the standard. How nice it would be to have a similar working relationship with other inspectors and town officials. As of today, we have been in touch with Ms. Willis and shared with her many of these thoughts. We have offered our sincere apologies for any misunderstanding, which she has accepted. In addition, our technician, Mike Bryson, has an appointment with Ms. Willis on Friday of this week to fire off her unit. I Surely we are not without fault somewhere in all of this. We do apologize for any inconvenience to you and Ms. Willis. Certainly there is always room for improvement, and I assure you we continue to strive towards that end. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 800-445-2760, Ext. 10 should you require additional information or have any questions whatsoever. We look forward to working with you in the future. Regards, 'AA&aa- Athenia Massios Service/Installation Coordinator AM/lh Enclosure Jan-05-01 12 : 16A Yankee Fireplace 978-777-2634 P.01 ri%,& %..." v r,rm ter. B i indim too SOUTH MALN STR66T-MIODLGTON,MA.oty41 YP�NgeeT�L.1-Y18-7T4-2?too'�«a-ma 1-600-445-S"Roo FAY--478-Trl-7.W4 6MAIL,fau ett4oaaot_com FROM: To— COMPANY:YANKEE GAS-FIREPLACE COMPANY: -I PHONE-1-800-445-2760 NAME: 1-(978)774-2760 ` _ ) �� FAX# 4 beg FAX: (978)777-2634 DATE: 1 PERSON SENDING; MESSAGE: 1 � DU aAp mi ca"ll. FI-.A'i E1RtNU:GAS GRILLES-ANE?ALL GRILLE PARTS--PROP, ANE,--GAS PARLOR STOVES-WOOD STOVES-TIVLLH STOVES-CTAS LOCI-GAS AND WOOO FIREPLACE INSERTS PROPANE AND PROPANE CYLINDER RECYCLING SALES-SERVICE-INSTALLATIONS. Blue Circle Cement kt' Boston, MA o 1-800-374-9040 77�, 2- 2�'a 3 � Count on us. Jan-03-01 03:05P North Andover Com. Dev. 508 688 9542 P.O2 59 Salem Street North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 December 30, 2000 Yankee Gas. Fireplace and Grill City Route 114, 140 S. Main Street Middleton, Massachusetts 01949-2438 Dear Owner: In early October, 2000, 1 decided to purchase gas logs,glass doors, and installation for an existing fireplace in our home on Salem Street. On my way home from my job, I stopped into your show room In Middleton in hopes of making a purchase and installation of the logs. What I observed from the very beginning should have been a warning to me, but in good faith, 1rsued m pu y goal. After waiting at least ten minutes for a salesperson, along with two other customers, out from the inner sanctum of your offices appeared a less than enthusiastic individual who told me about the logs, glass doors, and finally the need for a representative to come my house to take measurements. After paying$25 for this representative to take measurements, I left. Several days later, I was contacted and a date for the measurements was made, October 30, 2000. On the expected day, the individual who does the measurement came and did what had to be done. He promised an estimate in the mail by the following Friday. The estimate arrived on Thursday and in the contents of the estimate was a letter saying that I should return the agreement,signed in order to give prompt service and placement on a work list. Being very eager, I hand delivered the signed agreement the very next day, Friday, believing, foolishly however,that I might gain some time on the process. Again, upon entering your showroom, there was no salesperson, only another customer pacing the floor, obviously frustrated and offended by the neglect. Finally,out of the inner sanctum,came a representative who only appropriately,took care of the other customer and then he dealt with me. Again the wait was lengthy, but this time it was twenty minutes, not ten_ The salesperson,took the order,took my credit card, and ran the card through the machine, finalizing the purchase, including the work order for the installation. I was told that I would be contacted when the installation was to be performed. A week or so later, I received a phone message on my machine telling me that the logs, doors, etc. were in and for me to come and pick up the materials. The next day, I again made the mistake of going to your showroom to meet eye to eye with a human being, not an obscure voice on voice mail who was always away from his or her desk. My question to the representative was"Why am I supposed to pick up the materials when installation was part of the agreement which I signed and assumedly paid for. This individual went out back and spoke with someone who then gave me December 11, at 8:30 am for the installation date. Mind you, this last visit to your showroom was before Thanksgiving, November 3,to be exact. Obviously, I would not have my logs installed by Thanksgiving, but surely Christmas was not unreasonable...ho-ho, or so I thought. Finally, Installation Day arrived; my son took a day off from his job to be in the house in order to let the installer inside. Naively, I thought that my logs would be operational that very day. My son was told by the installer before he left my home that the job would have to be inspected first before we could use the fireplace. My son then asked the installer if we would have to arrange for that process. He was reassured that Yankee Gas, Fireplace and Grill would make the arrangements. A week went by and no inspection. i then called Yankee and after many voice mails, heard a woman's real voice. She said that she would contact the gas inspector in North Andover who would set up a time. 1 was assured she would let me know when this date was set. When no one called, I called her again, and she said that the gas inspector was not returning calls and that she would definitely call me when she heard from him. Meantime,Christmas was coming closer and closer. Both my husband and I called on separate occasions, but no one returned our calls. As you can imagine, I was no longer frustrated but very angry. Last week,the day after Christmas, I received a call from Victor who became very defensive and attempted to make me out as unreasonable and make Yankee look like a victim. He claimed that he tried to calljnKatimes, but my answering machine was not working. So Whatlll Is part of your customer relationship dependent on answering machines? I was home everyday by 3:00 pm at which time Jan-03-01 03:06P North Andover Com. Dev_ 508 688 9542 P.04 someone should have called. As it turns out, we had lost power and did not have use of the machine for a day or so. Nonetheless,that does not take Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City off the hook. Victor also knew that I was a teacher and had school flours-,it was he who had to come to my home after 3:00 pm in order to take the measurements, so that he knew when I was home. Our phone was functioning just fine. I know your business hours go beyond 3:00 pm because on numerous occasions, I have stood at 3:00 in your showroom waiting for someone to acknowledge my presence. Your employee said that the problem lies with the gas inspector in North Andover. That is all well and good for you,but for me,who in good faith purchased goods and service from you, 1 was the victim there who was mislead by a company who not only did not provide the product I purchased, but then neglected its responsibilities because of ineptitude, inefficiency,and arrogance. I was also informed during this phone call that I should take up my concerns with the owner. As you can see,that is exactly what 1 am doing! Whatever your company's relationship is with the town of North Andover, i care not. It is now three weeks after the installation and our logs are still not functional. These logs should have been inspected upon installation_ Not only did your sales representative not advise me of the entire procedure or lack there of, but he led me to believe that once the logs were in place,they were immediately usable. I am a most dissatisfied customer who sees no satisfactory solution to this injustice. Even if the logs are burning tomorrow,the logs were not available as the Christmas gift which they were supposed to be. We were very disappointed which was no fault of mine. Adding insult to injury,you also have full payment from our credit card company, earning interest on your behalf. You have one outrageous way of running a business. Now is a very busy time in my school schedule and neither 1 nor my son can take time from our jobs to accommodate your installer and North Andover's gas inspector. Somehow, the inspection will have to be completed after 3:00 pm on a week day or sometime on a weekend. Our fireplace is not functional and every time I enter the room in which it located, i feel cheated. Sincerely, Jeanne M.Willis cc. Better Business Bureau Gas Inspector,Town of North Andover Jan-03-01 03:05P North Andover Com. Dev. 508 688 9542 P.01 59 Salem Street North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 December 30, 2000 Gas Inspector North Andover Town Half 120 Main Street North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 Dear Mr. Gas Inspector: As an individual who certainly pays my share of taxes, especially since I have no children in the public schools, I am most frustrated by a service to which I am entitled and not able to acquire. On December 11, we had gas logs installed in our home by Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City in Middleton. We were supposed to have immediate use of the fireplace, certainly by Christmas at any rate. However, according to Yankee Gas, Fireplace and Grill City, the gas inspector never returns calls and is only available for inspections between 10:00 and 11:30 am on week days. The bottom line is that we have paid for a product which we are unable to use because the gas inspector and Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City seem unable to communicate. I am stuck in the middle of their predicament and am very unhappy with the situation created by the gas inspector and Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City. I would appreciate that my concerns could be brought to the attention of the gas inspector and our gas logs made functional. Sincerely, Jeanne M.Willis cc: Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City Better Business Bureau- Natick, Massachusetts JAIV Jan-03-01 03:06P North Andover Com. Dev. 508 688 9542 P.03 59 Salem Street North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 December 30, 2000 Better Business Bureau 235 West Central Street, Suite 1 Natick, Massachusetts 01760 To Whom It May Concern: Last October, I began the process of purchasing gas logs, glass doors, and installation from Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City, foute 114, 140 S. Main St., Middleton, Massachusetts 01949-2438. From the very beginningof the relationship, the service was poor and communication was most difficult, having tothrough voice mail and a series of Phone key options. After over a month g�o of frustration, I finallyhad an ins date which would provide me with use of the gas logs by Christmas. nfortunatelyfwhen the gas logs were installed and paid for, we were told we could not use the logs until they were inspected. We had been assured that Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City would make the necessary arrangements with the gas inspector from the Town of North Andover. Both my husband and I have tried on far too many occasions to contact Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City, onlyto leave recorded messages ges and in return receiving no reply. It is now three weeks later, Christmas is over and we do not have use of the fireplace and logs. Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City claims that it cannot contact the gas inspector and he does not return its calls. Meanwhile, we sit and wait for service. Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City has been paid in full and we have no recourse. The attitude of the company reflects arrogance, incompetence, and inefficientY. I would like any prospective customers to be made aware that the service from Yankee Gas, Fireplace, and Grill City may prove to be less than satisfactory. Enclosed are the fetters that I have sent to that company and the Gas Inspector in the Town of North Andover. Sincerely, Jeanne M.Willis .IAS 3 �. kms'`