North Andover Select Board Approves Eversource Gas Station on Oaks Drive

NORTH ANDOVER -- June 1, 2026, North Andover Select Board approves Eversource regulator station on Oaks Drive after alternatives ruled out. The board voted unanimously Monday to approve an Eversource Energy petition to replace the aging single-vault Mill Road gas regulator station with a new triple-vault, dual-run facility on Oaks Drive, following a determination by project engineer Nicolas Tacos that all other candidate sites were blocked by wetland buffers, road safety concerns, or easement complications. The board also confirmed two Planning Board appointments, longtime Finance Committee member Denevin O'Connell and commercial developer Paul Spite, both effective July 1 through June 30, 2029, and voted unanimously to enter into a project funding agreement with the Massachusetts School Building Authority for the Kittredge School replacement. A discussion on whether to seek a two-year delivery waiver under the state's new cannabis modernization law, Chapter 65 of the Acts of 2026, was deferred to the June 15 meeting, with staff noting Town Meeting had previously voted "overwhelmingly" against recreational marijuana facilities. Town Manager Tammy Lambro announced an offer has been accepted for a new Health Director, Francis Daigle, who will appear before the board for formal confirmation.