Methuen is pressing residents into voluntary service, asking them to lobby their federal legislators into earmarking money for the city’s critical water pipe and sewer repairs.
Mayor Neil Perry placed a form letter on the city’s website that residents may use to urge action by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey and Congresswoman Lori Trahan. He said the idea of using citizen advocates came when a resident asked him how to follow-up on his recent letter to the delegation.
“We thought it was a fabulous idea, so we have put a template with instructions on our website,” he said. Perry also noted “The squeaky wheel gets the oil. It would be incredibly helpful if I weren’t the only one making noise.”
The form letter, reads, in part, “As you know, Methuen is an older community with aging infrastructure. These projects will address water and sewer issues that have been severely neglected due to staggering repair costs.”
Methuen residents will find the template at cityofmethuen.net/TemplateLetter. Perry said instructions are simple to follow.