Today’s Eagle Tribune detailed the continuing stalemate between Rite Aid Pharmacy and the Massachusetts Highway Department. In essence some fundamental traffic improvements, scheduled to be done two years ago, are being held hostage to a fee dispute between Rite Aid and Mass Highway. While the article has a bleak outlook I am more optimistic. Several months back there was zero communication between Mass Highway and Rite Aid over this issue. With mounting frustration in Methuen, and with only Mass Highway responding to my inquiries I publicly and privately threatened to revoke the Rite Aid occupancy permit. This was done in the hope that the Rite Aid Corporation, which had acquired the site from Brooks Pharmacy, would begin to pay attention to the problem and respond substantively to our inquiries. This has happened, and the issue has morphed into a legal negotiation between the Attorney General’s office and Rite-Aid over the permit fee being assessed by Mass Highway. I will continue to press both sides for a settlement, and I am hopeful that reason will prevail. Read the Eagle Tribune story at this link.