You Asked About Jon Ryan's Pubs and The Solar Farm

We received a couple of questions this week that called for immediate answers, so we decided to tackle both of them.

Question: What's going on with that solar farm that was supposed to be built in Andover just over the Tewksbury line at the end of South Street?

Answer: Great question. To be honest, we'd forgotten about that project, though I'm sure the residents of that neighborhood have not. To find an answer we went to a couple of sources including Community Development Director Steve Sadwick and Brendan Lewis, the editor of Andover Patch.

The simple answer is, the project is a "go," according to Sadwick, who spoke with his counterpart in Andover.

"They are looking to start construction potentially this spring. They have working out the logistics of a land donation along the Shawsheen River," said Sadwick.

That's good news for the residents of South Tewksbury. A solar farm will have far less of an impact on the neighborhood in the long run than a residential development or an office park.

Question: I've heard that Jon Ryan's Pub is closing. Is it true? This question comes from longtime Patch reader Susan Murphy Bishop.

Answer: There was only one place to get the answer here and that was to go straight to the source. We connected with Bob Ryan, owner and founder of Jon Ryan's Pubs. It took Bob less time to answer this question that it does for his chef to whip up a tasty lunch.

"Have been hearing them for months now. I'm still here!" said Ryan. "Probably some of the competition that thought (wished) I wouldn't be here in a year. We had a great first year and plan to be here for a very long time. Ask your readers to stop by on a Friday or Saturday night and see the growth we are experiencing."