Standing up for guard

October 25, 2007

Mayor Thatcher W. Kezer III last week signed a statement pledging Amesbury's support for all state and federal laws barring discrimination in the hiring and rehiring of members of the National Guard and Reserve. Through a Defense Department program, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, public and private employers around the country are asked to sign the statement. Those that sign are listed in a national database. Police Chief Michael A. Cronin and Fire Chief William Shute, both of whose departments have members of the Guard or Reserve on staff, also signed the statement. Kezer is an officer in the Massachusetts Air National Guard assigned to the 253d Combat Communications Group, based at Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod. - John Laidler

FIRE DEPARTMENT GALA - The Central Fire Company of the Georgetown Fire Department will hold a Fireman's Ball from 6 to 11 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Georgetown Club on Andover Street. The gala will include dancing, a cash bar, and buffet dinner. Tickets are $35 per person. For information, contact Donna Robbins at DRobbins@georgetownma.gov or Bret Moyer at BMoyer@georgetownma.gov.

- Brenda J. Buote

LAND DEAL SEALED - The town has completed the purchase of an 8-acre parcel on Uptack Road for $75,000. The transaction was approved at Town Meeting in the spring. The acreage will be maintained as conservation land. - David Rattigan

MUSEUM AUCTION IN FINAL DAYS - Sunday is the last day of an art exhibit and silent auction at the Buttonwoods Museum in Haverhill. Auction proceeds will be used to preserve artifacts in the museum's Bradford College collection. The Buttonwoods Museum at 240 Water St. tells about life in the Merrimack Valley. It is named for the buttonwoods, or sycamore trees, planted on the property in the early 1740s by Hugh Tallent, Haverhill's first Irish immigrant. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Monday, and admission is $3 to $5.

- Erin Ailworth

FALL CRAFT FAIR - The PTO is seeking artists and crafters for its fall craft fair, scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Sweetsir School on Church Street. Booth space, enough for a 10-foot table, is $25. Renters must bring their own tables, and are asked to contribute 10 percent of their product to the PTO for use in a raffle. For more information, contact Jen Marden at Jen.shane@verizon.net, or Sara O'Bara at saraobara@accounting4u.com. - Brenda J. Buote

TAX BILLS DUE - Real estate and personal property tax payments for the second quarter of the fiscal year are due Wednesday. Tax bills should have been received no later than the first week of October. Residents who did not receive a tax bill should call 978-462-0862. Interest is charged on all overdue bills at a rate of 14 percent per year. - Brenda J. Buote

CONFLICT OF INTEREST FORUM - The city is inviting residents, city employees, and elected officials to a seminar explaining the state's conflict of interest law at 6 p.m. Dec. 4 in the City Hall auditorium. The seminar will be conducted by a municipal education specialist with the state Ethics Commission. The state's conflict of interest law covers what municipal officials and employees may do on the job, after hours, and after they leave government service. Some topics covered at the seminar include restrictions on receiving gifts, outside employment, and acting on matters in which family members and business associates have a financial interest. For more information, call Ari Herzog at 978-463-8977 or e-mail aherzog@cityofnewburyport.com.

- Kay Lazar

NEW WEBSITE UP - The town has a new municipal website, townofrowley.net. The new site contains up-to-date information on many town government functions, hearing notices, town bylaws, and contact information. The site also will list the warrants of town meetings, starting with the Nov. 5 fall Special Town Meeting. Richard Hydren, a Rowley resident and president of the Rowley Chamber of Commerce, helped town officials create the new site.

- John Laidler

COLLECTOR IS CERTIFIED - Christine Caron, the town's treasurer-collector, has earned the designation of certified Massachusetts municipal collector. Caron met all the requirements for certification, including taking several courses at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst over the past three years that were taught by senior officials at the state Department of Revenue, according to Town Manager Neil J. Harrington. Certification must be renewed every five years by successful participation in an annual continuing education program.

- John Laidler

A LOOK BACK - The West Newbury Historical Society will meet at 7 this evening in the Hills House, at the corner of Main and Bachelor streets. One of six meetings held each year, the group will host a presentation by Sue Follansbee, who collects historical photographs of the town's early days. Follansbee will share images of homes and old factory buildings that once stood in the town but have long since disappeared. "They are gone but not forgotten," said Dot Cavanaugh, president of the Historical Society.

- Brenda J. Buote

SALUTE TO SPELIOTIS - The Independent Living Center of the North Shore and Cape Ann, a Salem-based agency for people with disabilities, celebrated its 20th anniversary with its annual dinner last week at the Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites. State Representative Theodore C. Speliotis was on the menu as the Danvers Democrat was the subject of a fund-raising roast, drawing barbs from his State House colleagues. "Fifty-five minutes to get here, to a dinner for Ted Speliotis. You gotta be kidding," joked state Representative Robert DeLeo, the Winthrop Democrat who is chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means. State Senator Frederick E. Berry, a Peabody Democrat and Senate majority leader, thanked organizers for the chance "to have Ted Speliotis for dinner," but added it's hard to poke fun at the 17-year legislator, known for his advocacy for the disabled. "How do you roast Ted Speliotis?" Berry asked. "You don't. You salute him." - Kathy McCabe

SCHOOL SAFETY CONFERENCE - Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett will present a school safety conference called "Preventing and Responding to Bullying and Harassment in Elementary Schools" from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. tomorrow in Coolidge Hall at the Topsfield Fairgrounds on Route 1. The conference is presented in collaboration with the World of Difference Institute of the Anti-Defamation League and the Beverly, Lynn, and Triton Regional public school districts. - Kathy McCabe

TAKE A RIDE DOWN MAIN STREET - The $1.9 million project to enhance Main Street and improve traffic flow downtown was completed this month. The project added new bicycle lanes and bus pullouts and upgraded street lighting. Eighty percent of the project was funded by the federal government, with the remainder paid for by the town and the University of New Hampshire. - Tom Long

FIRE DEPARTMENT TO ADD FOUR - The Board of Selectmen has approved hiring four firefighters before the end of the year. The additional staff was recommended after a study of the department released in August. The study found that hiring additional firefighters would reduce overtime in the department. - Tom Long

TOWN HALL REOPENS - Summer school is over for town employees who spent the last four months working at the old high school while Town Hall underwent repairs. Town Hall reopened last week after a $100,000 renovation in which some ceilings were raised, lighting was improved, and new carpeting was installed. - Tom Long

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTES TO MUSEUM MOVE - Best-selling author Dan Brown has donated $100,000 to the Children's Museum of New Hampshire. The gift from the Rye resident and author of the "The Da Vinci Code" will help the museum's move from Portsmouth to Dover. The museum is attempting to raise $3.3 million to fund the move. - Tom Long

FORMER PIT BECOMES A PARK - The city, its Conservation Commission, and National Grid will mark the end of an environmental cleanup and restoration at the former Vitale fly ash pit at 10 a.m. today. Mayor William Scanlon, Wenham Lake Watershed Association's Jan Schlichtmann, and representatives of National Grid will attend the event, along with other city officials and residents. In recent years, National Grid spent $5 million to clean up the area, which for decades was used to dump the residue of burning fuel at the Salem power plant, now owned by National Grid. As part of the project, the pit was cleaned and filled, and is now a 15-acre park. As part of the event, a field at the park will be named Birch Plains Park.

- Steven Rosenberg

'BREAKFAST WITH GUIDANCE' CITED - An article written by the Lynnfield High School's Guidance Department about its Breakfast With Guidance program was published in the September-October issue of the American School Counselor Association's bimonthly magazine, ASCA School Counselor. Now in its sixth year, Breakfast With Guidance is a monthly breakfast program for parents aimed at providing them with "useful information as well as a means to have their voices heard by the high school counseling staff and administration," according to the article, written by Michael Moresco, head of guidance and counseling services, and guidance counselors Scott MacKenzie and Kathryn Moody. This year's breakfast topics include "Welcome to Lynnfield High School," which was held Oct. 12; "The Student Athlete," scheduled for Nov. 16; and "How to Study for Mid-year Exams," set for Dec. 14.

- John Laidler

FESTIVAL LOGO CONTEST - The Marblehead Festival of Arts has launched its 2008 Logo Contest. The nonprofit group annually seeks a unique design that is given visibility through its announcement at a Logo Premiere Party in late January and its inclusion on all festival correspondence as well as the T-shirts, hats, tote bags, wine glasses, and other items produced for the gathering. This year's entries must be received by 5 p.m. Nov. 13. Entries may be mailed to or dropped off at Abbot Public Library. A panel of judges will select several finalists, and the winner will be determined by a vote of the public through ballots available at various locations. The designer of the winning logo will receive $150. The festival, held annually over the July Fourth weekend, features a range of art exhibits, an outdoor music concert, an artisans marketplace, and other activities. For more information on the logo contest, visit marbleheadfestival.org.

- John Laidler

LET THERE BE LIGHTS - The Recreation Commission is seeking authorization from the Board of Selectmen to install lights at two soccer fields at the town-owned Emily Maher Recreational Park. The soccer fields are in a section of the 30-acre park that is adjacent to the 10-acre former town landfill, which also falls within the park. According to Timothy P. Houten, chairman of the selectmen, the board heard a presentation from the commission last week. He said the board plans to invite abutters and proponents to a meeting to discuss the proposal. Houten said the cost of installing the lights would be funded through the commission's budget and private donations.

- John Laidler

SEARCH ON FOR NEW PRINCIPAL - The seven-member search committee for a new Johnson Elementary School principal has scheduled its first meeting for 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Castle Road school. Applications for the position are due to Interim Superintendent Joseph Lisi by Nov. 2. Denise Littlefield resigned the post in August.

- David Rattigan

PARKING BAN TO BEGIN WEDNESDAY - Peabody's all-night parking ban will begin Wednesday and run through March 31. The ban prohibits drivers from parking vehicles on the street for more than an hour between midnight and 6 a.m. Drivers who violate the ban could receive a $10 ticket.

- Steven Rosenberg

ANGELOU TO SPEAK AT SALEM STATE - Poet Maya Angelou, author of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," is scheduled to speak at 8 p.m. Nov. 5 in the O'Keefe Center at Salem State College. Tickets are $10 to $50 and may be obtained by calling 978-542-7555. - Erin Ailworth

CARVE IT UP - Townspeople can get into the spirit of Halloween when Arts Resources in the Town of Swampscott holds its fifth annual Pumpkinfest from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Linscott Park on Humphrey Street. Residents are invited to bring their carved pumpkins, which will be illuminated and displayed. There will be candy for children, homemade bread provided by the Swampscott League of Women Voters, and pizza for sale. Proceeds from the pizza sales will benefit A.R.T.S, a community organization that promotes the visual, performing, and literary arts in Swampscott. For more information, e-mail A.R.T.S president Mary Webster at mwebster@fernwoodadvisors.com.

- John Laidler