Library survey

June 29, 2008

The public library is conducting a survey of residents ages 45 and over as part of an initiative to identify the needs and interests of active older adults. The questionnaire is available through the end of July at Town Hall and other spots in town. The initiative, which the library is carrying out with federal funds awarded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, has also involved in-depth training for library staff on how to assess community needs. - John Laidler

McKEOWN CLOSES DOORS - The McKeown Elementary School has held its last fifth-grade graduation ceremony. Due to a school district budget shortfall, the school will not reopen in the fall. The $2.6 million budget deficit was attributed to rising insurance, special education, and utility costs. Voters had a chance to keep the school open, but earlier this month overwhelmingly rejected a Proposition 2 1/2 override. The school was built for $6.7 million just 10 years ago. - Steven Rosenberg

TWO PROJECTS FUNDED - Funding for two Boxford projects is included in the $1.4 billion state transportation bond bill that recently passed the House. According to Town Administrator Alan Benson, the bill includes $140,000, secured by state Representative Barbara L'Italien of Andover, to help fund the cost of repairing the culvert where the Parker River crosses under Route 133. The bill also includes $450,000 secured by state Representative Brad Hill, of Ipswich, to repave Route 97 from the Georgetown line to the Topsfield line. - John Laidler

WATER RESTRICTIONS - Due to a lack of rain, the town's water division has instituted a Level 4 water restriction. Outdoor watering by sprinklers is allowed between the hours of 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays only. Hand-held water cans and hoses may be used at any time. - David Cogger

BUILDING REUSE - Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki plans to update selectmen on the progress of the town's ad hoc Building Study Group at tomorrow's board meeting The group was formed to study town-owned buildings and determine possible future alternatives in light of cramped quarters for the Police and Fire departments, and repairs needed at Town Hall. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the TOHP Burnham Library. - David Rattigan

80 PERCENT OFF TO COLLEGE - The high school graduated 90 members of the class of 2008 on June 7. Students received $58,000 in scholarships and will attend more than 40 colleges this fall. Eighty percent of the graduating class will attend college. Valedictorian Danielle Epstein, salutatorian Brandon Wade, and members of student government addressed the graduates at the outdoor ceremony. - David Cogger

COUNCIL TO SET RATES - The City Council will meet next on July 8 at 7 p.m. at City Hall to set new water and sewer rates. The new rates will be retroactive to April. The current sewer rate is $11.28 per thousand gallons used, and the water rate is $7.52 per thousand. - Steven Rosenberg

KIRMELEWICZ NAMED CHIEF - The Board of Selectmen has selected Sergeant Robert Kirmelewicz as its new police chief, pending salary negotiations. Kirmelewicz has been with the department since 1989, and acting chief since the May retirement of longtime chief Ronald Weeks. Selectman Don Greaney said the board hopes to have a contract by July 1.

- David Rattigan

TWO APPOINTED TO FOUNDATION - The Board of Selectmen appointed John McWane and Mary Helming to the Hamilton Foundation at its June 23 meeting. The foundation makes funds available to residents who have unexpectedly urgent, short-term financial needs. - David Rattigan

SUMMER LIBRARY HITS - The Hamilton-Wenham Public Library has two of its most popular young adult programs coming up, beginning with a Comic Art and Manga workshop on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Andy Fish, an illustrator and faculty member of the Worcester Art Museum, will lead the workshop, which is free and open to the public. Preregistration is required and participation is limited to 30. The library's Guard up! Sword Play Workshop, demonstrating weapons from Samurai Japan and medieval Europe, is scheduled for July 8 at 2 p.m. Call 978-468-5577 to register or visit hwlibrary.org for information. -David Rattigan

SUMMER JOBS - Applications for summer jobs are available at City Hall. The city is seeking candidates for a variety of positions, including certified lifeguards, camp directors, office clerks, boating instructors, and tennis court attendants and instructors. Several positions are available for teenagers as young as 14. To pick up an application, stop by the Human Resources Department in Room 306 at City Hall, 4 Summer St., or visit ci.haverhill.ma.us and click on summer jobs. - Brenda J. Buote

HEADING TO NEWPORT - The Ipswich High Jazz Ensemble has accepted an invitation to perform at the JVC Jazz Festival Newport in Newport, R.I. The band, which won the state's gold medal in jazz band competition during the recently completed school year, is the first high school band in several years to be invited to play at the festival. Its performance is scheduled for Aug. 9 at 10 a.m. The band is currently considering ways to raise funds to pay for its travel expenses. - David Rattigan

FIREWORKS ON THE BEACH - The town's fireworks display will be held Thursday at dusk on Singing Beach. The parade, featuring marching bands, homemade floats, and antique cars, will be held Friday starting at 9:30 a.m. It will begin at Manchester Essex Regional High School, on Lincoln Street, and end at the Coach Ed Field Playground, on Brooks Street. At the conclusion of the parade, sky divers will parachute into the park. - John Laidler

PRESERVING THE CHIMNEYS - The Essex National Heritage Commission recently awarded a $4,000 grant to the Marblehead Museum & Historical Society to help fund the conservation of two large chimneys in the society's 1768 Jeremiah Lee Mansion. The grant was among 33 totaling $96,000 that the commission awarded as part of its annual Essex Heritage Partnership Grant program. - John Laidler

WATER TESTING ENDS - Due to the recent closure of the public beach at Lake Attitash, the Board of Health has discontinued regular water-testing. Residents may choose to swim at their own risk, or collect water samples for testing for a $35 fee. Samples should be dropped off at the Rowley Town Hall on Wednesday mornings. Portable toilet facilities will no longer be available. For information, call 978-346-4066

- David Cogger

NEW FIRE RADIOS - Using $65,000 appropriated at the Annual Town Meeting in May, the Fire Department is preparing to carry out the first phase of a two-part project to replace all its mobile and portable radios. Mobile radios are permanently mounted in vehicles, and portable radios are carried by firefighters. Fire Chief Frank W. Twiss said the initial phase involves replacement of all the mobile radios and a small number of portables. The department plans to purchase the equipment from a supplier in July, with the hope of having it in service by the fall.

- John Laidler

TOWN GOVERNMENT TO CHANGE - Voters approved increasing the Board of Selectmen from three to five members and hiring a full-time town administrator. Both will require special acts of the state Legislature before taking effect. Once that occurs, two new members of the board will be elected at the succeeding annual town election: one for three years and another for two years. With the town administrator, selectmen will set the term, salary, and job description. The general duties will be to serve as chief fiscal officer, make employee appointments and supervise department heads, oversee litigation and collective bargaining, attend all selectmen's meetings, and draft the yearly budget. Selectmen will still appoint all the boards, committees, and commissions that they currently do. - Taryn Plumb

CONCERT SPONSORS SOUGHT - The Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce and Industry is seeking sponsors to continue with its Waterfront Concert Series at Market Landing Park. The chamber already has canceled the concert that had been slated for July 18. Sponsors are being sought for the concerts scheduled for July 25, Aug. 8, and Aug. 15. Sponsorship for each concert costs $1,500. Call 978 462-6680. - Brenda J. Buote

CONCERT SERIES BEGINS -The 16th annual Peabody Summer Concert Series begins tonight with a performance by North Shore Acappella from 6 to 8 p.m. The concerts are free and run through Aug. 24 at the Leather City Common. The Peabody Cultural Council provides sponsorship. This year's lineup includes: July 13, Dick Kaplan's Excellent Jazz Band; July 20, R&R Entertainment; Aug. 10, Sneak Peak 2008 Tanner City Idols; Aug. 17, Brian Maes; Aug. 24, Beantown Swing. - David Cogger

TOWN APPOINTMENTS - The Board of Selectmen reappointed Alan MacMillan to the Conservation Commission and Stephen Ouellette to the Harbor Advisory Committee at its June 24 meeting. The board also interviewed Russell Liddle for a three-year term on the Historical Commission, and Jonathan Ring for a one-year term as an associate member of the same commission. The board will vote on whether to appoint Liddle and Ring on July 8.

- David Rattigan

PLANNING A SUBDIVISION - The Board of Selectmen recently awarded a $13,800 contract to Meridien Associates to provide planning and engineering services needed to develop a subdivision plan for the former Bradstreet Farm property on Main Street. The town acquired the property for $2.75 million last year. The Annual Town Meeting in May authorized the town to subdivide the land based on a conceptual plan that identifies portions of the site devoted to uses the town has envisioned. Those uses are open space preservation, historic preservation, affordable housing, and future development of athletic fields.

- John Laidler

SHELTER OPENS TODAY - The Northeast Animal Shelter will hold a grand opening from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at its new location, 347 Highland Ave. The dog and cat adoption shelter, which began in 1976, was formerly located at 204 Highland Ave. The new location is 13,000 square feet, about 10 times larger than its former site. No adoptions will be allowed at the open house. The shelter will be open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 978-745-9888 or visit northeastanimalshelter.org.

- Steven Rosenberg

TAKE A PASS - The library is advising residents that it has new passes available for patrons. Passes provide free or discounted admission to various attractions, including the Sports Museum of Boston, the Franklin Park and Stone zoos, and Massachusetts state parks (including Salisbury Beach State Reservation). The new passes are on top of the library's existing passes to the Boston Children's Museum, the Museum of Science, the Peabody Essex Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Boston Aquarium (useable except for July and August). To reserve a pass or for more information, call 978-465-5071. - John Laidler

PARADE TODAY - The town's annual Independence Day parade is today at 5 p.m. The parade starts at the parking lot of Congregation Shirat Hayam, on Atlantic Avenue. It will proceed along Humphrey Street, ending at town hall on Monument Avenue. Immediately following the parade, a swing band will perform on the lawn of the newly restored Town Hall.

- John Laidler

CABLE WAR HEATS UP - The town is opposing a bid by Comcast to have the rates it charges the town's cable TV customers deregulated. According to Town Administrator Virginia Wilder, Comcast filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission seeking special relief from state regulation of its Topsfield rates. Wilder said the petition is based on Comcast's contention that cable competition exists in Topsfield as a result of the license granted to Verizon in 2006, and the use of satellite dishes. The Board of Selectmen recently voted to file its formal opposition to the petition. Florida attorney Gary Resnick has been selected to represent the town. Wilder said Resnick drafted letters of opposition from Boxford, Hamilton, and Wenham to similar petitions filed by Comcast for those communities. Those petitions are still pending. - John Laidler

TWO APPOINTMENTS - Jean Nelson has replaced Joan Vontzalides as Planning Board administrator. Nelson started June 16. She was previously planning coordinator in Hamilton for eight years. Vontzalides is retiring. Selectmen have also appointed a new constable, Steve Alvino, who will replace Charles Courtemanche. Alvino will hold the position until the annual town election in May 2009. - Taryn Plumb

MILL PLAZA PLAN WINS AWARD - The plan to revitalize downtown with a new village center is only on the drawing board, but it's already earning awards. The plan to redevelop the 10-acre Mill Plaza with a mix of offices, retail space, and a new library has been honored as 2008 Plan of the Year by the New Hampshire Planners Association. The plan was created by the Mill Plaza Study Committee and the New Hampshire chapter of the American Institute of Architects. - Tom Long

DETECTIVE PROMOTED - After nine years as a detective and spending much of his time making undercover drug busts, Detective Mark Newport has been promoted to a sergeant. Newport, who was unanimously promoted by the Portsmouth Police Commission earlier this month, has been a member of the force for 13 years. After nine years in the special investigations department, he will move to the city's patrol division. - Tom Long

UNUSUAL BIRD-WATCHING - Birders from throughout New England are converging on South Main Street, just south of Newmarket Junior-Senior High School, to view three Mississippi kites, unlikely visitors to the area. The falcon-like birds are usually found in the Southeast and probably wandered north in a storm. Some birders have reported that they are building a nest. - Tom Long

COFFEE AND DOUGHNUTS - The Planning Board has conditionally approved plans for a Dunkin' Donuts on Route 108. The site, which will include another retail business yet to be named, is being developed by Antonio Salema, who had proposed building a Dunkin' Donuts in Newmarket, before withdrawing the application in March. - Tom Long

STABBING SUSPECT ARRESTED - Working with a Malden detective and State Police, Everett Police have arrested Shadrach Omad, 20, of Malden, in connection with the June 12 fatal stabbing of 21-year-old Elisha Fountain of Odenton, Md., at the Store 24 on Chelsea Street, according to a release. Malden Detective Michelet Montina located Omad after observing the suspect on a surveillance video taken at the crime scene. Montina followed the suspect's vehicle on Ferry Street in Everett and notified Everett police, who arrested Omad in the Glendale Square area. Omad was arraigned on June 13 and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The charges will be amended by the Middlesex district attorney's office because of Fountain's subsequent death. - David Cogger

84 ARRESTS IN SWEEP - In the wake of a spate of violent crimes, police made 84 arrests for crimes ranging from drug trafficking and weapons charges to motor vehicle violations during a recent weekend sweep. Lynn police, along with State Police, the Essex County Sheriff's Department, the North Shore Gang Task Force, and three federal agencies, combined to serve outstanding warrants and beef up patrols in several areas known for gang activity. In addition to the arrests, the sweep resulted in five handguns being taken off the street. -David Cogger

HORRIBLES PARADE - The Lynnfield Recreation Department is inviting families to take part in an old-fashioned Independence Day celebration on Wednesday. The event begins with a Horribles parade that leaves from the middle school at 4 p.m. Registration starts at 3:30 p.m. Anyone can march, and participants are encouraged to decorate their bikes or strollers. The parade ends at the common, where there will be games for children such as three-legged and potato sack races. The celebration will be followed at 6 p.m. by the first concert of this season's Lynnfield Library Summer Concert series, with the band Overdrive. - John Laidler

REPAIRS IN THE PIPELINE - Water and sewer pipes on Putnam Street are slated for improvement after a vote by the Town Council last week to allocate just under $800,000 in Massachusetts Water Resources Authority grants and loans for repairs, said council president Tom Reilly. Engineers said the pipes there are in the worst shape, Reilly said. - Katheleen Conti