Education goals

Mayor Thatcher W. Kezer III recently hosted a meeting of the Massachusetts Mayors Association that featured a discussion with state Secretary of Education Paul Reville. At the three-hour session in the Powow River Grille on Main Street, the mayors and Reville talked about Governor Deval Patrick's education goals, school funding, and other issues. Reville outlined key components of the Governor's Readiness Project, a long-term plan aimed at reforming the state's education system. During a best-practices segment of the meeting, Amesbury officials outlined their program to partially outsource the cleaning of city schools, an initiative they say is saving money through increased productivity and a reduction in sick days. - John Laidler

EXAM DATES - High school students who wish to take the SAT exam on Nov. 1 must register by Oct. 10. In addition, the exam will be offered on Dec. 6, Jan. 24, March 14, May 2, and June 6. Students can register at collegeboard.com, or may pick up a registration packet at the high school. - Steven Rosenberg

BOOK THE TIME - The Friends of the Boxford Town Libraries are presenting a program with Ken Gloss, a book, manuscript, and map appraiser for PBS's "Antiques Roadshow" and the owner of the Brattle Book Shop in Cambridge. Gloss will deliver a talk and then be available to assess old books brought in by participants. The event, free and open to all, will be held at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Boxford Community Center, 4 Middleton Road.

- John Laidler

APPLICATION TO STORE FLAMMABLES - The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday will hold a public hearing on Stephen Ingemi's application for a flammable storage license for less than 20,000 cubic feet of compressed hydrogen gas at Ceramic-to-Metal Seals Inc. and One Industrial Drive LLC, both of which are at 1 Industrial Way, off Route 1. The hearing will be held as part of the board's regular meeting at 7 p.m. in the Daniel J. Toomey Hearing Room at Town Hall.

- Kathy McCabe

FINALIZING THE WARRANT - Selectmen are scheduled to vote on whether to approve the warrant and set a Nov. 3 date for Town Meeting at their meeting tomorrow. There are expected to be more than a dozen articles on the warrant. The meeting is scheduled for the TOHP Burnham Library at 7 p.m.

-David Rattigan

FIRE CHIEF FINALISTS - The Georgetown Fire Department and the Fire Chief Search Committee presented three finalists for the chief's position at the Sept. 22 selectmen's meeting. The candidates are Michael Anderson, the town's acting chief; retired Londonderry, N.H., chief Michael Carrier; and Boxford Fire Captain Albert Beardsley. A decision will be made after the Board of Selectmen has interviewed the candidates. In April, the town received the approval of the state Legislature to move from a Board of Fire Engineers to a "strong chief" model.

- David Cogger

CHARTER SCHOOL PROPOSED - The state is considering a proposal to allow a new community arts charter school in Gloucester. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has invited proponents of the school to submit a final application by Nov. 14. The application will be reviewed, and public hearings will be held this fall about the proposed school. The school would serve students in grades K-8 from Gloucester, and have an enrollment capacity of 210. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will make a decision on the application in February. - Steven Rosenberg

SPONSOR A BRICK - The Friends of the Langley-Adams Library have launched the second phase of an engraved brick fund-raiser. The bricks, which sell for $50 to $100, will be placed on the library walkway alongside those included in the first phase, which were dedicated during the library's open house in September. The bricks are available through Nov. 30, and order forms are available at the library. Contact Friends president Mim Burbridge at 978-374-6452. -David Rattigan

AMBULANCE TAKEOVER - Selectmen have put Lyons Ambulance in charge of town services following receipt of a notice of serious deficiency from the state Office of Emergency Medical Services regarding EMT training among Hamilton police officers. The Police Department had run the ambulance service. The board plans to review the situation and discuss it at a future meeting.

-David Rattigan

COMING TOGETHER - A joint meeting of Wenham and Hamilton's boards of selectmen scheduled for Oct. 14 is expected to include an update on the progress of a committee formed to focus on budget and financial issues of the towns and the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District. The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Wenham Town Hall, Bay Road. -David Rattigan

RAISING THE BAR - Haverhill resident Marsha V. Kazarosian has been elected vice president of the Massachusetts Bar Association. Kazarosian is managing partner of Kazarosian Law Offices in Haverhill, where she concentrates on civil litigation, family law, and discrimination. Kazarosian is a past president of the Essex County Bar Association and the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. Kazarosian also is a life fellow of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, this year serving on the Fellowship Committee. Kazarosian received her bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1978 and earned her law degree from Suffolk University Law School in 1982. She is a graduate of Phillips Academy in Andover. - Brenda J. Buote

HOUSING APPOINTMENT - Selectmen appointed Ronald Graves to the Housing Authority at a meeting Monday. Graves replaced Sara O'Connor, who served on the board from 1984 until April of this year.

-David Rattigan

SCHOOL UPDATE - The School Building Committee is scheduled to provide an update on the project to build a new Manchester-Essex middle and high school to the Board of Selectmen tomorrow. The board also will hold a public hearing on an application by Richdale Convenience Store to install new fuel storage tanks at its location at 8 Beach St. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

- John Laidler

HAVE YOUR SAY - The Marblehead Cultural Council is inviting residents to participate in an online survey. The council distributes annual grants to support cultural activities in town, using funding it receives from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The survey, at marblehead.org, is intended to provide feedback on the types of programs residents would like to see funded. For more information, call council chairwoman Ava Lawrence at 781-631-3671.

- John Laidler

TOWN MEETING APPROACHES - A Special Town Meeting will be held Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Sweetsir Elementary School. The meeting will include a request for $43,000 for repairs to the Fire Department's ladder truck and pumper trucks, and $5,100 from the sale of cemetery lots for the care and improvement of town cemeteries. - David Cogger

TREASURER-COLLECTOR HIRED - The Board of Selectmen recently named Kathleen McMahon of Beverly to the position of treasurer-collector. McMahon is currently town accountant in Wenham. The Middleton post became open when Anne Tentindo resigned at the end of June to take a private-sector job. A screening committee voted unanimously to recommend McMahon to selectmen from among 12 applicants, according to selectmen chairman Kosta Prentakis, who served on the committee. Prior to her current job, McMahon served as deputy treasurer-collector in Wenham and worked in the private sector. She is tentatively set to begin her new job Oct. 20.

- John Laidler

STUDYING TOWN GOVERNMENT - The Town Government Study Committee will act on recommendations made by the Department of Local Services, which include streamlining town bylaws and re-analyzing the number of elected officials on boards and committees. Recommendations of a similar study committee established in 2004 have been instituted, including a review of the master plan and finance director and the exploration of a five-member Board of Selectmen and an administrative form of government. Richard Bazirgan, Richard Passeri, Howard Tolman, Thomas Freund, and Pam Wool have been appointed to the study committee, with selectman chairman Vincent Russo as ex-officio.

- Taryn Plumb

SPRING PROJECTS - City officials are preparing to put out to bid several construction projects that will probably be tackled in the spring. The projects include drainage work on Turkey Hill Road and State Street; the installation of a new box culvert on Plum Island Turnpike; construction of a new sidewalk on Ferry Road; sidewalk repairs on Johnson and Water streets; and realignment of a portion of Reservation Terrace. In all, about $1.5 million has been allocated to the Department of Public Services for needed work. That funding represents the bulk of the $2.5 million Mayor John Moak has earmarked for capital improvements. - John Laidler

BIGGER BUILDING LOTS - The City Council recently approved a zoning change that will increase the minimum lot size for single-family homes built in the Brooksby Farm area. The change, which was proposed through a citizens' petition, rezoned the area bordered by Baldwin, Felton, Prospect, and Lowell streets from an R1B district, which requires minimum 10,000-square-foot lots, to an R1A district, which requires minimum 15,000-square-foot lots, said City Clerk Timothy Spanos. The council also authorized Mayor Michael J. Bonfanti to enter into a purchase-and-sale agreement with Eastman Gelatine for the acquisition of an 11.5-acre open space site on Scouting Way. Councilors previously approved spending $550,000 from the city's Community Preservation Fund to purchase the site.

- John Laidler

RACICOT REVIEW - Selectmen are scheduled to conduct their annual performance review for Town Administrator Michael Racicot at their Tuesday meeting. The board also has planned a tax classification hearing at the meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. -David Rattigan

NEW CRUISER REQUESTED - A Special Town Meeting is scheduled for Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pine Grove School. Warrant articles submitted to the Board of Selectmen in September include a request by the chief of police for a $30,000 appropriation to purchase a new police cruiser, and a street acceptance request for Wilkes Road. - David Cogger

REPAVING UNDERWAY - Salem has launched a $1.59 million project to repave various streets. The work, which started this week, is being done by D&R Corporation of Stoneham. According to Mayor Kim Driscoll's office, the city recently completed a report to assess conditions of every road in the community. "The program has helped us identify the streets to reconstruct first," said Driscoll. "It will be important to continue with this annual improvement approach, so we can see the long-term benefits of roadway improvements." For a list of streets that will be paved, go to salem.com. - Steven Rosenberg

AGAINST THE STORMS - The Board of Selectmen recently voted to adopt a new natural hazards mitigation plan that outlines measures the town hopes to undertake to reduce the risk of damage from natural disasters. The plan had been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and communities with FEMA-approved mitigation plans are eligible for FEMA grants to help fund their plans. Selectmen chairman Jerry Klima said Salisbury intends to apply for grants to help pay for a project to add culverts and tide gates at Town Creek to prevent flooding. The recent state environmental bond bill authorized $350,000 for the estimated $730,000 project, which also includes replacement of a 100-foot section of rail bed washed out during a 2007 storm. The town is working with the state Office of Coastal Zone Management and the US Fish and Wildlife Service on wetlands-restoration features of the project. - John Laidler

UNIONS REJECT GROUP INSURANCE - A committee representing the town's employee unions recently voted to reject the town's proposal to join the state's employee healthcare system. As a result of the vote on Sept. 26, the town will not be able to meet an Oct. 1 deadline to enter the Group Insurance Commission in fiscal 2010, according to Town Administrator Andrew Maylor. A 2007 state law allows municipalities to enroll in the GIC if the idea is approved by at least a 70 percent weighted vote of a committee representing its unions. None of Swampscott's unions voted in favor of joining the GIC, Maylor said. The town will continue with efforts it began five years ago to reduce its health insurance costs, Maylor added. Those have included negotiating with unions to increase employee co-pays, he said. - John Laidler

ORCHARD OWNERS FINED - The state Department of Environmental Protection has penalized the owners of an orchard at 252 Rowley Bridge Road for unauthorized alteration of vegetated wetlands. The $11,200 penalty was assessed after aerial surveillance determined property owners Marylee MacDougall, John Guinee, and Jeanne Hosinski, known as the Rowley Bridge Realty Trust, had altered 9,020 feet of vegetated wetlands. Under terms of the order, the trust will pay $5,000 by Oct. 9 and an additional $2,000 by Dec 31. The agency has suspended the remaining $4,200 penalty as long as restoration work is completed by Oct. 31.

- David Cogger

KNOWLES ELECTED - Albert Knowles Jr. is the new face on the Board of Selectmen. At a special town election last Saturday, Knowles edged out Thomas Atwood, receiving 515 votes to Atwood's 375, according to the town clerk's office. Knowles, who is filling a position vacated by John McGrath in July, has been sworn into office and will hold his seat until May 4. - Taryn Plumb

REWARDING CREATIVITY - The Massachusetts Cultural Council and state legislators were at the Whelan School in Revere last Wednesday to announce the release of $1.1 million in grants for programs that follow the Creative Minds initiative. The MCC launched Creative Minds last year as an effort to expand learning opportunities in the arts, humanities, and sciences. The Whelan School was awarded $7,500 for a five-day music residency for students from third through fifth grades. Other awards include: $12,000 for Express Yourself Inc. in Beverly; $11,900 for the Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center; $11,200 for RAW Art Works in Lynn; and $13,600 for ROCA Inc. in Chelsea.

- Katheleen Conti

BEAR WATCH - Members of the black bear research project at the University of New Hampshire captured a 160-pound male at the Durham-Lee town line on Sept. 10. The 2 1/2-year-old bear was tagged with a radio collar. In the last couple of weeks, the bear has visited Pawtuckaway State Park and spent a week in Raymond before returning to the Garrity Road area in Durham.

- Tom Long

SILVER NAMED CHIEF - The Board of Selectmen has promoted Christopher Silver to fire chief. Silver, a deputy chief, has been a member of the department for 18 years since he joined as a paramedic. The fire chief position has been vacant since August, when Hank Lipe resigned to take a fire chief job in Vashon, Wash.

- Tom Long

PEASE LAND RETURNED - Fifty-six years after the government took the land to enlarge Pease Air Force Base, 69 acres of forest have been returned to the town. The Pease Development Authority and the Newington Board of Selectmen signed a deed to transfer the land back late last month.

- Tom Long

THEATER LEADER RESIGNS - John McCluggage has resigned as artistic director of the Seacoast Repertory Theater. He had held the post for two years. His resignation was announced after the theater's board of directors decided to replace the post of artistic director with a producing artistic director responsible for both the business and artistic sides of the theater. - Tom Long