Getting Back in the Swing
As part of my overall rehabilitation from an amputation last year, I signed up for a adaptive golf sports program offered this fall by Spaulding, Cape Cod at Holly Ridge Golf Course in Sandwich. On Thursday, September 1, 2011, I participated in the first of these sessions, and was moderately pleased with the results. The instruction by golf professionals and the care and compassion shown by the Spaulding therapists was exceptional. Since day one of my recuperation getting back onto a golf course was one of my primary goals. Being back out in the open with friends and family is important to me and it will be very positive for my well-being. On day one of this program, I stood with some support from the staff of the program and hit about 100 balls with various clubs and was cautiously pleased with the level of success achieved. I believe that I was helped by the prosthetic leg I received earlier this month from the staff at Cornell Brothers in Beverly. I believe I had better support and balance from the new leg. There is still a way to go, before I can legitimately say that I am back on the golf course, but I now feel that my goal is attainable with more work and effort. I have three additional sessions scheduled and will continue to move towards the achievement of this personal goal with more ball striking, chipping, putting and standing on my own. The effort will culminate with a full round of golf later this month.
Provincetown Town Hall Restoration
The following article was reprinted from the National Trust for Historic Places Preservation Newsletter. I have included this reprint in the Essex Happening BLOG for two reasons. The first reason is due the nature of the restoration project in that is so close geographically to Essex Heritage operations and within easy visiting reach of our residents and more importantly because the architectural firm noted in the report is the firm where our Trustee and Assistant Clerk, Paul McGinley is one of the principals. Congratulations Paul on the project and the recent receipt from the Massachusetts Historic Commission’s 2011 Preservation Award.
In March 2008, local officials in Provincetown, Mass., received grim news about the state of the 1886 town hall. The building was so structurally compromised that assessors identified only two options: repair it by the end of the year or vacate it promptly.
It didn't take much to convince town officials to spring into action. This 284-year-old community on the tip of Cape Cod wears its history proudly. The Pilgrims sailed the Mayflower into Provincetown Harbor in 1620 and stayed for five weeks while drafting the Mayflower Compact. In the 19th century, Provincetown was a thriving maritime center, and a century later, the town became a magnet for writers, painters, and aspiring actors.
"Town Hall is the heartbeat of this historic town, and we needed to get it fixed," says Sharon Lynn, the town manager. So Provincetown officials voted unanimously to repair and upgrade the building, including the mechanical, electrical, and fire protection systems. But they didn't stop there. What started as a modest program to stabilize the 22,000-square-foot building quickly became a comprehensive restoration.
After employees relocated to a cluster of trailers on the outskirts of town, McGinley Kalsow & Associates architects began work on a two-year, $6.5 million effort. First they addressed exterior issues, repairing the roof and structural columns, as well as decades of water damage hidden behind clapboards. The original double-hung windows were also restored, and storm windows added to increase energy efficiency. A paint analysis conducted by Boston-based architectural conservator Sara Chase revealed that the building, which stands in a National Register-listed district, had once been painted in a distinctive color scheme.
"We told the town that it cost no more money to buy colored paint than white paint, and that made a huge difference in how the project was perceived," says Wendall Kalsow, a principal with McGinley Kalsow. "It was an immediate, dramatic change."
After the first phase of work was completed in 2009, crews moved inside, repairing ductwork and installing the building's first central air conditioning system. The ground floor, originally a police station, was completely overhauled, turning cramped quarters used primarily for storage into office space for the community development department. Crews scraped paint from the exposed brick walls and removed partitions from the original eight-by-six-foot jail cells while preserving bars and arched doorways.
With a $55,000 grant from the state's Preservation Projects Fund matched by the town, workers also restored what Kalsow calls the "frosting on the cake"—the auditorium, which had been closed to the public. Its elegant coffered ceiling, chandelier, and sconces had been removed in the 1950s, but other elements, such as wood pilasters and a fine balcony balustrade, remained intact.
Using a 1890s photo, Newstamp Lighting, a historic lighting fixtures company, re-created the chandelier and sconces, and carpenters from Green & Robinson, a contracting company specializing in historic preservation, restored the ceiling. The walls were then repainted in the Victorian color scheme revealed by paint analysis.
More than 700 people attended a reopening ceremony last November and applauded a restoration that has since won the prestigious 2011 Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award.
"We could have just made the necessary repairs and it would have been fine, but we knew really good preservation work could be done," Kalsow says. "Structural repairs are important, but they just don't mobilize the civic spirit very much."
Danvers Bi PEDS NEWS
For the broadest possible distribution of the BI-PEDS event schedule please see the following information.
September 12, 2011, Monday, 7:00 - Danvers Bi-Peds regular monthly meeting - will be held in the Carriage House at Endicott Park, 57 Forest St., Danvers. Charles Lincicum, Chairman of the Rail Trail Advisory Committee, will be present to lead an open discussion of where we are and where we would like to see the trail go. All are welcome to attend, participate in the discussion, help plan biking events, safer sidewalks, and fun group activities. Hope to see you there.
September 15, 2011, Thursday - Danvers Rail Trail Advisory Committee - 6:00P.M., in the Daniel J. Toomey Hearing Room, Town Hall, 1 Sylvan Street, Danvers, MA. Meetings are open to the public.
September 18, 2011, Sunday - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) Fourth Annual A Reason To Ride Bike-A-Thon In Danvers - The event begins at the Liberty Tree Mall. A Reason to Ride features a variety of activities the whole family can enjoy including a complimentary trike-a-thon for little kids, a Fuddruckers cookout at the finish line, raffles, music, a car show and much more. Registration for riders is $25 per child, $60 per adult, and $150 per family. For more information please visit, www.gratefulnation.org/areasontoride where you can register to ride, support a rider, start a team, or make a donation.
September 24, 2011, Saturday, 10:00 - Danvers Bi-Peds will host an event for Trails and Sails Weekend. Join us for a walk through the woods and along the Danvers Rail Trail to its northern end. The walk will culminate at the Swamp Walk, a boardwalk through the swamp to a look out platform. Return by the same route and be rewarded with a fresh peach upon return. Event capacity: 25. Walking will be on mixed terrain surface for a distance of about 2 miles total. Insect spray may helpful. Leashed dogs welcome.
For all the details and complete list of fun, free events in Essex County, go to www.trailsandsails.org. (Don’t be afraid to sign in, the site is brimming with fun things to do.)
September 23 to 25, 2011, 8:00 am to 3:00 pm - George Saluto extends an invitation to anyone who wants to help with the construction of a new section of the Swampwalk. He says ‘ Drop by to work the day (lunch provided) or at any time, if only for a short period, to observe, chat, or pitch in.’ You can learn more on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Swampwalk-Rail-Trail-Danvers/169017829818716
September 24, 2011 - The rail trail opening ceremony has been moved to sometime in spring, 2012
Labor Day Weekend and the Inevitable Change of Seasons
We certainly hope that you enjoyed the holiday that is considered by many to be the traditional end of the summer season. The holiday weekend and the days leading up to the holiday were summer like and I am certain that the economy of the region was aided by the wonderful weather. The eastern Massachusetts region was certainly benefited by the large crowds that attended the PGA golf playoff in Norton. The Red Sox continued to play to sell out crowds over the long weekend and College football began in several local venues. All of those events made the weekend most enjoyable and profitable for many.
Now we can certainly expect the daylight hours will become a little shorter and the feel of fall will soon be upon us, but those days are generally some of the nicest days of the year. Essex Heritage has scheduled its two big weekends of Trails and Sails on the near term horizon and we hope that many of you will take advantage of the hundreds of free events that will be offered on the final two weekends of this month. For more information visit www.essexheritage.org.
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