I continue to follow and applaud the work and the activities of
the Essex National Heritage Commission as my many years of association with that
organization remains high on my list of important matters. I have come to
realize the importance of that National Park Service affiliate and the daily
value that is offered to the three quarters of a million residents of the
region and the hundreds of thousands of visitors to the area that represented a
great deal of activities that make the region such a national treasure.
ESSEX NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA
Colonial Settlements, Maritime
Adventures and Centuries of American Growth
The Essex National
Heritage Area begins just 10 miles north of Boston and covers 500 square miles
of eastern Massachusetts to the New Hampshire border. The area includes
hundreds of historical sites, miles of intact landscapes, glistening coastal
regions and lifetimes of rich experiences that chronicle the history of our
region and of our nation.
The
Essex National Heritage Area is a member of the Alliance of National Heritage
Areas and is one of 49 heritage areas in the United States. www.nps.gov -
Experience Your America. Discover nearly 400 national
parks on the official National Park Service webpage. Some may be closer than
you think.
What
are National Heritage Areas?
They
are designated by Congress as places where natural, cultural, and historic
resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape.
ESSEX HERITAGE EVENTS SCHEDULED EARLY IN 2014
February
12, 2014 • The House of the Seven Gables, 115 Derby Street, Salem, MA, 01970. EX
(Exhibits at The Gables) for The Underground Railroad exhibit will open
with a members’ reception on February 12.
February
13, 2014 to February 28, 2014 • The House of the Seven Gables, 115 Derby
Street, Salem, MA, 01970 - Celebrating
Black History Month, The House of the Seven Gables is proud to welcome the
public to this special exhibit. Have you ever wondered if there were
North Shore homeowners involved in the Underground Railroad? Come find out!
REGIONAL NEWS
DANVERS
TO FOLLOW PEABODY’S LEAD ON LICENSES
As
previously reported, the City of Peabody is seeking an unlimited number of
liquor licenses from the Commonwealth as an impetus to the economic development
of that community. Subsequently the Town of Danvers will soon be
following suit and will soon be seeking additional licenses for the
Town. It could be said that the development of new restaurants in
the Town of Danvers would be a boon to the addition of both real estate and
meal taxes both of which would assist the Town in its attempt to increase
overall revenue sources.
January
weather seems extreme to this Observer
The end of 2013 was about normal, but since the
start of the new year, it is been colder than normal all over the country with
the influence of an arctic vortex. We have seen more snow than
normal and there are reports from all over the country recording new records
for cold and conditions more severe than in recent history.
BOSTON
DEVELOPERS TO ADD 12 CONDOS TO SALEM JAIL PROJECT
The
redevelopment process in the City of Salem created a series of residential
units and the successful opening of a themed eating establishment. This was on
the site that once housed one of the oldest jails anywhere in the country and
it was very well received. It appears that a recent announcement of a second
phase of that project would be started in the spring of 2014 that will include
the construction of a dozen units adjacent to phase one indicates an ever
improving economy in the region.
MBTA
SEEKING TO IMPROVE SERVICE NORTH OF BOSTON
The
MBTA recently announced plans to make improvements on the North Shore.
This is good news as this appears to be most positive as more and more this
justifies the addition of garage space in various locations in the region.
Town
of Danvers to hold public hearings on St. John Preparatory School Expansion
plans
The
Planning Board of the Town of Danvers is scheduling a public meeting to allow
residents of the surrounding neighborhoods to comment on the recently announced
plans of the private Catholic secondary school to expand its activities
on the Summer Street 174 Acre site. The school is planning the addition
of a nearly 7500 sq. ft. Science and Technology building that will allow the
school to open and offer a new middle school for 399 prospective Grade 6 to 9
students that is expected to open in the near term. The changes in land
utilization will be minimal as most of the improvements will take place in
campus locations where programs already exist and will be better utilized in
the proposed plans. It should be noted that even though the size of the
campus is recorded as 175 acres, a great deal of the land is unusable due to water
conditions on the site. The date of the hearing on the expansion plans has
not yet been set, but will be widely announced when set and notification to
abutters will be sent out as part of the process
Threat
at St. John’s Prep
As a
follow up to St. John’s Prep matters, I suspect that some of you have heard
reports of police issues at the Danvers private High school. I want
to congratulate the administration at the Prep for taking the issue raised at
the school so seriously. In light of what has happened in other schools
and public places in this country and the difficulty encountered in the local
public school in the same community, that all potential “threats” should be
taken most seriously, and the cautious actions undertaken by the Prep and the
Danvers Police are applauded as it is most wise to be safe rather than be sorry
later.
Habitat
for Humanity to build Affordable Housing in Danvers
The
national firm responsible for adding affordable housing in this country is
planning to add housing stock that is affordable in the community of
Danvers. Some years ago, I was involved in a broad effort to add the
affordable housing units in that community and that work continues. This is
much needed not just in Danvers but across the entire region and should be most
welcome and might spur new developments.
65
MILLION GRANT AWARDED FOR BRIMBAL AVE CONNECTOR PROJECT
The
City of Beverly was awarded a state grant to help construct the much discussed,
and City Administration supported, project on Brimbal Avenue. In an
informational meeting held recently, it was very clear that if a vote were
taken today that the project to change and create the new area would be soundly
defeated.
RETIREMENT
OF TOWN OF DANVERS ENDICOTT PARK RANGERS
The recent
announcement of the retirement of the Townleys, a talented and strongly
committed couple that have served the Town of Danvers as Park Rangers at the
Endicott Park Property for many years, was greeted with praise and regret.
They will be hard to replace and their contributions were recognized with a
dinner. The Townleys provided a substantial commitment to the park for
many years and their dedication to the mission of the town’s recreation area has
been exemplary. They have also been staunch supporters of the
Danvers Historical Society’s work to preserve and promote the Glen Magna Farms
property and the attendant mansion.
Personal Observations
Current
Reading Choices
I
took a break from reading about political biographies and enjoyed a wonderful
presentation written by Ben Bradlee Jr. about the life of Ted Williams that was
primarily focused on his personal life including his military service in two
conflicts and his numerous marriages and recollections about his children.
I am
now just starting a history of Teddy Roosevelt and Will Taft titled the Bully
Pulpit by the noted historic biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin. I am
looking forward to getting into that history.
Change
of Status of Granddaughter
If I
am allowed on comment about our family, we were all particularly pleased to
learn that Caroline Leonard has been promoted from the junior varsity to the
girls’ varsity basketball at Algonquin Regional High School. This means a
little later start for her basketball games, but it has not stopped our
attendance at Northboro and surrounding Middlesex County locations. She
will still play from time to time with both teams to continue her rapid
development.
BOSTON
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS UPDATE
For
many in this region, sports and politics are of utmost importance. In
January, both the Celtics and the Bruins were on the road and were not too
successful. The Bruins won the final game of a three game west
coast trip to semi-salvage the trip. The Celtics have lost eight games in a row
during the present trip. The Patriots finished the season on a high
note with two consecutive wins in less than great weather and as a result
received an opening round playoff bye and faced a second round playoff games
against the Colts on another stormy day that they won. The playoffs for
the Pats, will come down to another Brady-Manning SHOWDOWN in Denver for the
AFC Championship. The NFC has an equally attractive game between
San Francisco and Seattle. Since this edition of this Blog will be
printed before the results of those games have been decided, we will leave
those results and the Super Bowl results for the next issue of the Essex
Happenings BLOG.
COPAA
to seek non-profit designation
COPAA
has focused for a number of years as a resource for individuals who have been
disadvantaged by amputations and disabilities.
It recently has completed a reorganization and has reaffirmed its mission
to reach out to an even greater degree to amputees in the Northern
Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire region. The goal of the
organization will be to make that population aware of the numerous resources
available to them through this coalition
A perfect example of the services offered by
COPAA to its handicapped members is noted in recent membership minutes - as
noted:
COPAA
has a ski trip coming up for organization members and prospective
members on March 8 if anyone is interested. It looks like we may be going
to Pico Mountain this year, in Killington, Vermont. We will once more be
renting a van to go up together, and we will be partnering with Spaulding
Rehabilitation Hospital again. If you haven't already made us aware of your interest
and you would like to try getting outdoors for the day and going skiing in one
of the many activities that will be available, please get in touch with COPAA
soon. You don't have to be an experienced skier to go with us. Beginners can
use a sled to go down the mountain while tethered to an experienced instructor,
or you can try skiing on a monoski (a sled that you sit on and steer with your
body weight assisted by outriggers). If you are curious or want to try
something different from couch surfing, come on out and join the fun! Contact
us.
I
am particularly pleased to have been asked to serve as the Treasurer and Clerk
of the organization. One of the first tasks of COPAA is to gain a
not for profit designation that will allow contributions to the organization to
be tax deductible gifts. One of the
avenues we are examining is a relationship with Essex County Community
Foundation. If any of the regional corporate and personal supporters that
have offered financial support to other charitable endeavors that I have supported
wish to participate, I encourage them to contact me at 978 774 5351 to
learn more about the organizational mission of COPAA and how the proceeds from
charitable giving will be used in the future. COPAA is a most valuable
amputee networking and supportive group and any financial or other
contributions offered are most appreciated.
Danvers Community Council
Awarded State Grant
Congratulations
to State Senator Joan Lovely for the $20,000 grant that she was able to obtain
for the Danvers Food Pantry. The funds will be used to support the work
of the Town as they help to provide food and other goods to 180 homeless
families that are presently housed in motels in Danvers. The grant is
much appreciated, but is not a permanent solution to assist the over 2,000
homeless families currently supported by the State. It is clear that this
issue requires a permanent solution as housing for the homeless requires a
long-term solution.
No comments:
Post a Comment