Essex Happenings 3.2.12

Essex Happenings 3.2.12

ESSEX HERITAGE BYWAY INFORMATION
Along the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway
The 85-mile coastal route from Lynn to Newburyport
View Scenic Byway Photos


Over 50 great photos of the byway can be viewed on the byway's *NEW* Facebook page. The photos were submitted to the 2011 Essex National Heritage Area Photo Contest in the category "Experiencing the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway." To see photos, click here.

Byway Featured in Tourism Guides
Thanks to the ongoing support of the region's leading tourism advocates - chambers of commerce and destination management organizations - information about the byway will appear in several annual guides promoting visitation to the region.

Newburyport Planning Heritage Trail App
To help visitors and residents better understand and experience the city's three and half centuries of history, city leaders seek to create a technology-supported Clipper Heritage Trail. Read more.



Announcing New Grants Resource
For Essex County Nonprofits:

Grants Resource Center at Essex County Community Foundation

Essex County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of the EBSCO Publishing Grants Resource Center at ECCF (GRC). In partnership with Associated Grant Makers and sponsored by EBSCO Publishing, the GRC is a valuable research database for nonprofits seeking new funding sources through regional, national and international granting foundations. The GRC is a portal located at Essex County Community Foundation in Danvers that provides access, free of charge, to two databases: AGM's Grant Makers Directory which consists of in-depth data on 400 funders that grant in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and the Foundation Center's Foundation Directory Online which includes over 100,000 foundations, corporate donors, and grant-making public charities. Read more here. Home
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Local News
Sports
Train Roundhouse may Impact Salem Garage

As someone that grew up in the City of Salem in the 1940’s and 1950’s, I most certainly remember the Roundhouse and turning table that was in place at what is now the parking lot at the present Salem MBTA station. As a youth, I can remember quite vividly visiting that site to see the trains of those days being turned to head off in another direction. Now those facilities are back in the news decades after they played a role in travel locations of that time like northern New England and closer to the City of Peabody. The administration of the City of Salem and the business group the Salem Partnership, have been strong advocates for a new parking garage on the MBTA site. Parking is much needed in that community as the volume of Boston commuters that show up each day at the station and the expected visitors to the new court facility, adjacent to the proposed garage, speak out for the one thousand vehicle garage originally planed. Now due to budgetary and other logistic constraints the garage has been reduced to about half of the original planned capacity. In addition to the previous constraints the discovery of the possible facility below the ground in question, might cause an even additional reduction in size of the planned facility. I would certainly like to see a preservation effort to protect the possible historic resource below ground on the MBTA site but the planners must find a way to work with the recent find, but not reduce the size of the parking facility as it is so much needed. I recognize this will be a task for the planning team, but it needs to be accomplished. A pubic hearing was recently held and the updated plans for the facility with the exception of the number of spaces planned was met generally with positive responses.

Town of Wenham approves Tea House License

At a recent Town Meeting which we wrote about in this space, the body approved giving the operators of the Tea House the opportunity to apply with community support to the Commonwealth for a pouring license for future use. We have also recently learned that a new operator for the site has been found and the new operator is John Keohane of Henry’s Market in Beverly. If there is anyone that can make that facility a success it is John. I have seen first hand, the wonderful work John has done at the Danvers Senior Center and I have served on a number of local not-for-profit boards with John and know first hand of his commitment to whatever he undertakes.


Salem Education Foundation

I am pleased to serve as an Honorary member of the Board of the Salem Education Foundation and am pleased to reprint an excerpt from their most recent newsletter.

Last November many of us were devastated to learn the news that our school district was labeled "Level 4". Since then, people from across our community have banded together to participate in various "turnaround" efforts. It's been truly amazing to watch our city come together to think critically about our schools and begin to develop bold ideas about how we might create the Salem schools of the future; schools whose vibrant learning communities and academic outcomes parallel the vibrant nature of our city. We applaud the recent efforts of our school leaders, teachers and parent community.

Salem Education Foundation is working actively with the city, the school district, and members of our community during this turnaround process. SEF representatives serve on school and district stakeholder groups, meet regularly with parents and interested Salemites, participate in school committee meetings and community-wide meetings, host education discussion groups across our community, and meet regularly with Mayor Driscoll and Superintendent Russell to closely contribute to, and follow, the path to a new beginning.

We have engaged new staff to support this work and are pleased to announce Rosario Ubiera-Minaya as our new Director of School and Community Relations, and Cindy Thierault as our Community Coordinator. And we have engaged many, many new volunteers who have graciously opened their homes and volunteered their time to work on the pressing challenges facing our schools. We are prepared to continue our support for the district and the city as they begin to formulate bold implementation plans.

Over the next three months we will be hosting a series of fundraisers to prepare for the investment that we plan to make in our community and in our schools in the near future. We ask you to join us as we push for our most successful fundraising season through two events - the Food for Thought Raffle and the Spring Auction. This year PTOs and School Councils can earn funds directly for their schools by selling tickets for the Food for Thought Raffle - a chance to win dinner for two anywhere in the world. And the Spring Auction will be our biggest benefit yet, with all of the proceeds going to support education initiatives in Salem. There are lots of fun surprises planned for the Auction, so hold the date - April 5, 2012 - and join us at the Hawthorne Hotel as we involve students, teachers, principals and parents in a well-deserved celebration for the efforts that they have made in our schools this year.

At SEF we believe that our city has a unique opportunity to plan for, and invest in, the future of our schools. We believe that "Education Matters" and that positive change is possible Other schools and districts have been able to make significant improvements, and we are learning from their success. Reaching our new potential will take several years of consistent, focused work in our schools; work that can be made easier with widespread community engagement. I invite all of you to contact me at jmatho@salemeducationfoundation.org to learn more about the turnaround process and to find a way to get involved.

Sincerely,


Janine Matho
President

North Shore Elder Services has provided the Following Information

Congratulations to these businesses and individuals, who have a relationship with North Shore Elder Services and recently received recognition at the Beverly Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting:

Large Business of the Year Winner: Henry’s Market, John Keohane, owner

Large Business of the Year Nominee: Associated Home Care, Michael Trigilio, owner

Businessperson of the Year Winner: Bill Hanney, owner, North Shore Music Theater

Family Business of the Year Nominee: Salem Plumbing Supply / Designer Bath, Jason Sevinor, owner (husband of Shelly Luckenbill)

Lesley Ray Award (Hall of Fame) Michael Harrington, owner, Hawthorne Hotel

For more information:

http://www.beverlychamber.com/events/event/85


Traveling with Long Standing Friends to Florida

Fifty years ago this year my wife and I married in June 1962 and four months later Bob and Eleanor Sullivan tied the knot. Our good fortune found us living across the street from one another in Peabody and a half a century friendship and relationship was established and has grown over the years. We watched together as their two girls and our two sons grew up and we began to share travel and recreational experiences, as two closely bonded families. Now as some of you know, I am now in Florida continuing my rehabilitation and like so many times in the past we are sharing that experience with the Sullivan’s. I can unequivocally say that my trip down to the Sunshine State and the help that they have provided during our stay and the support offered as I strive to improve my walking skills and my therapy in the pool has been extraordinary. We even tried a round of golf recently and while I am not ready for the PGA senior Tour, we will try again soon to tee it up with their help. I can only say thanks for all of their help and for the half-century of friendship and support.