FIRST AND FOREMOST…..Great news sent to
Trustees about funding in an E mail from Annie Harris, Executive Director,
Essex Heritage
I have very
good news! I am extremely pleased to
inform you that the federal funding for the National Heritage Area program and
the authority for the Essex National Heritage Commission to continue to receive
these funds was made official last week when President Obama signed the
Continuing Resolution for the Federal FY 13 Budget.
We are very
grateful for the strong bi-partisan support of the National Heritage Areas
program in the US Senate – including our newly elected Senator Elizabeth
Warren. We also owe Congressman John
Tierney and Congresswoman Niki Tsongas great thanks as well. They are members of the National Heritage
Area Congressional Caucus and co-sponsors of new legislation that will create a
permanent place for the National Heritage Areas within the National Park
System. It would be wonderful if this
new legislation is adopted this session.
Thanks for
your help and support – Annie
Up-coming Featured Partner Events
Wednesday, April 17, 2013 • 7:00pm
Featured
Partner Event - The House of the Seven Gables Presents:
Seven Lectures at The
Seven Gables: Jim McAllister
115 Derby Street, Salem, MA 01970
“Architecture
& Preservation in Salem 1900-2000” Salem’s own local historian &
journalist will give a lively account of many of the sites of historic
significance in Salem over the past century.
Reservations
recommended. Essex Heritage and Seven Gables Members $10; Non-Members $15.
Please email sweber@7gables.org or call The House of the Seven Gables at
978-744-0991 ext. 104 to reserve your seats.
Sunday, April 21, 2013 • 1:00 - 3:00pm
Featured Partner
Event - Essex County Greenbelt Association Presents:
Earth Day Celebration at
Batchelder’s Landing, Rowley. Anne Giblin,
PhD will share her research on sea level change in Plum Island Sound followed
by a clean up of Batchelder’s Landing and Rowley salt marshes.
Reservations
required. This event is free, but please email ecga@ecga.org or call Greenbelt
at 978-768-7241 to register.
Sunday, April 28, 2013 • 1:00 - 3:00pm
Featured
Partner Event - Essex County Greenbelt Association Presents:
What's
This Tree? at The Cox Reservation
82 Eastern Avenue, Essex, MA 01929
Forester
Mike Simmons will guide you on a walk through the Cox Reservation showing you
how to recognize trees by their needles, bark, twigs, buds, and leaves. Bring your mobile device and use the free
electronic field guide leafsnap. Click here to learn more about this event and
to get driving directions. Reservations required. This event is free, but
please email ecga@ecga.org or call Greenbelt at 978-768-7241 to register.
Saturday, May 18, 2013 • 9am - 2pm
Featured
Partner Event - Essex County Trail Association Presents:
Discover Hamilton Trail
Walk Patton
Park, South Hamilton. Essex County Trail
Association invites you to the grand re-opening celebration and trail walk for
the Discover Hamilton Trail! The Discover Hamilton Trail was created in the
1990s as an 8-mile loop that would highlight the significant open spaces and
natural features of Hamilton, including Harvard Forest, Massachusetts
Department of Conservation and Recreation's Bradley Palmer State Park, The
Trustees of Reservations' Appleton Farms Grass Rides and Essex County Greenbelt
Association's Pingree Reservation. ECTA has been working with the Town of
Hamilton and private landowners over the course of the last year to re-route
the starting location and portions of the trail off of roadways to create a
safer and more welcoming experience.
Where to go:
Meet at Patton Park, behind the baseball field, at 9:00am for a brief
celebration and thank-you to those involved with the creation of and recent
improvements to the trail. We will then begin our trail walk, which includes a
1.2-mile walk through the Myopia Schooling Field and Harvard Forest to access
the start of the 8-mile loop trail. Walkers are welcome to join the full 10
mile walk, or follow the trail halfway and be shuttled back to the start at
Patton Park. The "halfway" point will be at the Topsfield Road
footbridge to Bradley Palmer State Park. We should be at this point by about
11:30 am. Refreshments will be provided at the bridge. 10-mile walkers will
continue on the loop trail and should finish at Patton Park at about 2:00 pm.
Well-behaved dogs on leashes are allowed on all parts of the Discover Hamilton
Trail. This event is free but reservations are recommended.,
Regional Events and
Announcements
Salem Senior Center Receives Final Approval
We have
learned that the City of Salem and its City Council have officially approved
the siting and building of a new Senior Center in that community. Congratulations to the numerous people and
organizations that have weighed in to support this much needed facility. The Mayor and the rest of the political
leadership in Salem should be applauded for their perseverance in this
matter. This new facility will be a
wonderful addition to the many services offered to residents in the Witch
City. North Shore Elder Services Board
supported this initiative as it is so valuable to one of our member
organizations.
Eight communities Cooperate on Regional
Health Initiative Benefits from State Grant
Eight local
communities including Salem, Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, Lynn, Marblehead,
Swampscott and Nahant collectively have banded together to successfully apply
for and win a grant from the Commonwealth in the amount of $325,000 to join
together to study certain health issues collectively. The first item to be collaboratively
addressed is the focus on indoor air quality, smoke free housing and public
awareness of asthma triggers. While the
health professionals from the eight communities will work collaboratively, they
will retain their own individual boards of heath and local autonomy, but will
work collectively on certain regional issues where more can be accomplished
together than separately. The grant
will be stretched out over four years and will allow for both collaboration in
the various programs and will allow for shared environmental health inspection
services over the term of the agreement. The state grant was awarded as part of
a program that is meant to encourage regional public health cooperation It is not a merger of services, but is a way
to build cooperative efforts within the group that could amount to expense
savings in the future.
Easter Sunday Holiday Weather
After a cool
and snowy weather in this region during the month of March 2013, the month
ended on Easter weekend with weather that was definitely better than we have
been experiencing. It was particularly
nice on Easter Sunday. We had some sun
until showers arrived late in the day.
Now we need an extended period of spring weather.
Haverhill Kids-Fest Seeking Participating
Vendors
The Greater
Haverhill Chamber is seeking vendors for a kids-fest event on May 5, 2013. The event will be held on the upper deck of
the Merrimack Parking Garage from 11 until 4.
Prior to the event there will be a parade. For more information contact
the chamber at www.haverhillchamber.com
Town of Danvers Finance Committee Opens
Hearings
The Danvers
Finance Committee will begin a series of investigatory meetings to review the
Town Budget and Warrant Articles for the Town Meeting early this month. I missed a great number of the meetings last
year, but expect to turn that issue around in 2013. I suspect that other communities in the
region are beginning this process as well.
Gift Cards Offered For Guns Turned in North
Andover
The Town of
North Andover has unveiled a program used in other communities to reduce the
number of unwanted firearms in their community.
The police offered gift cards in exchange for a turned in hand guns,
rifles and BB guns. It is interesting that several people refused cards as they
just wanted to get rid of a firearm.
City of Newburyport Girls Inc. Seeking
Sponsors
Girls Inc.
in the City of Newburyport is seeking sponsors for its annual Breaking the
Glass Ceiling Luncheon scheduled for May 1, 2013. If you have any interest in being a sponsor
or attending the lunch, contact the club at 078-465-0999.
Medical, Senior and
Disability Matters
Regional Health Assessments
The two
hospital organizations (Lahey Health and North Shore Medical Center) that
primarily provide medical services to this region have each prepared a
comprehensive medical needs assessment.
While the presentations are too long to reprint in this BLOG, the
reports can be provided by both organizations if requested from them. I will reprint a small section of the
Executive summary from the North Shore Medical Center and will offer the Lahey
Health report in a later BLOG posting, The hospitals may also show the reports
on the respective hospital web site. The
North Shore Medical Center report follows:
Introduction and Methods: North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) is a
multi-site health system and serves the region as a 414 bed community hospital
system offering comprehensive acute care services to Lynn, Salem and
surrounding communities through two campuses: NSMC Salem Hospital and NSMC
Union Hospital in Lynn. With rising health care costs, the focus on reducing
disparities, and the importance of providing innovative, cost-effective health
services to the region, NSMC is engaging in a broad-based initiative to develop
a new model of care. This model aims to address the changing needs of the region,
build an infrastructure for coordinated care across the continuum of settings,
and increase access to high-quality primary and specialty care across the
region. To help guide NSMC’s future plans around primary and secondary care delivery
and community outreach programming as well as meet the fiduciary obligations
commensurate with NSMC’s tax-exempt
status, NSMC is undertaking a community health assessment of its catchment area. This
assessment aims to provide a comprehensive health portrait of NSMC’s priority
communities of Danvers, Lynn, Marblehead, Nahant, Peabody, Salem, and
Swampscott and identify community needs and assets, pressing health issues, as
well as gaps and potential opportunities for program and service delivery
improvement and expansion. 28
interviews conducted with a diverse range of individuals—17 interviews with 33
external key informants and 11 interviews with 15 staff who work at NSMC. Focus
groups were conducted 31 individuals representing different audiences,
including youth, seniors, and low-income residents. External key informant
interviewees represented a range of individuals including social service
providers, religious leaders, organizational directors, staff from city and
state government, and staff from community-based organizations and youth
serving agencies, while internal NSMC staff interviews were conducted with
staff from a range of departments, including case management, patient
navigation, behavioral health, pediatrics, emergency, patient access, primary
care, and obstetrics.
COPAA Board Organization
The support
group COPAA (Cornell Orthopedics and Prosthetics Amputee Association) that I
gain support from as a participant where I receive support information focused
on people with disabilities is organizing formally and will soon be adopting
by-laws and electing a Board of Directors. I have been asked to serve as a
member of this prospective board when organized and have accepted that
nomination. The organization has
recently received a number of community contributions to support their mission
and they believe that a more formal organization is needed to insure
transparency.
North Shore Elder Services Comedy Event
North Shore
Elder Services is offering a local event to raise both funds and awareness to
support the North Shore Elder Services mission of providing multiple and
comprehensive services to Elder Adults at their Comedy Show at the North Shore
Music Theatre. Tickets are available at
the North Shore Music Theatre. SAVE THE
DATE: Wicked Funny Comedy Tour, Featuring some of New England’s funniest
comedians
on Saturday, April 27, 2013 8:00
p.m.
at the North Shore Music Theater, Dunham Road, Beverly. MA
People in the News
New Essex Tech Regional School Chooses
Superintendent
The
representatives of the School Committee of the new Essex Tech School in
Middleton unanimously selected Mr. Daniel O’Connell, the current leader of the
North Shore Technical School since 2004, to be superintendent of the new
facility. The new $133 million Essex
Tech and the Essex Agricultural School is expected to open in the fall of
2014. With the upcoming opening and
merger, the newly named superintendent must oversee the integration of the two
schools including creating a combined leadership team. By his own calculations, Mr. Daniel
O’Connell says that he has prepared a preliminary work plan containing 172
items that need attention in the short term.
Lahey Health names new operating room suite
at Beverly Hospital after Benefactor.
Beverly
Hospital names the new state of the art operating suite at the hospital after
Michael Ruane, a Boston businessman, who has been a long-time benefactor of the
hospital.
Local Political Newcomer wins State
Representative Seat in Peabody
Youthful
Republican candidate Leah Cole won a recent election by a narrow margin in a
three person race in the City of Peabody to replace deceased representative
Joyce Spiliotis in the State Representatives race.
PERSONAL
OBSERVATIONS
Patriots Free Agency
As a new
lower financial salary cap for the National Football League was established for
2013, the New England Patriots and the other league participants are making
some moves. Time will tell, but the
Patriots might have suffered a big loss, when they failed to sign local fan
favorite Wes Welker and lost him to Payton Manning and the Denver Bronco’s. They picked up a slot receiver who may or
may not replace Welker. They also have signed, still to be proven, wide
receivers from Buffalo and Minnesota and a much needed kick returner. It does appear now that they have not
provided quarterback Tom Brady with much to work with the cadre of roster wide
receivers at least in April. They filled
a need by signing a highly thought of older veteran to hold down one of the
safety spots. They signed a couple of
their own veterans defensive backs Talib and Arrington and an offensive tackle
Sebastian Vollmer. They lost a back-up
offensive lineman. They failed to sign
anyone to bolster their pass rush, and I suspect that they may remedy that
situation before the 2013 season begins either through additional free agency
or the annual draft. In general, I would
give them at best right now a C plus for their efforts, but as with Wes Welker,
only time and performances during the next season will produce a final grade
for their off season work.
Possible Troubles across the Globe for the
United States
It certainly
is clear that with the difficulties in Syria and the war sounds coming out of
North Korea and the ongoing nuclear fears emanating from Iran that our new
Secretary of State John Kerry has his plate full. The simulated Air Force bombing run using B-2
bombers that traveled non-stop and round trip from the Continental US over
South Korea adjacent to the North Korean border could be a warning sign to the
leadership of North Korea or could spur them to more bellicose actions. Just recently the USA moved two warships
closer to North Korea in the Pacific Ocean.
The South Koreans and its American Allies need to be conscious of North
Korea and certainly do not want to do anything that would get them overly bellicose. The North recently offered a re-declaration
of war against South Korea and the USA has many American servicemen and women
in possible danger in that part of the world. These hot spots around the world
will have to be carefully monitored by the United States as the implications to
this country could be tenuous.
Red Sox Open Season
On the first
day of April, the Boston Red Sox opened their 2013 season in New York on a day
that was nicer than anything we had seen in the previous thirty days. The April roster was certainly not made up of
people we will see every day in the future.
After a very unsuccessful season in 2012, several players started the
year on the disabled list and a player, Daniel Bard, they were counting on to
be a comeback player will start in Portland, Maine rather than Boston. The
decision to add Jackie Bradley Jr. to the roster rather than assigning him to
the minors was a last minute decision made on the day before the opener. It is expected that the Sox will start
natural center fielders in all three outfield positions. Oh by the way, after
two straight seasons with 0 and 6 starts the Red Sox won their opener and at
least after Opening Day plus one game, they are now 2 and 0 to start a new
season
Bruins Make attempts to Strengthen Team for
the Playoffs
As we close
in on the end of the regular National Hockey League season, the Boston Hockey
team is exploring all avenues to improve their team and improve chances in the
playoffs. They thought that they had
made a most valuable deal with Calgary, but at the last moment Calgary changed
direction and traded with Pittsburgh.
That deal made a Penguins team an even more difficult opponent for
Boston but that may be impacted by a serious face and jaw injury incurred by
their best player in the NHL, Sidney Crosby.
The Boston entry recently signed as aging super star, for some expected
help. It is possible that after a decade
of unprecedented success that the tide in professional sports might be changing
a bit at least as far as Boston Teams are concerned. The talent and the teams that Boston has
gathered in recent years may be evening out at the present time,
Hospital Patient and Youth Welfare in North
Carolina
We were
particularly pleased to learn that our grandson Brendan Leonard has been
selected to play a leadership role as a Fundraising Projects Chairman in the
very successful University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sponsored 24 hour
Dance Marathon event. That event for its
patients and their parents in 2013 raised almost one half a million for the
local hospital. When Brendan Leonard ‘11
was a student at St. John’s Preparatory School, he received a number of awards
for his leadership and was a student Community Service Award winner chosen by
the Danvers Community Council in 2012.
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