Essex Heritage
Events and Activities
Essex Heritage Annual Meeting
There may
not be a more meaningful meeting offered with free admission each year than the
semi annual informational meetings offered at locations not usually available
to Essex Heritage. This Spring’s Annual
Meeting outlined below is one of those meetings. We announced this meeting in the last
published edition of Essex Happenings, but because our attendance at this event
is so important, as we provide substantial data, at that event we have printed
the detail a second time. The event is
being offered at a private location in the City of Haverhill and since this is
the first time we have visited this location ever in the long history of this
initiative.
The Essex National Heritage Commission
Invites You to Attend its
Annual Spring Meeting
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Winnekenni Castle
347
Kenoza Avenue, Haverhill, MA 01830
8:00 AM: Continental Breakfast Reception
8:30 -
10:00 AM: Business Meeting
Join us for a morning of engagement on Wednesday, April 10,
from 8:00am -10:00am, at Winnekenni Castle! Participate in this free, valuable
networking opportunity that will further connect you with the work of Essex
Heritage and our partners.
We are now accepting applications for the Essex Heritage
Partnership Grant Program!
The 2013 grant recipients will be announced at the Annual
Spring Meeting on April 10th at Winnekenni Castle.
About Winnekenni
Castle
Dr. James R. Nichols, a local physician and inventor, built
the Castle in 1873-1875 as a summer home at this farm which he named
Winnekenni. The idea for the original castle came from England. The Castle was
sold to the city in 1895. In 1967, after a devastating fire destroyed the aging
building, a group of citizens formed the Winnekenni Foundation, which is still
in existence today. Its goal was to completely refurbish the interior of the
building, and make it and its surrounding grounds available to the public for
cultural and educational events.
We hope you will be able to join us! RSVP below or call
978-740-0444.
Please Join Us!
To RSVP to the Annual Spring Meeting please go on-line to www.essexheritage.org or you may call
Jill at 978-740-0444.
2013 Essex Heritage Partnership Grant
Program
DEADLINE:
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2013
About the
Essex Heritage Partnership Grant Program -- The Essex National Heritage
Commission’s Partnership Grant Program is a
matching grant program created to foster and support the stewardship activities
of organizations that share the Commission’s
mission to preserve and promote the historic, cultural and natural resources of
the Essex National Heritage Area. Impacting
many in the region, the 15-year old program has provided more than $1.6 million
to municipalities and nonprofit heritage organizations that steward the
region’s nationally significant heritage.
2013
Partnership Grant Program - Carefully read the 2013 Partnership Grant Program
Description describing the program's timeline, eligibility criteria, requirements,
and application process. Through its
2013 Partnership Grant Program, Essex Heritage will fulfill a strategic
priority by awarding $1,500 grants to ten (10) qualified applicants who apply
for funding in one of three categories:
• Education: Create or further develop educational
opportunities for youth
• Interpretation: Increase awareness and understanding of the
region’s heritage
• Preservation: Preserve or enhance historic structures,
landscapes and cultural resources
Essex
Heritage will accept applications for eligible projects online only until 11:59
PM on Sunday, February 17, 2013. Once submitted, an application can be revised
anytime until the deadline. All applicants will be notified by late March
regarding the status of their application.
Once
designated to receive funding, grant recipients will be required to execute a
grant contract which will outline match-funding requirements, grant reporting
and other responsibilities. All funded projects must be completed and all
reports and financial documentation submitted to Essex Heritage by June 30, 2014.
Applications
are due no later than Sunday, February 17, 2013 by 11:59 PM.
Applications
will be accepted ONLINE ONLY. Read the
Grant Program Description - pdf format
Regional Events
St John’s Prep Makes Fifth Hines
Scholarship Game Special
Every year
since United States Army Fist Lieutenant Derek Hine’s s life was ended
defending this country, the Danvers private school has played a scholarship
hockey game in his memory. This year, Lt
Hines a Newburyport resident and 1999 graduate of the Prep and its Hockey
Captain was honored in a special way by having the team wear new star spangled
sweaters for the game. The event was
enhanced by a St Johns Prep victory over one of their arch rivals, Boston
College High School that helped move them to the top of the States school
hockey standings.
New City Solicitor Needed in Methuen
The City of
Methuen is currently in need of new City Solicitor after the present holder of
the post was not appointed to a new term.
A Committee made of city councilors and two local lawyers will conduct
an evaluation now that the period of application has been finalized. Applicants for the position must be in good
standing with the Mass Bar Association and have experience in the practice of
Municipal Law.
North Andover has Assessors Position Open
Staying on
the vacancy theme in the region, Town Manger Naylor of North Andover is seeking
a community resident to fill a vacancy on the Board of Assessors. If you are a community resident and have an
interest in the vacant position contact the North Andover Town Manager.
COMMUNITY TO BEGINS TO RESTORE HISTORIC
SALEM COMMON FENCE.
The City of
Salem has begun the process of securing $150,000 in bids for the restoration of
the Historic fence that surrounds the Salem Common. The bids are due in late January and after a
period of assessment, 12 sections of the one half mile fence will be awarded. The first portion of the work will be to make
molds of the fence which will be done so that the restoration work can be done
in phases. The initial work will be one
on the sections at the main entrance to the common along Washington Square
South by the Roger Conant Statue and the main entrance to the historic Hotel
Hawthorne. This restoration process has
long been a primary goal of the City as the common remains a focal point of the
community.
Medical. Senior
and Disability Matters
North Shore Elders Reports on Tax Proposal
Offered by the Commonwealth
Tax hikes
divide business groups
By Jon
Chesto
Boston
Business Journal
January 22,
2013
This year’s
budget dance on Beacon Hill is already dividing the local business community as
executives and advocacy groups try to head off tax increases or promote what they
view as sorely-needed investments.
The stakes
haven’t been this high in a long time. The state Legislature is embarking on
its first serious debate about raising taxes in four years, and the outcome
will likely overshadow the sales tax hike that resulted from the last one in
2009.
Resistance
is certainly expected among small-business owners, many still upset about the
new federal tax hikes. The National Federation of Independent Business, for
example, is gearing up to fight potential increases in the income and gas
taxes. “There are no taxes that are going to help the economy,” said Bill
Vernon, the NFIB’s Massachusetts director, “certainly not the income tax.”
Meanwhile,
advocates for bigger companies are focused on transportation upgrades and expanded
education programs deemed crucial to the state’s competitiveness. Some will
push for more reforms if they’re going to endorse a tax hike. But there’s been
no consensus about the best way to cover the costs — especially since the House
and Senate plans are weeks, if not months, away.
“When
determining how to prioritize these issues, we need to be mindful that while
our economy is improving modestly, it remains fragile,” Greater Boston Chamber
of Commerce CEO Paul Guzzi said. “We need to determine what we can afford,
assess the impact on our economy, and take steps to improve our
competitiveness.”
Gov. Deval
Patrick set the stage for a tax hike with a series of public appearances during
the past week. First, there was a pitch for an extra $1 billion a year for
transportation, and then a call for increasing annual spending on schools by as
much as nearly $1 billion over four years. Patrick used his State of the State
speech on Wednesday to explain how he wants to pay for this — by raising the
income tax to 6.25 percent. A proposed increase wasn’t unexpected, but the size
could be too steep for the business community. (Patrick would offset some of
the pain by shaving the sales tax down to 4.5 percent.)
The state
still needs help just to break even. Even if state tax revenues rise by 4
percent as predicted, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation estimates that
state officials will be forced to reconcile a $1 billion-plus budget gap based
on current tax rates and programs. To some extent, this perennial problem is
due to tax cuts put in place from 1998 through 2003, changes that the
Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center says forced the state to forego nearly
$2.5 billion in annual revenue. At least Massachusetts still has a strong rainy
day fund, totaling more than $1.7 billion at last count.
House
Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray have signaled a
willingness to consider tax increases this time around. They’re open to
weighing Patrick’s ideas while their leadership teams develop their own budget
proposals for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Even the Republicans don’t
seem to be taking a hard line against all new taxes and instead are preparing
to press the Democratic leadership to justify any hikes. Despite concerns among
the rank-and-file that constituents are still struggling in a sluggish economy,
there is a growing acceptance among the leadership of some kind of tax
increase. The debate will likely be over the specific taxes to be raised, and
by how much.
Transportation:
Of all major taxes, the gas tax seems to be the most vulnerable. Some business
leaders believe Patrick bungled his last gas tax request in 2009, and they see
this as a much-needed source of funds to address the state’s overtaxed highways
and crumbling bridges. The 21-cents-per-gallon tax hasn’t been touched since
1991. The current rate puts our gas tax in the lowest third of all states. The
rise in collections here has not come close to keeping pace with rising gas
prices that have essentially tripled in two decades. Another dime per gallon
could bring in another $300 million a year.
But that
isn’t the only transportation-related revenue source on the table, especially
because the MBTA’s financial problems are still in need of a long-term fix
after last year’s Band-Aid approach. Toll increases and T fare hikes will be up
for grabs. Patrick’s Department of Transportation also floated longer-shot
ideas, such as a payroll tax and registration fees based on a car’s carbon
emissions.
Individual
income: Voters in 2000 made it clear, through a ballot question, that they
wanted the income tax to drop from 5.95 percent to 5 percent. But lawmakers
stopped the decline at 5.3 percent in 2002. (They did include an
economy-related trigger that has since brought the rate down to 5.25 percent.)
For the
first time in at least a decade, lawmakers are seriously entertaining raising
the income tax. Patrick’s proposal would exceed one sought by the union-backed
Campaign for Our Communities, which is working with some liberal lawmakers to
restore the 5.95 percent rate. Their increase would bring in more than $1
billion a year. (Legislators would likely soften any increase by raising
personal exemptions to ensure lower-income families don’t get clobbered.) This
is a tough sell to owners of small businesses, NFIB’s Vernon said, because most
in the state are taxed through the income tax instead of the corporate tax.
Capital
gains: The Campaign for Our Communities also calls for raising the taxes on
investments to 8.95 percent from the current rate of 5.25 percent, matching the
income tax. Separating the income tax rate from long-term capital gains,
interest and dividend rates hasn’t been talked about as frequently as other
revenue solutions. But some lawmakers will certainly champion the cause this
year — increasing those investment income rates to 8.95 percent could bring in
more than $800 million a year, according to one Department of Revenue estimate
— as part of the broader debate.
Sales: The
increase of the sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent in 2009 is still fresh
in consumers’ minds. So there probably won’t be much of an appetite for another
sales tax hike, especially now that Patrick is pushing for it to be reduced.
Corporate
income: The Legislature had given the business community a steady reduction in
the general corporate tax, from 9.5 percent in 2009 to 8 percent last year.
This was a concession at the time to push through tax changes aimed at
collecting more from large, multi-state companies. It may be hard to believe
lawmakers actually reduced taxes, particularly during the Great Recession. But
this is at least one promise business leaders expect them to keep.
Toyota Motors Reclaims Number 1 From
General Motors
After a
brief period when Toyota Motors fell out of first place in automobile
production, due to weather issues in Japan, have recently returned to the top
of the list. It is clear that with a
Toyota Franchise in many communities in this region and a superior distribution
system and a generally excellent product, it is not surprising of their
standing.
PEOPLE IN THE
NEWS
GOVERNOR PATRICK MAKES TEMPORARY US SENATE APPOINTMENT TO REPLACE
SENATOR KERRY
Governor
Patrick appointed his former Chief of Staff and Corporate Lawyer William “Mo
“Cowens to fill the unexpired term of office in Washington until general
election in June 2013. Attorney Cowans
is the second African-American to represent the Commonwealth. He was born in North Carolina, graduated
from Duke University and has been a resident of this state for over two
decades.
Robert Holloway President of Massachusetts
Bar Association
There was a
most interesting and entertaining presentation locally on Mr. Holloway’s work
in the local press. In addition to his
work as an attorney, Bob also serves as a most active member of the North Shore
Elder Services Board of Directors.
Richard Bane Named to Salem State
University Advisory Board
Richard Bane
of Bane Associates, a senior health care operation out of Salem has been named
to the Board of Overseers at Salem State University where he will offer support
to the President of the University as he also does for North Shore Medical
Center in Salem.
PERSONAL
OBSERVATIONS
BARNES AND NOBLES CLOSES STORES 1/3 OF
THEIR LOCATIONS IN THE NEXT DECADE.
The Barnes
and Noble Book Stores recently announced that due to a reduction in the amount
of business being produced in their chain of stores, over the next five years
the amount of units being offered will be reduced by about one third. As a result of reading patterns being shown
by American readers and the incredible changes in the use of digital reading.
The chain is seriously considering a major change in the way they do
business. As a personal comment, it is a
shame that after the demise of Borders Books and now reductions in
opportunities at Barnes and Noble, that book stores of the past are fast
disappearing. I feel that I am a
contributor to this trend as I am a very complete digital reader. I have found that reading both newspapers and
historical novels that I enjoy are so much easier to read on a digital reader,
and only occasionally go back to a paper book, but I am not likely to ever
return to the way it was. The problem is
that soon there will be very few bookstores left to browse through even though
I have become, for the most part a full time digital reader. I still enjoy being a browser but based on
the changes taking place there soon will be few bookstores to browse through in
our region.
Hollywood Movies and the Award Cycle
For the first
time in many years this year I have viewed most to award winning films that are
being considered for awards for acting, directing and writing, and this year
the ultimate winners mean more having viewed the various performances.
A MOVE TO BEGIN THE CREATION OF A
SATISFFACTORY IMMIGRATION PROCESS THAT BOTH PARTIES CAN SUPPORT HAS STARTED
A step
towards a workable immigration program with a potential path toward eventual
citizenship for eleven million people that might qualify is set to be unveiled
shortly through the efforts of a bi-partisan group of a number members of a
senate group headed by Republican Senator M.C. Cain of Arizona and Democrat
Shumer of New York.
The plan may
be made public well in advance of a speech by the President so that he will
outline his thoughts on this important subject. It is reasonably certain that there is much
to be accomplished by many elected officials before a final plan could reach
the point of passage. At the very least
it is most positive that so many elected officials from both parties have made
this issue important and parties on both sides of the aisle will work toward
the development of a plan that would satisfy a majority of elected officials
regardless of Party Affiliation
Presidential Election 2016
It is
becoming quite clear that the time between National Elections is becoming
shorter and shorter. Last Sunday
evening, the news magazine show Sixty Minutes presented a show less than one
week after President Obama’s Inauguration that focused on a presentation
between the President and his retiring Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. The premise of that show focused on the work
she had accomplished and stopped just short if an endorsement for her in 2016. It seems to me that the movement to bring
the 2016 election into focus as early as they did made the election, onerous
and it is way too soon after the last election.
Over 2000 dead in Brazil Night club fire
I do not
intend to dwell on what went wrong at the club in Brazil but rather I want to
offer my condolences to all of the college students and their families. This story is like Groundhog Day as from
time to time these tragic events keep repeating, but the results are always the
same. The pyrotechnic portions of these presentations must be outlawed.
Book I Have Enjoyed
I Have
Always Tried to Make This Blog Personal and at the same time Current. and
accordingly. I present Books that I have Enjoyed Reading in the recent past.
As the
winter weather has arrived and settled in on the North Shore, I have been more
confined to my home and as such I have resumed my focus as a dedicated book
reader. As noted in another section of
this presentation we have also become movie goers recently and have enjoyed
some of the historical and period type current movies like Argo, Lincoln. Les
Miz and others like them.
My choice in
books runs pretty much in the same direction.
This report is not meant to be a book recommendation section, but simply
points out this one person’s choices. I
have greatly enjoyed part two of a three book trilogy titled Winter of the World in the Century
Series written by Ken Follett. These
books were a follow ups to a previous series called The Fall of Giants that traced the plights of several families
living in America, England, Germany and Russia. There is one final book in that trilogy to
be completed and I anxiously wait for that publication. Mr. Follett previous wrote a couple of series
about the building of a cathedral in England in the Middle Ages that were most
enjoyable.
At the
present moment, I have been drawn to historical novels and have enjoyed an
older work by William Martin on Citizen
Washington. I have also completely
enjoyed a current work of Martin, titled The
Lincoln Letters. As this is prepared
I am captivated by a Jon Meacham work called Jefferson-The Art of Power.
After reading of the lives of Washington, Lincoln, and now Jefferson, I
have learned much about our earliest US Presidents.
The next
offering on my reading list is the story of the Air Force during the war in the
1940’s called A Higher Call and I am
anxious to read that offering
