Annual Spring Meeting - Wednesday,
April 10, 2013
The Essex
National Heritage Commission Invites You to Winnekenni Castle, 347 Kenoza
Avenue, Haverhill, MA 01830
8:00 AM:
Continental Breakfast Reception
8:30 - 10:00
AM: Business Meeting
Participate
in this free, valuable networking opportunity that will further connect you
with the work of Essex Heritage and our partners. Please RSVP by calling Debbie
at 978-740-0444.
The 2013
grant recipients will be announced at the Annual Spring Meeting.
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.
Trails & Sails Update
September
20-22 & 27-29, 2013
Planning is
underway to celebrate our region during the 12th annual Trails & Sails: Two
Weekends of Walks and Water, September 20-22 & September 27-29, 2013!
Event
Hosts: Start planning now - event submission begins online in March. Hosting a Trails & Sails event is a great
way to build public awareness and audience for your cause, mission and
organization! Please email Emily for more information about hosting an event or
to add your organization to the Trails & Sails line-up!
Participants:
Can't wait until September? Become a member of Essex Heritage! Members are invited to events throughout the
year, and membership support helps keep Trails & Sails a FREE public
outreach event. Learn more about membership.
Coming events
Featured
Partner Event -
Friday, March 15 from 7-9PM - Andover
Historical Society presents:
“What’s it Worth”
Antiques Appraisal Event
at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation
6
Locke Street, Andover, MA 01810
Back by popular demand, the Andover Historical Society will host “What’s
it Worth” Appraisal event with Appraiser and Auctioneer and owner of Royka
Gallery in Boston, Paul Royka.
“What’s It Worth?” is an open format appraisal event, which has become
increasingly popular as appraisers have found that guests are just as curious
about the treasures brought by other guests as they are about their own. As guests enter they register their appraisal
item, place it on tables at the front of the hall, and then take a seat in the
audience. Royka will examine and discuss
each item on the tables, appraising up to 50 items during the event. Royka is an entertaining and informative
speaker whose goal is to teach the audience something new with each item he
examines. Guests may bring one item to be appraised or come to listen and enjoy
Royka’s entertaining and enlightening appraisals. Guests may bring items such
as Fine art, Chinese art, Jewelry, Art Glass & Tiffany Studios. Furniture may be brought in and pictures will
suffice. Firearms, coins, and stamps
will not be appraised at this event.
Reservations required. Essex Heritage and Andover Historical Society Members
$15; Non-Members $20. Call the Andover Historical Society 978-475-2236 to
reserve your seats.
Featured
Partner Event - Sunday, March 24, 2013 from 1:00 -
3:00pm - Essex County Greenbelt Association Presents:Signs of Rebirth at the
Willowdale Meadow
on Ipswich Road, Topsfield, MA 01983
Look for signs of the natural world’s rebirth as you tour the trails
within Greenbelt’s Willowdale Meadow, Bradley Palmer State Park, and the
Willowdale Mill Reservation. Go to Essex County Greenbelt Association’s website
for more information.
Reservations
are required. This event is free, but please email ecga@ecga.org or call
Greenbelt at 978-768-7241 to register.
Along the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway
The 85-mile
coastal route from Lynn to Newburyport
Watch
the New Byway Video: Check out this three-minute video featuring byway images
submitted to the Essex Heritage Photo Contest.
Walking Tours of Newburyport
Thoroughly
researched and well presented, the Clipper Heritage Trail is a series of
self-guided history tours of Newburyport that will fascinate visitors and
residents alike.
Byway Guidebook Available
"Essex
Coastal Byway Guide - History, Culture & Nature on the North Shore,"
makes exploring the 85-mile coastal route even easier. Written by Boston Globe
correspondent Joel Brown, the guide showcases a broad array of the byway's
historical, natural and cultural destinations. Organized by community, the book
provides an insider's understanding of how to experience the best of coastal
New England.www.essexbywayguide.com
Essex Heritage Corporate Membership Program
As you may
know, for the bulk of this year I have been actively working on the development
of the Essex Heritage Corporate Membership Program. I have made a number of contacts in Essex
County and have been very successful in convincing a number of local
Corporations to make financial commitments to assist Essex Heritage as we make
a spirieted attempt to make up some of the deficiencies that have developed as
a result of reducing governmental support to advance our mission to help
preserve, protect and promote the Historic, Cultural and Natural Resources of
this region.
The support and commitments we have received has been most gratifying,
and we are all incredibly thankful of that support. To date we have over thirty county
commitments as we urge you all to take notice of the organizations that have
offered Essex Heritage valuable support.
We urge you to review that list and be aware of the group of corporations
that have provided Essex Heritage with support. To view a list of Essex Heritage supporters
visit www.essexheritsge.org and look
under the Give section there is a list of out business supporters there.
Regional Events
Report on Activities in Salem and a
Presentation at Salem Rotary By Mayor Driscoll
After
several months away due to an illness without participating in a Salem Rotary
Club meeting, I joined in a weekly meeting with my wife, as a guest, late in
February to hear a presentation by Mayor Kim Driscoll of Salem. She provided
information relative to current activities in the City.
It was very rewarding to rejoin the members of the club, many of who I
have been a member with for a number of years.
It was good to be back with that group that has such a long and storied
history of support for the Salem community and the entire region. It was rewarding to be back to being a part
of that group even if it was for just one meeting. Getting to Salem at noon on a Tuesday takes a
real effort by both Marge and I, but we are going to make a conscious effort if
at all possible to get to a meeting each month. Due to my age and the number of years that
I have been a member, I have no specific attendance requirement, so I will try
to be at meetings as much as is possible.
When the better weather arrives it may be a bit easier to get to Salem
on a more regular basis. To report on
the Mayor’s thoughts relating to Salem, one of prime projects is the new gas
fired power plant that is moving forward on Fort Avenue. The group held a public meeting last month
that was well attended and the plans to improve that section of the city is
much anticipated. A gateway center
project planned on the site of an old Sylvania site will need a critical vote
by the City Council. That new facility
has a new, much needed Senior Center as one of the primary uses of that
proposed project. The need is great for
this use. In February, the North Shore
Elder Services Organization strongly endorsed that project and the fast growing
segments of Salem seniors are hopeful that this project will soon be underway.
The mayor provided current information on a number of residential projects that
are under development. She also
presented update on the PEM, MBTA
Station and Pedestrian Mall up-grades. The announcements by the Mayor at the
meeting were warmly received by the Rotary membership. The Mayor’s continuing
good work on behalf of the Witch City was applauded by all at the meeting.
We concluded our visit to Salem with a pleasant meeting with the owner of
the Historic Hawthorne Hotel that was featured in a recent segment of the
popular WCVB Program, Chronicle. Michael
Harrington and I were classmates for a dozen years and we had much to discuss.
DEEP Names Three to Hall of Honor in
Danvers
The Danvers
Education Enrichment Program has named three new members to their Hall of
Honor. The three local people named were
Wayne Marquis, the Danvers Town Manager; Jack Kelly who has been associated
with high school and local sports and was a former educator; and Myrna Fearer
is a former reporter from the Danvers Herald who has been a wonderful supporter
of numerous community causes. All three
of these people have been wonderful supporters of community events and should
all be complimented on their selection.
The dinner event that was held at the Danversport Yacht Club on March 7,
2013. supported the work of DEEP. The
educational initiatives of the DEEP organization were benefited by the proceeds
of the dinner for the three highly regarded winners.
Northern Essex Community College Seeks
Summer Enrichment Students
Northern
Essex Community College in Haverhill and other Northern Essex County
Communities have created a two week bridge summer enrichment program for High
School Seniors for a two week session scheduled for August 12 through August
23, 2012. The program is free of charge and is designed to make the transition
from High School to College easier. It
is also designed to build a critical foundation prior to college. To be eligible students must be a 2013 Latino
High School Graduate with a grade point average of 3.5 or better and must be
enrolled at Northern Essex Community College in the fall of 2013. For additional information on the enrollment
process or for other answers contact Gisele Nash gnash@nsscc.mss.edu or call
978-738-7418n0 Niurka Aybar at naybar@nscc.mass.edu or call her at
978-738-7451.
It is particularly interesting, connected to both that school and the
other Community College in the region, North Shore Community College that just
today, I heard a presentation on CNN produced by Georgetown University that
earnings from an Associate Degree earned from a Community College could be at
least as valuable as a four year Bachelor’s degree. All of these rewards are earned at a lower
cost. The Principal is that the
positions offered to Community College graduates may pay more money at least in
the short run. I have no more information
on this matter than what is presented in this space.
Town of Marblehead to Offer Festival of
Arts in July
A recent
announcement by the Marblehead Arts Association noted that the annual Arts
Festival will be held this July from 7.4 through 7.7. The four-day event will have an addition this
year as a outdoor film event will be added at Crocker Park. In addition to the film event, the four-day
event will feature live exhibits and performances such as kite flying, a model
boat building workshop, sand sculptures and a horrible parade will be held.
This event has become a highlight of the summer season in the yachting capital
of Essex County and the entire region.
University of Lowell to Compete in Division
One
The
chancellor (Former Massachusetts Congressman) of the University of
Massachusetts at Lowell has made the decision to take all of its athletic
programs at the University to compete at a higher level and allow the school to
compete at the Division One level. It
is his opinion that athletic endeavors represents the “front door” of the
University and will increase the visibility for the school. Lowell currently competes in Men’s Ice Hockey
at the D1 level, and soon all other sports will compete at that advanced
level. Good luck to the University and
enjoy the increased level of competition.
This information is provided in this space as the University is a
neighbor of Essex Heritage. Over the
years we have held several National Park Service events at the University.
Salem State University Lists Speaker Series
Lecturers
Salem State
University recently announced the list of speakers for this year’s Speaker
series. On April 7th the spring speaker
will be Newark New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker presented at Lynn City Hall
Auditorium. The fall presenter on
November 13th will be Award Winning Playwright and Author Tony Kushner, and the
event is scheduled for the O’Keefe Facility on the University’s campus.
City of Peabody Approves Pay Hikes for
Officials
The City
Council has recently approved pay raises for the Mayor of the City, City
Councilors and members of the School Committee.
This action was not without some unhappiness by residents as those pay
raises also impact their retirement options.
This decision has created a great deal of discussion about the pay raise
among residents of the community.
Town of West Newbury Outraged by Power
Outages
Residents of
The Town of West Newbury are particularly upset over recent frequent power
outages in that community. The residents
of the Town took out their displeasure on an official of National Grid who came
to a recent Town Selectman’s meeting to speak about cable upgrades that
National Grid wants to provide for the future benefit of both the company and
the community.
Medical, Senior and Disability Matters
News From North Shore
Elders
LGBT Elders in an Ever Changing World
Conference: The second annual LGBT Elders in an Ever Changing World
Conference will be even better than last year’s! We have added nine workshops for a total of
twenty-one - organized around seven main topical themes. For registration and
other information, visit:
www.lgbt2013.eventbrite.com.
Social work and nursing CEUs are available.
Sequestration
Unless
Congress takes preventive action this week, automatic federal spending cuts
will go into effect on March 1. For aging services programs, this "sequestration"
means a 2% cut in Medicare reimbursement and 5.1% cuts in senior housing as
well as home and community-based services funding. Medicaid would be
unaffected, however, Massachusetts could also be losing hundreds of millions of
federal dollars which will greatly impact the state's budget. Read more from Leading Age.
Residential Care Facilities
After months
of delays, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) has
promulgated emergency regulations establishing rates for residential care
facilities (rest homes) effective
January 1, 2013. As Leading Age Massachusetts has reported previously, the
Governor had reduced the original appropriation of $1.4 million for increased
rates by half as part of his 9C budget cuts. The remaining $700,000
appropriated for increased rates is being implemented in the following way:
•
For facilities with current rates less than $50.00, rates will be
increased to $50.00 or by $3.25, whichever is greater
•
For facilities with current rates between $50.00 - $70.00, rates will be
increased by $2.50
•
For facilities with current rates between $70.00 - $90.00, rates will be
increased by $1.75
•
For facilities with current rates of $90.00 or more, rates will be
increased by $1.00
In addition,
the payment rate for January 2031 will include an annulization adjustment for
the period from July 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012 will be an annulization adjustment. Although the regulations have already gone
into effect as emergency regulations, a public hearing on the regulations will
be held on March 26th at 10:00 am a the Center for Health Information and
Analysis (formerly Division of Health Care Finance and Policy), Two Boylston
Street, 5th floor, Boston, 02116. In
addition, written testimony can be sent to EOHHS, c/o D. Briggs, 100 Hancock
Street, 6th Floor, Quincy, MA 02171 by 5:00 pm on Friday April 5th.
News from Danvers
Council on Aging
BREAKFAST CLUBS
March 21 What Type of Investor are you?
Learn how to maximize your retirement savings through proper tax strategy. Come
to the Senior Center and enjoy some fresh coffee and pastries while learning
about what type of investor you really are and how to make a better retirement
for yourself. Robert J. Cryts, Financial Advisor at Cambridge Financial
Services.
March 28 SMP Empowering Seniors to Prevent
Healthcare Fraud. Healthcare errors cost billions of dollar annually.
Become an educated healthcare consumer and protect yourself and your loved ones
against Medicare fraud and deceptive marketing tactics.
Everyone welcome...Coffee and Doughnuts
are served 10:30am-11:30am
TRIAD INFORMATION
The Danvers
TRIAD Council is a partnership which includes the Sheriff and District Attorney
of Essex County, the Danvers Police and Fire Chiefs, the Council on Aging and
supportive services, and seniors. As a
senior citizen, criminals often target them because they think seniors are
vulnerable but you need not believe that concept. Your own education and
awareness can prevent these criminals from victimizing you. If you are
contacted – by telephone, mail or e-mail – by someone claiming that you have
won something and to collect, you need to verify account numbers or other
personal information; or they need your help in transferring money or anything
else that sounds too good to be true. HANG UP, DELETE or THROW AWAY such
correspondence. No legitimate company verifies information in this way. Unless
you have initiated contact, and you called, mailed or visited a company’s web
site – DO NOT give out personal information. You may visit www.donotcall.gov or
call 1-888-382-1222 to reduce the number of calls to your house. Also, visit
www.madonotcall.govconnect.com or 1-866-231-2255.
If you suspect you that you are the victim of a scam, contact the Danvers
Police Department and the Attorney General’s Office at 617-727-2200.
People in the News
William Shute was recently named
Interim Fire Chief in Newburyport In
this new role, he brings 30 years of experience to the new position. He replaces the Existing Chief who is
retiring after a thirty-four year career.
The
Selectmen of the Town of Hamilton has extended the contract of the Town’s
Manager Michael Lombardi. He has been the Hamilton Town Manager since
April 2010.
Personal Observations
Federal ‘Across the Board’ Cuts To Hurt the
Area
Unless a
deal is struck between the Administration and the Congress at the eleventh
hour, the across the board cuts scheduled on March 1, 2013 will likely have a
most negative impact on funding for education, research, defense and other
administrative functions and will likely impact job losses.
Winter Weather To Impact Region
As we move
closer to March 2013, we do not seem to be getting any closer to Spring, but
the calendar tells us that spring is only just weeks away. February has been a most wintery month
with records for snowfall being set all across the country. All along the magnificent coastline of this
state there are damages evident everywhere and Essex County has not been spared
in the least. There has been erosion of
beaches from the North Shore to Cape Cod and the funding needed today to make
the needed restorative corrections will be difficult to obtain. In the Town of Rockport, roads were washed
away and divesting damage was done to sea walls all over that community. In Ipswich we have seen incredible
pictures of what has happened to the beaches in that community and the work
that is needed to restore the damages done to Plum Island and the homes close
to the water will me a large difficult task.
Boston Professional Sports
The results
of the local Boston Professional teams are both up and down. The Celtics, after failing to make a big
trading day transaction moved to just over 500 on their current western road
trip. The Bruins on the other hand are on
a multi game winning streak and are near the top of the standings with fewer
games played than most of their competitors.
This may come back to haunt them as their schedule will become much more
difficult with games more frequently are scheduled in the future. The local baseball team has started the
spring by winning and losing about the same number of games and there appears
to be hope for that pitching staff that was perceived to be a weakness.
