Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Quick Article Index . . .
2006 Hummer stretch
limousine in fire.
Free sand, sand/salt mix available to
Westport residents.
Census forms mailed to all Westport
households.
Real estate tax bills go green.
Westport
Troop 63 helps Haitian survivors with personal health kits.
EverythingWestport.com
Thursday, January
14, 2010 At
2:15 pm yesterday afternoon, the Westport Fire Department received a call of
a structure fire at 86 Forge Rd.
Arriving apparatus found a 2006 Hummer stretch limousine fully
involved in fire along with the garage portion of a two story wood frame
house. The
fire, which was brought under control in approximately 30 minutes, caused an
undetermined amount of damage to the structure and the limousine. The
Westport Fire Investigation Unit remained on the scene to conduct an origin
and cause investigation. The investigation
unit did confirm that the limousine, which was in the garage at the time of
the fire, was driven out by prior to the fire department arriving but the
cause remains under investigation. The
owner of the property was listed as Joe Fernandes of Westport. The owner of the limousine was listed as
Salon Salon of Fall River. The
Westport Fire Department responded three engines, one ladder to the scene.
One unidentified person was transported to Charlton Memorial Hospital by Stat
ambulance for smoke inhalation. EverythingWestport.com
Thursday,
January 14, 2010 The
Westport Police Explorer Post will be sponsoring a Masonic CHIP Event (Child Identification Program) at Westport
High School this Saturday, January 16, 2010. According to
Deputy Chief John Gifford, “the event will run from 9 a.m.
-
2:30
p.m. The parents or guardians of those processed
will be presented a brief videotape, a set of fingerprints, a ToothprintsTM bite
impression and a DNA swab, free of
charge.” For
more information go to www.MyCHIP.org. Gifford emphasized
that “the collected information is given only to the parents or guardians,
and is not retained by any other authority including the Westport Police
Department.” MYCHIP is about Our Kids!
The
program provides tools to help law enforcement authorities find and identify
a lost or missing child. The Masons of Massachusetts,
partnering with the Massachusetts Crime Prevention Officers
Association and the Massachusetts Dental Association, donate MYCHIP
resources to make this service available to the public. None of the information is copied
and all the identifying materials are given to the child's family. Their free program provides the following
materials: ·
VIDEOTAPE: A brief
videotaped interview that can be quickly distributed to the media in order to
reach a huge audience. ·
FINGERPRINTING: Fingerprinting is
a well-known means of identification. Resourceful parents keep fingerprints
available should the need arise. ·
TOOTHPRINTS: A tooth print
bite impression is quick and easy. Teeth, like fingerprints are unique. A
dental imprint gives both accurate and important information for
identification purposes. ·
CHEEK SWAB: A Q-tip is gently
rubbed on the inside of a child’s cheek to gather DNA material. Call
Deputy Chief John Gifford at the Westport Police Department (508) 636-1122
with further questions or to register.
Walk-Ins
Will Be Accepted. Free sand, sand/salt mix available to Westport
residents. EverythingWestport.com
Thursday,
January 14, 2010
“Resident’s used to get their sand directly
from the Highway Department,” said Kershaw, “but accessibility and the secure
location makes the Transfer Station a better pick-up point for town
residents.”
+enlarge Census forms mailed to all Westport households. EverythingWestport.com
Thursday,
January 14, 2010 Imperative all
residents comply Registrars say. Census
forms for the year 2010 have been mailed to every household in Westport, the
Town’s Board of Registrars has announced. A
yearly census is mandated by the state and must be returned in the envelope
provided within 10 days. Any resident who did not receive a form, including
residents in new dwellings, should notify the office at (50-8) 636-1001.
Residents are asked to follow the instructions on the back of the form, and
complete information on any new residents. If a family member has moved that
member’s new address should be provided. The
census forms must be signed, dated and returned even if no changes have
occurred in the household. It
is important that all residents are reached in order to obtain an accurate
population count and street listing. The local census is especially important
for school enrollment planning, senior citizen needs and veterans’ benefits.
The population information is a factor in determining the amount of sate-aid received
by the town. “Therefore,
it is imperative that all residents comply,” the Registrars said. Drop-off
receptacles for census forms have been placed in front of the Town Hall alongside
the mail boxes. Real estate tax bills go green. EverythingWestport.com
Thursday,
January 14, 2010 Tax Collector pushes for payment
of real estate bills by “e-bill.” Actual
3rd and 4th quarter fiscal 2010 Real Estate & Personal Property tax bills
were mailed on December 31, 2009. According to Westport’s Tax Collector Carol
Borden “new property owners may contact the Office of the Collector of Taxes
at (508) 636-1010 for a copy if they did not receive one. Our office hours
are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.” The
offices of the Tax Collector and Town Clerk are open late the last Monday
night of the month from 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Please note the assessor’s
office is closed to the public on Thursdays. Ms.
Borden said that “third quarter payments are due February l, 2010. The 4th
quarter installment is due on or before May 3, 2010. Any payment made after
the respective due date is subject to 14% per annum interest. THERE IS NO
GRACE PERIOD. Payment may be made by mail, in person or on-line at www.westport-ma.gov using e-bill for 35 cents per transaction
fee. On-line payments may be made up until the due date only. No late
payments are accepted on-line.” “The
e-bill system prints out a report and posts automatically, saving us time
with research and entering bills manually. It
also eliminates printing second bills, which is environmentally friendly. If you
need help in setting up an account with e-bill, please dial (508) 460-6000,
EXT 601. It is the preferred system we would like our customers to use.” Carol
Borden, Westport Tax Collector When property
owners choose the on-line payment program through e-bill for real estate,
they will receive an e-mail reminder from the e-bill service company when the
4th quarter is due. You will be aware the payment is due, whereas, no
reminder is sent through the US Postal Service. It also eliminates the
guessing game and the time to process bills when customers use their own
on-line bill pay system. According
to Ms. Borden “when you use your own system (e.g., postal), no bill is sent
to us. At deadline dates, numerous checks (sometimes around 50 per day) are
received without bills. At times, the bill number listed on the check does
not match what customers are paying, e.g., an excise bill number is listed,
when a real estate bill is being paid. A bill has to be printed out and
entered manually. We will be considering at least a 50-cent per duplicate
bill fee for payments received with no bill for future payments.” Westport Troop 63 helps Haitian
survivors with personal health kits. EverythingWestport.com
Thursday,
January 14, 2010 The
scouts of Troop 63 will be providing help to the survivors of Haiti in the
form of personal health kits. The
Troop has begun a collection drive of personal health items which include
much needed items for personal hygiene. These kits contain a hand towel, face
cloth, comb, bar of soap, toothbrush, nail clippers or nail file, six
adhesive bandages, $1 for toothpaste, and $1.50 for shipping. All
items should be placed in a gallon size zip lock bag. The scouts will
organize and prepare the kits for shipment. They will be working in
conjunction with the United Methodist Committee on Relief. The Troop will
accept supplies for kits, completed kits or monetary donations. Checks
should be made payable to Troop 63. Drop off boxes will be located at the
Westport Point United Methodist Church, Brayton’s Garage, Westport Town Hall
and the Fire Station on Briggs Road. On
Saturday, January 30, the Troop will be holding a collection drive at Lees
Market on Main Road in Westport. The scouts will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. accepting donations, kits, or supplies. On
Sunday January 31 at 5:30 p.m. there will be a twilight service at the Westport
Point United Methodist Church on Main Road. All donations will benefit the
Haiti disaster relief. Questions
can be forwarded to wesporttroop63@gmail.com. - - - - - End - - -
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