Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Quick Article Index . . .
They're back,
and many put bread in their jar!
Nocturnal exercises keep firefighters
focused in dim light.
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EverythingWestport.com Monday,
May 02, 2011 Select Board Sound Bites. Westport Selectmen finalized the 48+ article town
warrant with the changes made in Monday night's meeting. Click
here to review the Town Warrant. In perhaps a Freudian slip, the Fall
River Herald reported Tuesday that Selectmen did not remove from the warrant an "article
creating more stringent rules for licensing drug dealers." The small typo got a big laugh at
town hall. The warrant article actually refers to junk collectors, which
oddly enough sometimes buy a lot of valuable scrap metals from drug addicts. In normal BOS business: Selectmen unanimously approved a
request by Kevin R. and Gloria A. Curt a transfer of a six-month seasonal
trailer permit at 85 East Beach Road. Selectmen unanimously approved an
application to increase the number of vehicles allowed on the premises of
State Road Auto sales by 227 spaces per a submitted parking plan. A scheduled meeting with town counsel
regarding reduction of legal expenses and the CPA anti-aid amendment was
cancelled as town counsel didn't show. Westport's Tom Hancock made another
brief appearance to promote the creation of a third town beach to ease access
to the ocean for the elderly and disabled. The Selectmen unanimously endorsed
the plan to approach the Department of Conservation for the possible
lease/grant/acquisition of state-owned land for a proposed CPC-funded, three
acre parking lot at the furthermost western section of Horseneck Beach. The
plan is supported by the Westport Beach Commission. State representative Paul Schmid was
scheduled to discuss with Selectmen a house bill on healthcare and a
state-operated insurance plan, but was cancelled when the finalizing of the town
warrant ran long and contentious. In other business, the Town
Administrator reported that The Stonemasons, Inc. was selected to remove the
stone walls and field rocks from the Westport Youth Soccer field, and that
they would pay the town $1000. The Town Administrator also reported
that the Westport River Watershed Alliance and the Buzzards Bay Coalition has
been awarded a grant of $389,000 by the US EPA as administered by the DEP to
mitigate stormwater runoff at the Westport Middle
School. "This is another great example of how a federal government
program working in conjunction with a public/private partnership can advance
the health of the Westport River," he said. Also, Selectmen voted unanimously to
grant end of year budget transfer requests from the town's Treasurer for
Elections/Registrations and for the Veterans department. Selectmen also granted an end of year
budget transfer request of $15,000 by the Highway Department. Selectmen also received a memo from
the Planning Board regarding the resignation of Planning Board member Gregory
Franchetti. In a marathon almost two hour long debate,
Westport's newest select board firmed up the warrant for the upcoming Town
Meeting. Click
here to review the Town Warrant. Freshman select board members led by Antone Vieira Jr. moved quickly to exert their influence
over several previously BOS-supported articles with which they had basic philosophical
differences. "I think it's important we have
a discussion with those affected by certain provisions of these articles before
they are voted on at town meeting," Vieira said. Town Moderator, Steven Fors, was in attendance and cautioned selectmen about changing articles
put on the warrant by town departments other than the selectmen. "I
think it may be able to be done," Fors said."
But you might be going down a slippery slope." Articles 4 through 17, known as
consent calendar (routine) articles, were quickly accepted. Article 24, authorizing the Board of Selectmen to borrow $1,400,000, was approved; $900,000 for the
purchase of Highway Department equipment, and $500,00 for school building repairs. However, after considerable debate
the Article
28, also known as the "brunch bill" will go before voters at town meeting,
despite the concerns of several selectmen. This article will authorizing the sale of
on-premises alcoholic beverages between the hours of 10:00 a.m. - 12.00 noon on Sundays. Stricter licensing of junk collectors to go before town
meeting. By a vote of three to two, selectmen
rejected the removal of language in Article 29 that will impose tighter
controls over the issuing of junk collector licenses. In the past, selectmen have
been critical with the issuance of junk collector licenses by the Town Clerk,
comparing it to the "granting of dog licenses." Viera and Spirlet favored the
removal; Coyne, Dutra and Ouellette voted to retain. “We should at least have a meeting with them
(junk collectors),” Vieira said, "as they are directly affected," a
position echoed by Board of Selectmen Chairman Richard Spirlet. Select board chair Richard Spirlet assured Moderator Fors
that only those articles put on the warrant by the Board of Selectmen were
under consideration for review and possible modification,. Late in the evening the Selectmen voted
unanimously to accept the town warrant as amended. They're back, and many put bread in
their jar! EverythingWestport.com Saturday, May 07, 2011
Click here
to view the video clip.
Above: Laura from Westport "put
bread in the jar" held by Wilma Woodruff. Sue Smith is rockin' to the right and daughter Sandy Thurston is rockin' to the left. It was a big day for the Women's
Club "rockettes!" These lady rockers were hitting all the
high notes ($10, $20, $50, and C-notes!) as they filled their glass jars with
cash from generous shoppers at Lees Market supporting the Rock-A-Thon’s
scholarship program. The Westport Women's Club has been raising
money since 1951 for local scholarships, their first award being for $50. In 2010, their Rock-A-Thon raised
enough money to award six, $500 scholarships. 2011 promises to be better as one
individual donor alone raised pledges from family and friends in excess of
$1500. "Wilma Woodruff's mom, Martha
Kirby, started raising money for the Women's Club in 1951, and raised $50 through
an antiques show for the first awarded scholarship," Women's Club "rockette' Sue
Smith said. The Westport Women’s Club's 11th
annual Rock-A-Thon ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with several shifts
"manning" the six rocking chairs. “It’s hard work,” said one rocker,
“but someone hadda do it! This is our annual fund raiser for monies
to be used for scholarships for deserving students.” The Westport Women’s Club “rockettes” rocked up a pile of cash for their scholarship
fund, while three generations of moms and moms-to-be decorated Mother’s Day
cakes at Lees Market. If you can't make it to Lees, get in
touch with any one of their members to make a donation. "We rocked them in the cradle and now
we'll rock them into college," said Pat Dean. "It was a fantastic day,"
Sue Smith exclaimed.
Above left: Doris Sanford (left) and
Roberta Chaves. Right:
Doris Sanford, oldest living president
of the Women's Club, smiles as the cash mounts up. Nocturnal
exercises keep firefighters focused in dim light. EverythingWestport.com Friday, May 06, 2011
Hydraulic rescue tools are used by emergency rescue personnel to assist vehicle
extrication of crash victims, as well as other rescues from small spaces.
These tools include cutters, spreaders, door busters and rams. They are popularly referred to
as Jaws of Life, a trademark
of Hurst Performance Inc. The Jaws of Life was first used in 1963 as a tool
to free race car drivers from their vehicles after accidents. Hydraulic rescue
tools are powered by a hydraulic pump, which in Westport's case are engine-powered
from the fire trucks. - Wikipedia These tools may
be either single-acting, where hydraulic pressure will only move the cylinder
in one direction, and the return to starting position is accomplished using a
pressure-relief valve and spring setup, or dual-acting, in which hydraulic
pressure is used to both open and close the hydraulic cylinder. But the tool is only as good as the
operator, thus Westport firefighters are routinely trained, including this
night time exercise, on how to use the life-saving Jaws of Life.
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