Westport
in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Quick
Article Index . . .
Westport firefighters target needy families.
Hue and cry to save Linden tree!
WRWA Works for Clean Water – Puddle by Puddle.
|
Westport firefighters target needy
families. EverythingWestport.com Wednesday, November 16, 2011
"For
over a decade Westport firefighters have delivered food baskets to town
residents in need for the Thanksgiving holiday," said firefighter Dan
Baldwin, coordinator for both Lees and the firefighters. "The bags
provide all the fixings for a Thanksgiving meal from a fresh turkey to
dessert." "We
are fortunate to team up with Lees Market for many events throughout the Those
in need were identified through the Reduced School Lunch Program, Veteran's
Officer Jerry LeBoeuf, and the
Westport Council of Aging. "We
received a lot of phoned-in requests for help right up till this
morning," Baldwin said. About
15 firefighters spent their time off making deliveries throughout town
Wednesday morning. Contributing
were Lees Market, its customers, Westport permanent firefighters, Westport
call firefighters, and Westport's Fire Chief and Deputy Chief.
From the left:
Darren Nunes, Adam Silva, Glenn Nunes,
Tony Ward, Dan Baldwin, Keith Nickelson, Bob Porawski, Courtney Andrade, Todd Mackay, Fire Chief Brian
Legendre, and Deputy Chief Allen Manley. Hue and cry to save Linden tree! EverythingWestport.com Wednesday, November 16, 2011 Responding
to the outpouring of public sentiment to save Central Village's lone
remaining Linden, the Central Village Improvement Committee met Wednesday
morning and unanimously passed a motion to reconsider saving the historic
tree while prioritizing pedestrian safety. "We're
looking at alternatives," committee member Elaine Ostroff said. "We
experienced serious mumbling (about the tree)," she said. "If we
didn't have sidewalks we wouldn't have this problem." "But
this area is the densest part of Westport with pedestrian traffic,"
Ostroff added. "We
need to clarify our direction," Ostroff added. "The committee has
always wanted to save the tree, but cost and safety were always a
factor." Committee
co-chair Ann Squire offered a workaround that just might work: "Run the
west-side sidewalk south from Village Way until it gets to the Linden
tree," Squire said. "Then ramp it down to the paved street, run it
south along the street side for about 10 feet, then ramp it back up to the
originally-planned path." The
diverted sidewalk would incorporate brightly painted, diagonal stripes, and
could possibly be integrated into a crosswalk at this point. Both sidewalk
and crosswalk would have "rumble strips" that would train passing
traffic to the crosswalk's presence. Of
course we will have to run the amended plan by Massachusetts DOT (Department
of Transportation)," Squire said. Committee Co-Chairman David Wallace said that Mass
Highway has said informally to take the tree down. The Committee had considered putting this part of the
sidewalk around the back of the tree, using either crushed stone or a wooden
boardwalk, but rejected the idea because the slope of the altered sidewalk could
pose a danger to elderly and handicapped walkers. "Rerouting the sidewall
on the back side of the tree could also cause potential damage to the tree's
root system," Wallace said.
"It
was the hardest decision I've ever had to make," Ostroff added. But
it's possibly a Liberty Tree says local noted historian Norma Judson, who
believes the tree is over 200 years old. “There’s no excuse for this I
can see,” Judson told the Herald News. “You just don’t chop down a living
thing. Westport is a country town. If you want that, go to the city.” The
committee passed a motion to get quotes from three arborists (tree doctors)
for a full evaluation (medical exam) of the tree's health. "The tree will come down
eventually," Wallace said. "We'll have to deal with it now or the
town will have to deal with it in the future." Wallace suggested potential
landscaping around the lofty, stately tree to integrate it into its
surroundings. "We need to reinforce the landscaping that's already
there," Wallace said. It was suggested that CPC
money could be appropriated to fund the changes to the sidewalk plan as the
tree is deemed to be historical, and certainly worthy of preservation, if it
is healthy. "We should just let
nature take its course," committee member Ann Squire said. The
Central Village Improvement Committee will meet again next Thursday, December
1st at 8:30 a.m. at the Westport Town Hall.
WRWA Works for Clean Water – Puddle by Puddle. EverythingWestpoert.com Friday,
November 25, 2011
What’s
in the runoff can affect our drinking water, shellfish beds, fisheries,
stream and river health, soil health, and other resources. When rain that
falls on hot pavement is heated and then runs quickly into a cold stream, it
has a specific negative impact. Several fish species, such as the locally
rare sea-run brook trout, need cold and clean streams and are affected
greatly by any large changes in temperature. Inset: Road runoff from rainstorms drives
polluted water to the river. WRWA works to identify and clean up stormwater runoff in Westport. There
are many ways of removing pollutants from stormwater
so that we can have clean water entering back into our water supplies,
streams, and rivers. Many times the solution involves slowing the stormwater down so that it can absorb into the soil,
which will help filter out pollutants. In other situations plants and
mushrooms can help remove oils, heavy metals, and some excess nutrients.
Other areas require chemicals or mechanical filters. In some cases bioretention ponds help remove pollutants. These are just
a few examples of solutions to stormwater
pollution, and each site needs the proper solution to be tailored to the
location. So you can see why this is so tricky. The Westport
River Watershed Alliance (WRWA) has located many of the stormwater
issues in the watershed and is working to provide resources to help create a
watershed that will thrive and that everyone can use safely for many
generations. There are a number of local stormwater
issues that WRWA is focused on: along Route 177, at the Head of Westport, at
several points along River Road, and on Drift Road. These projects are all in
different stages of investigation, planning, and engineering. You will be
hearing much more about these projects as they continue forth. They are being
worked on by the State, the Town, individuals, organizations, and local
contractors. They are all being supported by federal and state grants, such
as the 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant which is being used to support the
work at the Head of Westport. These
are just a few of the stormwater issues around the
Westport River watershed, and WRWA is working alongside many other groups and
individuals to complete them in the most beneficial manner for the watershed.
There
are plenty of things that you can do on your own property to help lessen the
amount of pollutants that enter into the watershed. Contact WRWA at
508.6363016 or email: b.white@wrwa.com
if you’d like to find out how you can help improve the water quality in your
community, or if you see something that might be a stormwater
problem. For
more information please call or click 508.636.3016 or visit their website: www.westportwatershed.org.
Westport
River Watershed Alliance, PO Box 3427, 1151 Main Road, Westport, MA 02790 © 2011 Community Events of Westport. All rights
reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
