Westport
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EverythingWestport.com
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
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The entrepreneurial spirit thrives in Westport.
Historic mariner Paul Cuffe to be honored in four programs, September 23-24.
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EverythingWestport.com Tuesday, September 20, 2011
This
September 25th is the twelfth annual International Ataxia Awareness Day. Coyne
lost his wife, Janet, to Ataxia on September 21, 2008. Ataxia
is a debilitating disorder that disrupts coordination because parts of the
nervous system that control movement and balance are affected. National Ataxia
Foundation. "Many
people throughout the United States have never heard of ataxia," Coyne
said. "That is why the National Ataxia Foundation and other ataxia organizations
throughout the world have declared September 25, 2011 as "International
Ataxia Awareness Day." East Beach Road takes center stage. Selectmen
continued the discussion on the restoration of East Beach Road, and looked to
the possibilities of jetties, an off-beach artificial reef (breakwater),
and/or culverts under Gooseberry's causeway as long term solutions to combat
the devastating erosion of the battered beach by ocean storms. "The
road should be opened immediately," Selectman Antone
Vieira said. The motion passed unanimously with the condition that police
determine the road is safe, and that appropriate signs cautioning motorists,
especially motorcyclists, that they pass at their own risk.
Left:
Emergency Management Director, Brian Legendre expresses his concern over the safety of
East Beach Road. Right: Selectmen ask Highway Department foreman, Chris Gonsalves, to do his best in preparing the road surface
to increase stability for traffic, including motorcycles. “Even if we take a vote to open the road tonight, we
may close it just as fast,” select board Chairman Richard Spirlet
said. There
was concern that the surface base of the temporary road running north of the
now destroyed East Beach Road, was to soft and gravelly for motorcycles and
speeding vehicles. Highway
Department foreman Chris Gonsalves, standing in for
an absent Jack Sisson, agreed to scrape the road to remove loose gravel and
work on the signs issue. Gonsalves agreed the road
would be best served by excavating down two feet to solid fill, and then
building up the road with proper material. No asphalting will occur until a
permanent solution is implemented to protect the endangered evacuation route.
EMI
consultant Richard Kleiman (pictured left) proposed
to selectmen a partnership with the company on the town's acquiring up to 2
or more megawatts of electricity over 20 years from a large-scale solar panel
farm now being considered in Dartmouth on Old Fall River Road in which the
Town of Dartmouth has expressed an interest and agreed to participate. More
later. In other business, auto repair
license renewals were approved for two State Road businesses. Big Mark
Enterprises, Inc. on 937 State Road was unanimously granted an amendment to
his repair license, and State Road Auto Sales, 851 State Road was unanimously
granted a repair license. The
Selectmen unanimously appointed Patrol Officer James B. Roberts, Jr. to the
full-time position per request of the Police Chief who said the Officer
Roberts has "passed all exams and prerequisites for being elevated to
fulltime." Shellfish
Constable Gary Sherman requested and was granted the opening of scallop
season. Opening day will be sunrise, October 15th. Resident and commercial
licenses can be obtained from the Town Clerk's office. The
job description for the Animal Control Officer was approved and adopted by
the Selectmen. "It's a 7 day, 24-hour on-call job," select board
Chairman Richard Spirlet said when asked about late
night assistance from other sources. "That's the job if they want
it," Spirlet said. The
Palmer Farm's bond (previously approved at town meeting) paperwork was signed
off by Selectmen. And
Karen Pacheco was appointed to the Narrows Redevelopment Committee by a
unanimous vote. Her request letter indicated that she wanted to stay in touch
and be aware of developments in the area where she is a resident. The entrepreneurial spirit thrives
in Westport. EverythingWestport.com Thursday,
September 22, 2011 photos/EverythingWestport.com Bucking the national trend, five Westport
startups prove that small businesses really are vital to a healthy economic recovery.
And research suggests that this entrepreneurial spirit is responsible for up
to 80% of all new jobs annually.
FOURTECH Computer Services, located at 780 Main Road in the
Village Commons Plaza, is offering a "wide range of business IT
solutions," according to Stefan Grein and
Matthew Wakeman. These IT professionals really
speak your language, whether it be network administration, remote support,
troubleshooting and virus removal, or product upgrades and sales. "FOURTECH, a Lenovo Business Partner, specializes
in both PC and Apple Computers," said Stephan Grein.
If you can't speak computer-ese, then you'll enjoy
talking with Stefan and Matthew. For
more information call or click them at 508.636.4112, or email Stefan at: sgrein@fourtechsupport.com
or Matthew at: mwakeman@fourtechsupport.com. Left: Stephan Grein
(foreground) and Mathew Wakeman are shown providing
software and hardware upgrades in their well-equipped office in Village
Commons Plaza.
Lino Rego, the current Commander of Westport's American Legion James Morris Post No. 145, is no stranger to community service, and has long
dreamed about operating his own variety store. His
careful planning has really paid off. Located
on 526 Sanford Road, this former location of the B&E
Country Store has been meticulously renovated inside and out, and offers a
wide range of convenience items, deli, cold beverages and steaming hot coffee
for your morning drive. Be
sure to stop by on Saturday and meet Lino and Janet.
Owner
Dawn Trudeau, R.N., BSN (pictured left) and the business' Medical Director
Dr. Joseph Russo M.D., F.A.C.S. offer Laser Skin Rejuvenation Service
consultations including: Coolglide, Laser Genesis, and
Laser Titan. Skin
Care services include: Botox, Juvederm, Signature
Lift, Acne Lift, Wrinkle Lift and Lightening Peel. Skin
care products include; Image, Colorescience Pro
(endorsed by the Skin Cancer Foundation,) and Allergans
(Botox, Juvederm, and Latisse.) And
for the Body, Mind and Spirit, they offer Energy Transformation, Foot
Detoxification, Hot Rocks and Reiki, and SVA HA Yoga, They
are currently offering special introductory prices for a limited time only. Want to learn more about skin care and
products approved through the Skin Cancer Foundation and Care for Skin? Ageless
Beauty Medical Spa will be hosting a FREE
introductory event with vendors on Tuesday, September. 27th from 5 - 8 p.m.. All
are welcome. They will be giving demonstrations, and there will be refreshments
and a free raffle. For
more information call them at 774-264-9600.
There
is a new ballroom dance studio in town. It is fondly named Dancing The
Dream Ballroom Studio, since it was Sue Young's childhood dream to
open a dance studio, and she just wasn't thinking "ballroom" back
then. They are located at 245 State Road, Westport. They
offer group classes, private lessons, and wedding packages. Students can
learn a wide variety of American Style smooth and rhythm dances such as
waltz, foxtrot, tango, salsa, rumba, hustle, swing and more. No dance
experience is required and both couples and singles are welcome. Group
classes are taught in a 4 week series and the schedule changes every month.
Private lessons are by appointment as are the wedding packages. Couples are
now doing beautifully choreographed ballroom routines for their first dance! "It's
amazing for me as an instructor to be a part of someone's "big
day!" Sue said. In
October they will be introducing a new class to this area Salsa Shine class.
No partner is required since this type of dance uses the steps and styling of
salsa but shine separates the partners to allow one or both to
"shine" or show off their moves. We are hoping that anyone that has
wanted to learn ballroom dance but felt uneasy because they did not have a
partner will try the shine class. Cha cha shine
will also be on the schedule at a later date. For
more information call or click them at 401.230.3420, or email: dtdballroom@gmail.com.
More
information can be viewed at www.AccessDance.com
and www.Time2Dance.com. Dancing
The Dream Ballroom Studio will be
participating in a fundraiser for Healthfirst at
Whites of Westport on October 22nd with other area instructors and community
volunteers. Be sure to see them there. Historic mariner Paul Cuffe to be honored in four programs,
September 23-24. EverythingWestport.com Thursday,
September 22, 2011 The
New Bedford Whaling Museum and its partners proudly present four free public
programs over two days recognizing the life and accomplishments of Captain
Paul Cuffe at the New Bedford Whaling Museum,
September 23-24, culminating with the dedication of a park in his honor. Paul Cuffe (1759-1817) was the free-born son of an African
father and a Native American mother. A skillful mariner, he was also a
successful merchant, philanthropist, community leader, civil rights advocate
and abolitionist. In 1780 he petitioned for the right to vote as a landowner
and taxpayer. He established the first integrated school in America and
became an advisor to President James Madison. On
Friday, September 23, a genealogy presentation titled "The Cuffes and the Wainers,"
will be offered by George Wortham, a Cuffe/Wainer descendant, at
1:45 p.m. in the Cook Memorial Theater. At
5:30 p.m., the museum will open a new exhibit, the “Cuffe
Kitchen Gallery.” The multi-media exhibit will highlight the gallery, which
recreates an 18th century kitchen, the wooden panels of which came from Cuffe’s home in Westport. Funded in part by Mass
Humanities, the exhibit will provide an opportunity to ponder the social and
racial issues faced by Cuffe. A reception will
follow in the Jacobs Family Gallery. The
evening will conclude with a keynote lecture, "Paul Cuffe,
His Life and Times," presented by award-winning Cuffe
biographer, Lamont D. Thomas at 6:30 p.m. in the Cook Memorial Theater. On
Saturday, September 24, dedication ceremonies for Captain Paul Cuffe Park will begin at noon at Union Street and Johnny
Cake Hill. Located on Whaling Museum property, the park is adjacent to the
site where Cuffe operated his store, Cuffe & Howards. The
park’s designer, Nan Sinton, is a nationally recognized landscape designer,
horticulturist and former director of public programs for Harvard
University's Arnold Arboretum. The president and co-founder of Sinton &
Michener Associates, Inc., Sinton has designed gardens throughout North
America and Europe. The
new park incorporates a large compass rose within an elaborate terrace of
brick, bluestone, granite and Belgian paving blocks that recall Cuffe’s own ship’s compass – part of the museum
collection. Plantings include boxwood; bayberry and sea roses donated by
Sylvan Nursery, Inc., Westport, Mass. Construction and plantings were
executed by G. Bourne Knowles & Company, Inc., Fairhaven. The park will
include new interpretative wayside panels on Cuffe’s
life, produced by New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. The Cuffe commemorative plaque and new lighting were funded
in part by a grant from the City Works Community Improvement Program,
administered by the City of New Bedford Community Development Block Grant
Program. The
park site previously included 20th century whaling equipment including a 1936
harpoon cannon now on exhibit in the museum plaza, and a small garden given
by the Garden Club of Buzzards Bay in 2003. Club members will continue to
oversee the new planting. All
events are free to the public and will be held at the Whaling Museum as part
of “Old Dartmouth Roots: A Genealogy & Local History Symposium,” which is
funded through a grant from the Education through Cultural and Historical
Organizations (ECHO), administered by the United States Department of
Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement. The
New Bedford Whaling Museum is the world's most comprehensive museum devoted
to the global story of whales, whaling and the cultural history of the
region. The cornerstone of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the
Museum is located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill in the heart of the city's historic
downtown and is open daily. For more information visit: www.whalingmuseum.org
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