Westport
in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Friday,
January 30, 2015
photos/EverythingWestport.com except as noted
Quick
Article Index . . .
Obituary - Marlene Pelletier. She was a communicant of Our Lady of Grace Church.
February
7th Workshop #4 on Education for Westport's Master Plan Update.
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Westport Highway
Surveyor, Chris Gonsalves says his department prepared for Juno; issues warning
to town residents. Sand/salt mix
available to town residents at the town barn (Highway Department) in Central
Village. EverythingWestport.com Monday,
January 26, 2015 Westport Highway
Surveyor, Chris Gonsalves says his department is
prepared for winter storm Juno. “Our workers are
ready for long shifts,” Gonsalves said. “We will
work through the night and into Tuesday with only short breaks in between.” Westport braces for blockbuster blizzard! Winter storm Juno
will intensify, say forecasters. “It promises to be a significant event.”
Predictions call for up 2 feet of snow with wind gusts of up to 75 mph that
will produce substantial subzero wind chill. Coastal Westport
may get hit with hurricane force gusts and high seas. Heavy snowfall
accumulation will occur between 9 p.m. tonight through 12 noon Tuesday. Gonsalves said his crew is busy this
morning preparing the aged plows with new scrapers and skid blocks in
preparation for the monster storm. “A plow scraper
will usually last for only one major storm,” said Gonsalves.
Above: Highway
Department employee Quentin Lord welds new skid mounts onto one of the town’s
aging plows. The blades and skid mounts get replaced after each major storm. “We will put out
our six large trucks (Macks and Freightliners),
five pickups and one small dump truck manned by our crew, one cemetery
worker, and with possibly help from the building department and Board of
Health. We also will equip our two frontend loaders with blades and put them
into service if needed.” Gonsalves will also deploy his
recently acquired, elderly fire department tanker now being used as a “brine”
truck. The converted and refurbished truck will use a mix of Westport Harbor
salt water from the town docks (50%) and calcium chloride (50%) to pre-treat
the town’s road surfaces to help prevent snow and ice from sticking to the
pavement. “It enables us to
get a head start on the snow,” he said, “and we’ll need it for this monster
storm.” On its maiden
voyage last week the brine tanker earned kudos for both range and
effectivity. “We’ll still use the traditional sand/salt trucks,” Gonsalves said, but the tanker will certainly help out in
many road conditions and we plan to use it often.” “I have access to
a dozen or so subcontractors who are prepared to help us out’” Gonsalves said, so for the moment we have the manpower
necessary to fight Juno.” Of course that
fight will require all the Highway Department’s vehicles, so any breakdowns
can be catastrophic. Hence the
preparation of the plows. “We have one new
plow, but most of our plows are older than the drivers of the trucks; some as
old as 52 years and I’m not talking about the drivers,” Gonsalves
quipped. Highway Surveyor issues warning to town
residents. “Please do not
park your vehicles on the roadsides, especially down at the Point. And please
remove any basketball hoops as they present a hazard to the road clearing
equipment,” Gonsalves said. Gonsalves also wanted town residents
to know that a sand/salt mix is available to town residents but please “only
one large bucket at a time.”
Above: the New, the
Old, and the Persistent. It costs about $250 per plow for new scrapers, and
the task of refitting 50-year-old plows is an arduous chore, to say the
least, before every major storm.
Above: plows and trucks
are at the ready at the town barn.
Above: Highway
Department’s new brine tanker, an old, converted fire department pumper,
which dispenses a combination of Westport Harbor sea water and calcium
chloride onto the town’s road surfaces to impede snow and ice buildup.
Sprayers on the back off the tanker quickly do away with ice and snow upon
contact.
Above: One of the town’s
two frontend loaders fills the six-wheelers with a sand/salt combination in
preparation for the big snow blow.
Above: A highway
department employee patches up an aged frontend loader to once again do
battle with snow drifts and parking lots. Obituary
- Marlene Pelletier. She was a
communicant of Our Lady of Grace Church. EverythingWestport.com Friday, January
30, 2015 It is with great
sympathy Mrs. Pelletier
was the mother of Westport Police Chief Keith Pelletier. Prayer service to
which relatives and friends are invited will be Sunday, February 1st at the
Potter Funeral Home at 2:30 p.m.; visitation will be from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
prior to the service. Born in Fall
River, she was daughter of the late Manuel and Deolinda
(Pereira) Ferreira. She dedicated her life lovingly to her family and the
community. She was a communicant of Our Lady of Grace Church, Westport where
over the years she taught catechism, helped the teen club and was president
of the couples club. She dedicated
years of service to the Town of Westport's democratic committee, personnel
board and volunteered at the voting polls. She also volunteered her time helping
Senator Michael Rodrigues. Including her
husband, survivors include 4 sons: Bryan Pelletier of Swansea, Peter
Pelletier of Somerset, Allen D. Pelletier of Westport and Keith A. Pelletier
of Westport; a daughter: Karen O’Donnell of Swansea; 3 brothers: David
Ferreira of CO, Sonny Ferreira of Swansea and Russell Ferreira of Assonet; 17
grandchildren: Holly, Emma, Heather, Michelle, Christine, Lisa, Mathew,
Andrew, A.J., Jessica, Jeremy, Stephen, Leslie, Patrick, Austin, Brody and
Lily; 14 great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. A Mass of
Christian Burial will be announced at a later date. Flowers are
acceptable or memorial donations may be made to: Beacon
Hospice, 182 N. Main Street, Fall River, MA 02720. EverythingWestport.com Saturday, January
31, 2015 The Westport
Cultural Council received more than $10,000 in grant requests with $4,000 in
funds to distribute. During fall meetings members established priorities to
best promote access and support for the arts, humanities and interpretive
sciences in the community. Awards went to: Westport
Historical Society; New Bedford Whaling Museum; Jane Dufault for a school trip to the New Bedford Symphony
youth concert; Acushnet Classic Ensemble summer camp for youth; Westport
Land Conservation Trust; Westport River Watershed Alliance; Mass.
Audubon - Allen’s Pond; SouthCoast Artists;
New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks! teen artists
internship; Westport Free Public Library - family performance;
Dianne Pereira - field trip for special needs students; and Claudia
Gonzalez - field trip to Fuller Craft Museum for fourth-grade students. Over the past
year, a community survey was conducted, with assistance from Roger Williams
University students, to gain a better understanding of the needs and
interests of Westport residents. Four new members were appointed to the WCC,
adding new insights and perspective to the work of the group. Individual WCC
members contributed to the Westport Master Planning Committee effort to
emphasize the important role of the arts and humanities to life in Westport.
Above: Westport
Cultural Council members from the left are: Rud
Lawrence, Lucy Tabit, Suzanne Thomlinson (chair,) Trintje Jansen, Carolyn Duby,
Judi Duval, Marie Fontaine, and Irene Buck. The Westport
Cultural Council is one in a statewide network of local councils funded by
the Massachusetts Cultural Council, appropriated by the Legislature in its
annual state budget. The support of local legislators is critical to this
process. Local Council members are appointed by town selectmen to serve
three-year terms and meet monthly to plan, promote and award funds, and to
maintain all records and reports on the grant process for both the town and
the state. The 2015 Helen
Ellis Charitable Trust grant applications will be available in February.
Review guidelines on the Westport Cultural Council website and download an
application form or speak to a WCC member for more information. Potential
applicants can visit www.westportculturalcouncil.org or visit the Facebook page for more information. February
7th Workshop #4 on Education for Westport's Master Plan Update. EverythingWestport.com Sunday, February
1, 2015 All Westport
residents are invited to offer their input on the goals for the Education
chapter of the Master Plan Update on Saturday Inset: the troubled Westport Middle School is at the center of the town’s financial
pinch in improving educational facilities in Westport’s farming/agricultural/fishing
community. The fourth of the
public input sessions, Workshop 4 will address goals and objectives for
education in Westport. This is the first time that education will be
addressed in the master plan. The six goals
include: Goal 1 - Prepare all Westport Community School students for college,
technical job readiness, and career success); Goal 2 - Communicate the
importance and value of a quality education to all members of the Westport
Community; Goal 3 - Increase engagement with the community; Goal 4 - provide safe state-of-the-art facilities
that will integrate academic programs; Goal 5 -
Maximize use of school facilities for community activities; and Goal 6 -
Provide the required financial resources to meet the goal of quality
education for students . The draft goals
and objectives for the Education chapter can be reviewed on the Planning
Board website at: http://planningboard.westport-ma.com/. The Master Plan
Sub-committee of the Planning Board wants your opinions. Community input is
essential to the Master Plan process. Each person has valuable experience as
a Town resident to respond to the facilitator's questions and offer comment
on any and all of the goals developed by the Education group and refined by
the Master Plan Sub-committee. The Planning
Board has contracted with Consultants Horsley Witten as expert facilitators
to assist the groups with the priority setting process. Horsley Witten has
assisted towns throughout the Commonwealth to create and or update Master
plans; they are well known for their public engagement process. Refreshments will
be provided. Admission is free; to RSVP or if you have any questions, please
contact James Hartnett, Town Planner at 508.636.1037 or email planning@westport-ma.gov. © 2015 Community Events of Westport. All rights
reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
