Westport
in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Friday,
November 20, 2015
photos/EverythingWestport.com except as noted
Quick
Article Index . . .
Antonio B. Gracia,
Jr., 89, of Westport, passed away on Thursday, November 12, 2015.
Letter
to the editor: Protect hauntingly beautiful, yet fragile, spit of land (Beach
Avenue.)
Updates from the Hill for November
20, 2015 by Paul Schmidt.
Letter to the Editor: Selectman
wants to keep Beach Avenue open for all town residents.
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Antonio B. Gracia, Jr., 89, of Westport,
passed away on Thursday, November 12, 2015. EverythingWestport.com Monday,
November 16, 2015 Antonio B. Gracia, Jr., 89, of Westport,
passed away on Thursday, November 12, 2015, at Rhode Island Hospital. He was the Westport
Selectmen noted his passing at their Monday night meeting. “He was a Westport Selectmen
from 1962 to 1968,” said Selectman Antone Vieira. “He
was a distinguished person who made Westport a great place to live.” Selectman Steve Ouellette
concurred saying “he was a pleasure to work with, very soft-spoken, with a
very strong commitment to the community.” Born in
Dartmouth, he was the son of the late Antonio B. Gracia, Sr. and Anna (Bayreuther) Gracia. He resided in Westport for over 65
years and wintered for over 30 years at Holiday Park in North Port, FL. A veteran of
WWII, he served his country in the United States Navy. Prior to his
retirement, Mr. Gracia worked as an engineer for the Naval Underwater Systems
in Newport for over 30 years. He was the first Mechanical Engineer to
graduate from New Bedford Technical Institute, now UMASS Dartmouth, in May of
1950. He held many positions on many town boards in Westport and served as
Selectman from 1960-1966. He was a charter member of the Westport Lions Club
and numerous other local veteran and fraternal organizations. An avid golfer,
he enjoyed playing golf with his friends at the Hawthorne Country Club for
over 30 years, but most of all he loved spending time with his family and
friends. Survivors include
his son: James A. Gracia and his wife Janet of Easthampton, MA; his 5 daughters:
Dianne L. Rezendes and her husband Tom, Linda J.
Eastwood and her husband Paul, Susan J. DeCosta and
her husband Ken, Kathy L. Rego and her husband Ron,
LouAnn Nygaard and her
husband Klaus, all of Westport; 12 grandchildren; 8 great grandchildren; and
many nieces and nephews. He was the
brother of the late John, Donald and George Gracia and Ann Amaral. Memorial service
to which relatives and friends are invited will be Sunday, November 15, 2015
at the Potter Funeral Home at 4:00 p.m. Memorial
visitation will be from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the funeral home, prior to the
service. Interment will be
private. In lieu of
flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Westport Lions Club –
Scholarship Fund, 875 State Rd., Suite 11-120, Westport,
MA 02790, to the Westport United Congregational Church, P.O. Box 338,
Westport, MA 02790 or to a charity of your choice. EverythingWestport.com Friday, November
20, 2015 On December 1st,
at 7:00pm, please attend a short Town Meeting at Westport High School and
vote NO on closing part of Beach Avenue to current use. Summer of 2015 has
been a big success with mobi mats for handicap
access, improved public parking, and stewardship of this beautiful place. Why
pay a lot for a change the general public is not asking for? We studied the
Buzzards Bay Coalition's (BBC) plan which requires two expensive gates in two
locations across the road and permanent restriction of access to the Knubble.
Some of us read 200+ pages of supporting documents. We spoke to Con Com, the
Planning Dept., the Highway Dept, and the
Harbormaster. We and they were not included in the initial research and
development of the plan. The narrowly focused research and plan will restrict
general access. The plan is not good for the Town of Westport or Beach
Avenue, environmentally or fiscally. “Concerns about wildlife
habitat, erosion and illegal parking have been wildly overstated on Facebook
and elsewhere. They are not supported by a careful reading of BBC's
"research" or by discussion with BBC's CLE Engineering and
environmental scientists.” Concerns about
wildlife habitat, erosion and illegal parking have been wildly overstated on
Facebook and elsewhere. They are not supported by a careful reading of BBC's
"research" or by discussion with BBC's CLE Engineering and
environmental scientists. These concerns can be cost-effectively addressed
with improved management by the Town, the Westport Land Conservation Trust,
and the Beach Committee. We do not deny sea level increase, climate change, or
wildlife concerns. This plan to abandon the road, then rebuild it as an
expensive "Town Beach Park" does not address those concerns in a
sustainable way. The East end of
Knubble Beach is NOT a barrier beach. We have seen no evidence or photographs
of significant dunes there. We do have hard evidence everyone can see and
touch. The Knubble, the bedrock just under the beach, and protective reefs
offshore are ledge. They have been there over 200 million years. They have
survived thousands of hurricanes and storms. The sand keeps coming back, as
it has done for millions of years. BBC's consultant and Massachusetts Coastal
Zone Management note the expensive futility of trying to build permanent
man-made dunes in a "velocity zone". For decades the Highway
Department has renourished the beach on both sides
of Beach Avenue, just as they do on Atlantic Avenue and East Beach Road. This
works and does not cost much. The general
public is happy with Beach Ave and Knubble Beach as is. BBC's plan will
restrict public access, benefit a small interest group, and cost the Town
more money for upkeep and repair. Cukie and Alice Macomber Westport
Disability Commission Stanley H. Cornwall Westport Beach Committee Michael Ouimet Tim SaintMichel John M. Pelletier Sean Leach
Raymond Phenix Millicent
Throop Elaine Ostroff Jeff Bull Robert C. Alves Letter
to the editor: Protect hauntingly beautiful, yet fragile, spit of land. EverythingWestport.com Friday, November
20, 2015 On December 1 at
Town Meeting, voting for or against Article 11 will determine whether or not
the Beach Avenue barrier dune will be restored. Article 11, like many town
warrants, is cumbersomely written. Be that as it may, the intent of Article
11 is to secure — at no cost — a much needed turnaround for cars and
emergency vehicles on privately held property directly across from the
town-owned beach parcel; discontinue the final 600’ of Beach Avenue as a
public road; and rebuild the dune. Increasing public
access to this hauntingly beautiful, yet fragile, spit of land is the
empowering force behind this dune restoration plan. Handicap access and
parking will be improved with the construction of a single-lane road atop the
restored dune and a dedicated parking area at the base of Knubble Rock for
those with a handicap license plate. Alongside the handicap access road, a
wooden rollout boardwalk and park benches will make for a lovely stroll to
the Rock and Westport Land Conservation Trust beach, and provide a nice
viewing area for all Westport residents. A ramp within a few steps of the new
turnaround will provide access over the dune, making it much easier than it
is now to unload and get coolers, umbrellas, and blankets onto the beach. Hardline
opponents to the dune restoration/public access plan want to leave things
“just like they are,” and appear to think this is all a ruse to close off the
area to the public. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is
that there is no going back on greater public access to this beach and to the
grand Rock, with its wonderful view of the Westport Harbor. At this point,
the contention amounts to the question: What kind of natural area do you want
access to? If you want a beautiful natural landscape where you can feel at
peace with and part of nature, then vote “yes” on Article 11. If you want a
safer destination where you and your children don’t have to always be on the
lookout for a car passing alongside you or from behind, then vote “yes.” If
you want your children and grandchildren to be able to walk to and climb the
Knubble for decades to come, if you don’t want to see Knubble Rock become
Knubble Island by a permanent ocean breach into the river, vote “yes.” I have heard the
following two statements made repeatedly by opponents to dune restoration at
various town committee meetings and at a recent opposition pep rally held at
the Westport Library: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix
it.” “Leave it alone, nature will take care of itself.” The Westport Harbor
barrier beach is broken, broken badly and rapidly getting worse. The
barrier dune along the eastern 700 feet of Beach Avenue was severely
compromised in September 2013 by the town’s illegal removal of sand and
vegetated dunes, an action for which the Massachusetts DEP issued the town a
cease and desist order. Currently, unrestricted vehicular access is the
primary cause of the area’s ongoing deterioration, although people walking on
the dunes also contribute to its decline. Let’s be clear
here. People are, whether accidentally or purposefully, driving their cars up
and into the dunes, breaking off huge clumps of beach grass and causing
further dune collapse. The long roots beach grass sends out under the sand
help to bind and stabilize the beach and anchor dunes. These roots are
extremely sensitive to the affects of vehicular and foot traffic, and take
years to recover from compaction and tearing. Where stabilizing beach grass
is absent, dune blowouts occur and the beachfront erodes as sand is transported
behind the dunes. Beach grass and other
vegetation not only stabilizes our beaches, it
provides cover for amphibian, reptiles, and birds hunting for insects or
seeking shelter from intense sun. This is not only about us humans; Beach
Avenue is a federally designated habitant for rare and endangered species. – Constance B. Gee Intact barrier
dunes are our only buffer from coastal storms. The Beach Avenue barrier dune
is not intact, far from it. It has been split asunder straight through, not
by nature, but by men driving bulldozers. The town’s original action on Beach
Avenue and the ongoing destruction of the area by vehicular traffic have
undoubtedly decreased the capacity of the barrier dune to buffer the Westport
River and its salt marshes and tidal flats from direct storm damage. As for nature
“taking care of itself,” does anyone truly believe that any
more? No, I didn’t think so. We have a
singular chance for a positive resolution to the challenge presented by the
two oft time conflicting goals of public access and environmental
stewardship. Before you vote on Article 11, please take time to study The
Knubble Public Access and Dune Restoration Plan sponsored by a majority of
the Westport Board of Selectmen. And then, please vote yes. Constance B. Gee Westport EverythingWestport.com Friday, October 9,
2015 Letter to the
editor:
Recently a friend
took us to Beach Avenue. The last 100 feet of the road is made with a
very hard sand material which allows the wheel chair to roll easily.
The best part is the plastic ramp going from the drive to the beach. We
rolled right down to the soft sand and Alice was a happy girl with her feet
in that warm sand. It was a wonderful day for us. While we were
sitting on the beach, two young women were swimming. As they left they
stopped to say hello. Shortly after leaving, they returned very
distressed. A $300 ticket was on their car. They had not seen the
handicap sign. I did not notice it either but we had a handicap
tag. That sign should be at least 12 inches by 24 inches and lowered to
be in a driver’s vision range. I want to thank
the people responsible for making this wonderful place available to
handicapped Westporters. Cukie Macomber Westport Updates from the Hill for November 20, 2015 by Paul
Schmidt. EverythingWestport.com Saturday, November 21, 2015 Representative
Paul A. Schmid (D-Westport) joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts House
of Representatives to pass legislation that updates its public records laws
and enhances accountability measures. The legislation enumerates a timeframe
and process in which requested documents must be produced and ensures that
judicial remedies can be sought. This
consensus legislation represents the first update to state’s public records
law in more than 40 years. Under the bill, Massachusetts will have
standardized processes through which the public can access records and
guidelines for the fees associated with obtaining documents. Additionally, in
the last week of formal sessions of 2015, the House of Representatives passed
legislation that immediately raises the net-metering cap while providing a
long-term roadmap for future solar development beginning once Massachusetts
reaches its 2020 solar energy goals. This bill provides a predictable and
stable framework for the continued growth of the state’s solar industry while
the House advances its work on omnibus energy legislation. The immediate cap increase, which equals 2
percent for private facilities and 2 percent for public facilities, will
allow the majority of net metering projects currently in the development
pipeline to progress. This change represents a 44 percent increase of the
overall cap. “Representative Paul A.
Schmid (D-Westport) joined his colleagues to pass legislation that updates its
public records laws and enhances accountability measures for the first update
to state’s public records law in more than
40 years.” In an attempt to
extend the goals of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources
and Agriculture beyond the Statehouse, House Chairman Schmid joined Committee
members, House colleagues Representatives Steven Kulik
and Paul Mark, and members of the Food Policy Council in touring various
agricultural entities in Western
Massachusetts. The trip included a
tour of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Dining Services, the Western
MA Food Processing Center in Greenfield, responsible for innovative and
affordable food production for farmers, as well as a local fruit farm. Hearing directly from local farmers and
interested parties strengthened the mission of the Committee for the duration
of the legislative session. Letter to the editor: Westport Resident cites age and
disability in opposition to abandoning 600 feet of Beach Avenue. EverythingWestport.com Saturday,
November 21, 2015 To the Editor: I am opposed to
the idea of abandoning the final 600 feet of Westport's Beach Avenue as
outlined in the recent Buzzard's Bay Coalition proposal 2 and therefore
Article 11 in the warrant of the December 1, 2015 scheduled special Town
Meeting warrant. First of all I am
not in favor of abandoning town property and relinquishing the maintenance
funds the town receives from the state for that portion of the road. Secondly I am
opposed to the design which would move the Handicapped Parking spaces further
away from the Knubble rock. Thirdly, personally, given my
age and disability, I would be fearful to drive alone along the two tread
passageway Buzzard's Bay has designed to allow disabled folks to reach the
end of the road at the Knubble. - Judith Beavan Fourthly I am
opposed to gates or any other structure to limit access to anyone. During the summer
of 2015 I experienced a treat not felt for many years: Feet in the sand of a Westport beach,
witnessing my granddaughter and son swimming from the Knubble Beach and
watching the rest of my family picnic on the Knubble Beach. Please do not diminish this access. Vote NO on
Article 11 at the upcoming special Town Meeting. Thank you. Judith Beavan Westport EverythingWestport.com Saturday,
November 21, 2015 Imagine a public
road accepted at a Town Meeting not available to the public. That is what has
happened off and on over the last 100 years in Westport. The road has had
gates on it to prevent town residents from traveling on it. There have been
large rocks blocking traffic. Town officials have looked the other way and
not maintained it during time periods when special interests have convinced
those officials that it is a fragile area and piper plovers or cut worms may
be endangered if these species share the beach or dunes with people. “Now a small but affluent
special interest group has recruited a non-profit group; the group’s
authority does not include this area. Nevertheless, they developed a plan to have people with
limited mobility or disabled individuals further challenged by 600
more feet (that is the length of two football fields) to access this area.” -
Selectman Antone Vieira Tuesday, December
1st there will be a short Special Town Meeting at 7 pm at Westport High
School. The special interests hope you will be too busy to notice or attend.
They will be there to discontinue a portion of this road and, oh yes, put up
another gate. Sorry fishermen,
beach goers, or people just interested in enjoying our magnificent coastal
shoreline. Even though the road is now open to all and being enjoyed by all,
without any major issues environmentally or otherwise, it is planned to be
filled with 600 feet sand. If you don’t attend this Special Town Meeting and
voice your concern you can count on it. You can also count on that sand being
moved to the water in our Westport River and the ocean with the next named
storm or two. Democracy only
works when people participate. I support the Beach Committee and the Westport
Commission on Disabilities who unanimously say vote NO on Article 11
at our Special Town Meeting on December 1st. People are
counting on the fact that you will have some last minute reason to skip the
Special Town Meeting! I will be there and I hope you will take the time to
attend this short but important meeting. Let’s show everyone that we
care about our fellow citizens at least as much as we care about the
environment! Antone Vieira Member of the
Westport Board of Selectmen Keep Beach Avenue open for
all town residents. EverythingWestport.com Saturday,
November 21, 2015 The Knubble
(Point of Rocks), the most scenic spot in town, will disappear as a
destination point and lost to future Westport generations if a plan put forth
by two harbor groups supported by a split Select Board is passed at the
upcoming Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, December 1st. Article 11 if
accepted will discontinue (abandon) 600 feet of Beach Ave., turning the land
over to the abutters at no cost to them, however, some abutters could even sue
the town for damages if the road is discontinued. The plan, which
at this time is nothing more than a discussion between a few town officials
and the two harbor groups, would build a dune on the
abandoned road, build an exposed 600-foot-long boardwalk on the dune for
seniors and mobility-challenged individuals to use to reach the town-owned
Knubble Beach, and gate the road to all vehicular traffic. Taxpayer funds
should not be used to build a ridiculous dune and boardwalk on a town road,
and further our taxes should not be used to maintain a volatile structure
that over time will suffer the same results as other similar projects before
it; not maintained and therefore not usable by the handicapped, mobility
disadvantaged and seniors for which it was intended. Beach Avenue has
been a town-accepted road since 1909, and previously a dirt road like all the
other town ways in Westport at that time. There was never a
dune on Beach Avenue, and the mounds along its sides are the result of
countless pushbacks of sand by highway department workers over the years from
innumerable storms and wash-overs, just like Acoaxet Avenue which no one
complains about when sand cleared from the same storms is pushed to the side
of that seashore road keeping it open to vehicular traffic. Countless
pictures from the early 1900s prove that Beach Ave. had no dunes. “Come on folks; see this for
what it is - attempts at a land grab to benefit a few at the expense of many.”
- Selectman
Richard Spirlet The town’s Beach
Committee and town’s Commission on Disabilities have each voted unanimously
to leave the road as it is. The Commission on Disabilities recently said, “Article
11 is camouflage for what the people down there have wanted all along –
discontinue the use of Beach Ave.” This issue has
become so toxic that the two primary conservation groups in town are staying
clear, deciding not to get involved. I strongly
encourage all town registered voters to attend the short Special Town Meeting
on Tuesday, December 1st in the Westport High School auditorium starting at
7:00 p.m. Make your voice
heard – it’s your beach, your road, and you have a right to use it. Richard Spirlet Member of the
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