Westport
in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday,
October 7, 2015
photos/EverythingWestport.com except as noted
Quick
Article Index . . .
Westport River
Watershed Alliance to host third Electronics Recycling Day!
Selectmen ink
solar pact for capped landfill.
DNRT to open new reserves on Monday with free guided walk in the Paskamansett
Woods Reserve.
Dartmouth’s
Allen’s Neck Community Club calls it quits.
Updates from the Hill with Westport’s State Representative Paul
Schmid.
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Partners Village Store
and Kitchen Annual Fall Festival! EverythingWestport.com Wednesday,
October 7, 2015
Partners Village
Store and Kitchen Annual Fall Festival will be from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Celebrate the
changing of the seasons with Farmers Market; baskets, veggies, flowers
and more: Quansett Nurseries, Hidden Garden, Skinny
Dip Farm, Paradise Hill
Farm, Sharon Owens – Baskets, DF Craftworks - Paper Flowers, Boy Scouts -
selling popcorn, ...and more Golden Touch Farm - Alpacas and goods made
from Alpaca fiber. Local Author Book Signings: 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. I left My Memory on a Bus Somewhere by Rose Grant Caring for Elderly Parents With All Their Marbles - A Survival Guide by Pam Carey 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Along the Roadside: Barns, Farms, Fields, and Hay-Bales by P. Abbey Dennis Growing Up in the Shadow of the Great Depression by Barbara Costa Secret of Haney Field by Robert Clark Massage begins at 2:30 p.m. - - courtesy of Westport
Massage (first come first serve.) Face Painting from 11:00a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Music by Spindle Rock River Rats from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Songs of yesteryear, fiddle tunes, country and bluegrass. Sea Shell Painting - courtesy of the Art Stable
Gallery. Hot Cider and sampling of homemade butternut
bisque soup - courtesy of
Partners Village Store Westport River
Watershed Alliance kids activity. Boy Scout Troop 3
selling popcorn. Partners Village
Store and Kitchen, 865 Main Road, Westport, MA 508.636.2572 Follow them on Facebook Selectmen
ink solar pact for capped landfill. EverythingWestport.com Thursday, October
8, 2015 Westport
Selectmen voted unanimously Monday night to accept a proposal from solar farm
developer Ameresco to build a 736 KW solar farm on
the town’s closed and capped landfill. The completed
project would bring in $16,000 in lease payments per year over 20 years into
Westport’s coffers, money sorely needed to balance the town’s stressed
budget. At the end of the
two decades, Westport/Ameresco has the option to
remove all the panels and supporting equipment (will be negotiated in the
contract), the town could renew the energy pact, or the town could buy the
solar equipment, a highly unlikely option considering the advancement in
solar energy efficiency and technology over the next 20 years. The town would
also receive a one-time PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of
Taxes) payment of $23,000, according to Energy Committee Chairman,
Tony Connors who has been spearheading the effort to get a solar farm on the
closed landfill for over three years. Several attempts
in the past have failed due to a loss of state tax credits and bad timing,
and the delays with grid interconnection caused by NSTAR (now Eversource) haggling over costs and timeframes to connect
the solar farm to the state’s power grid. Selectman Tony
Vieira questioned a one-time PILOT payment, possibly favoring personal
property taxes that would substantially increase revenue to the town; but
that path could possibly disrupt the deal, and in the end a one-time payment
was approved. Vieira also
pointed out the contract should include language requiring Ameresco to carry liability insurance protecting the town
against claims against the solar farm. Connors also
pointed out that with recently increased cost of building permits and associated
fees, the town stands to gain sizeable revenue based on the scope of the
proposed project. Connors talked
about Ameresco’s experience with landfill
construction, citing the company’s existing 6-MW solar project on a landfill
with an 8-MW farm under development. Ameresco is a North American leader
in the siting, engineering, construction and operation of landfill solar
farms. Ameresco Constructs 6-MW Solar Farm in Massachusetts.
The facility is
currently the second largest solar project in Massachusetts. Fisher Road Solar
Project (pictured right) has approximately 20,000 solar panels and is located
on a parcel that also contains cranberry bogs and a composting center. Inset: Fisher Road
Solar Project. Ameresco Inc., a renewable energy and
energy efficiency company with headquarters in Framingham, Massachusetts,
constructed the facility in less than six months and will oversee its
operations. More... Town must preserve landfill cap integrity. Installing the solar
farm on a capped landfill requires that the cap not be broken, Connors said.
“The area where the farm will be located will be covered with a stone layer
to provide a firm footing for the solar panel arrays.” Landfill capping is
a containment method that forms a barrier between the contaminated trash and
the surface, thereby shielding humans and the environment from the harmful
effects of its contents and perhaps limiting the migration of the contents. A
cap must restrict surface water infiltration into the contaminated subsurface
to reduce the potential for contaminants to leach from the site.
Above: Ameresco landfill solar array in Acton, MA on a closed landfill. Westport will
receive no electricity from this solar farm, only the yearly lease and single
PILOT payment. But as the landfill is unusable for any other asset that
develops revenue, the solar farm is a win-win for the town, Ameresco, and green energy production of electricity. Westport is under
contract with Borego Solar Systems for 20 years to purchase
energy at a reduced cost with future rate protection; the contract covers
most of Westport’s town government electricity needs. The contract was
approved by voters in last year’s annual town meeting. Borego Solar Systems is the company
that constructed the solar farm on neighboring Dartmouth’s closed landfill
(pictured below.).
DNRT
to open new reserves on Monday with free guided walk in the Paskamansett
Woods Reserve. If
the weather is questionable, check Facebook or www.dnrt.org for
cancellation information on the morning of the event. EverythingWestport.com Thursday, October
8, 2015 Join Dartmouth
Natural Resources Trust (DNRT) for the opening of its newest reserve,
“Paskamansett Woods,” from 10:00 a.m. to noon on Monday, October 12th. DNRT staff will
lead a free, 1-hour guided walk on the property and neighboring, privately
owned Gidley Woods. The entrance to Paskamansett Woods is on the east side of
Chase Road, just south of its intersection with Old Westport Road, and
directly across from Gene Street.
DNRT acquired
Paskamansett Woods in early 2015 after it was set aside as open space under
Dartmouth’s Open Space Residential Design (OSRD) zoning bylaw. Throughout the
spring and summer, DNRT land management staff, along with many volunteers,
prepared the property for public access. Two Boy Scouts, Ryan Giroux from
Troop 170 and David Hughes from Troop 70, also contributed by building,
respectively, a split-rail fence and a kiosk for the property.
Gidley Woods is
maintained as a wildlife preserve and has been in the same family for 12
generations since Henry Tucker purchased the land in 1669. DNRT holds a
conservation restriction on 45-acres along both sides of river. The owners
will allow visitors to walk the trails during daylight hours. Walkers should
wear sturdy shoes, dress appropriately for the day’s weather, and consider
bringing water and a snack. Usually only the worst weather will cancel
a DNRT walk. If the weather is questionable, check Facebook or
www.dnrt.org for
cancellation information on the morning of the event. For more
information about the property and a full list of DNRT’s rules and
regulations, click here. 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 Dartmouth’s
Allen’s Neck Community Club calls it quits. Members cite declining membership as the reason dissolution. EverythingWestport.com Friday,
October 9, 2015 Photos
| EverythingWestport.com Dartmouth’s Allen Neck Community Club calls
it quits. Members cite declining membership as the
reason dissolution. “It’s
never easy to say goodbye, but sometimes it’s necessary,” said Joan McKinley,
the Club’s Publicity Director. For
those of us who’ve been, the biggest causality will be the group’s annual
Christmas Tea and Green Sale that will not take place this year. That
event will be sorely missed. Wait
until the general public hears this!
Members
cite declining membership as the reason for dissolution. The Allen’s Neck
Club started in 1951 with 31 members; today there are 15. Those
15 members voted recently to dissolve the club. It was a difficult decision. One
member said, “I’m going to miss it very much.” She was one of the original
members. “It’s
not a permanent goodbye,” McKinley said, “as members who are also good
friends will gather for get-togethers in their homes.” The
major fund raising project of the group was the old fashioned Christmas Tea
and Green Sale, which will not take place this year. This has been a much
anticipated event for the last 20 years, and has been enjoyed by young and
the not-so-young alike. Talented
members of the club created many beautiful seasonal decorations from live
greens. Delicate sandwiches and homemade sweets graced the tea tables, all
made by members. The
club has seen declining membership in the past few years, in spite of the
wonderful programs and always delicious refreshments. People are busy, and
many women work outside the home. Allen’s
Neck Club began in 1951 with 15 women. It caught fire and may more joined.
The purpose was to benefit the communities of Westport and Dartmouth, with an
annual scholarship program, donations to the libraries, councils on aging,
local historical societies and conservation organizations. Funds came from
dues and the Christmas Tea. The
Club thanks the community for its support in the past. It’s been a privilege
to host the tea and be able to help the communities. Joan
McKinley Publicity,
Allen’s Neck Community Club
Above: club member
Betty Amaral (right) serves tea to Nancy Burkholder
of Westport at the club’s annual Christmas Tea.
Above: the Club always
sold out its annual Christmas Tea, and the prices of the greens were always a
bargain. If visitors weren’t there early, they found the Christmas greens cupboard
bare! Updates
From The Hill with Westport’s State Representative Paul Schmid. EverythingWestport.com October 10, 2015 The Office of
Representative Schmid submits a weekly piece, titled “Updates from the Hill”
in order to summarize the highlights and happenings on Beacon Hill. Their
goal is to bring the Legislature to Bristol County and keep residents
informed of events, key votes, and legislation that may be of interest. State
Representative Paul A. Schmid (D-Westport) joined his colleagues in
the House of Representatives this week by unanimously passing a bill to
increase penalties for trafficking of the synthetic opiate
fentanyl. The drug has some medical applications; however its
common street combination with heroin by drug dealers has been linked to the
large increase of fatal overdoses in Massachusetts in recent years.
Individuals charged in possession of more than 10 grams of fentanyl will now
face up to twenty years in prison. The bill now moves to the Senate. The Joint
Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) held
its first outdoor public hearing at the Quabbin
Reservoir in Belchertown on Tuesday, October 6th. Members heard
testimony on bills related to water infrastructure while overlooking the vast
water supply, filled with approximately 412 billion gallons of water and
serves many communities throughout the Commonwealth. State
Representative and House Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Environment,
Natural Resources and Agriculture Paul A. Schmid (D-Westport) joined
members of the lobster industry and the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s
Association for the annual “State House Lobster Day” on Thursday, October 8th.
Participants learned about the local lobster industry, one of the
Commonwealth’s original industries, while having the opportunity to view live
lobsters and speak to representatives from the New England Aquarium.
Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Matthew
Beaton presented the Fisherman with a proclamation from Governor Charlie
Baker declaring October 8th Lobster Day in Massachusetts.
Above, from
the left: State
Representative Jim Cantwell, Secretary Matthew Beaton, Massachusetts
Lobstermen’s Association Executive Director Beth Cassoni,
State Representative Paul Schmid, and James Tourkistas,
Legal Affair Liaison for East Coast Seafood. © 2015 Community Events of Westport. All rights
reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
