Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Monday, May 1, 2017
Quick Article Index . . .
Fledgling Westport author’s
literary career began quite by accident, literally.
Suddenly in Command! Boating Safety Seminar.
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Fledgling
Westport author’s literary career began quite by accident, literally. Westport author Cheryl
Aguiar will appear in an upcoming book signing this Saturday, May 13th at
Partners Village Store and Kitchen. EverythingWestport.com Saturday, May 6, 2017
Click here to watch
her video! Her and her husband’s efforts to save two young owlets is the
inspiration for a new book, ’The Great Horned Owlets Rescue — Where There’s a
Will There’s a Way,’ by Cheryl Aguiar. “We had been hearing the hoots of Great Horned Owls in the woods
behind us,’ Aguiar said. But the drama began when the Aguiars
discovered that a nest containing two young owlets had fallen from an 80-foot
tall pine tree in back of their house last April. “The owlets were too young to be out of the nest, on the ground — they
would have been killed by predators,” Aguiar said.
“My husband, Jim and I made them a new nest from a wicker basket,
hoping they would have a chance at life.” The ordeal showed them a different side of the raptors that have a
reputation for aggression and a dislike of human contact.
By trusting each other, working together and showing each other
respect, the family of owls allowed Aguiar into their world; now, they have
become a part of hers, a description of the book states. In addition to documenting the birds’ ordeal, Aguiar said she hopes
that the book offers a look at another side to her home town of Westport that
has been the recent focus of nation-wide attention for incidents of animal
cruelty and neglect. A first-time author, Aguiar owns Nailz Etc.,
a salon in Westport. She is also a self-taught photographer whose Roadside
Stills Photography focus includes wildlife and the outdoors. “Great Horned
Owlet’s Rescue – Where There’s a Will There’s a Way” can be ordered on www.cherylaguiar.com,
www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com,
https://www.apple.com/itunes and www.Audible.com The book can also be purchased at Annie’s
Unique Boutique in Somerset, Nailz, Etc. in
Westport, and A.S Deams and Partners Village Store
in Westport. Aguiar appeared at a
book signing held in conjunction with Eyes
on Owls on March 25th, 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. at the Westport Jr/Sr High School. Aguiar will also
appear in an upcoming book signing Saturday, May 13th at Partners Village
Store and Kitchen. For more
information, call the Westport Land Conservation Trust at 508.636.9228.
Proceeds from a portion of book sales will benefit the land trust. The ATM is on Tuesday, May 2nd
and starts at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Jr/Sr
High School on Main Road. EverythingWestport.com Monday, May 1, 2017 Photos |
EverythingWestport.com Westport’s Annual Town Meeting (ATM)
starts tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. All registered voters should plan to
attend to conduct the town’s business. The relatively short list of 36
articles will deliberate some meaty issues; the most important being to set
the town’s budget for Fiscal Year 2018, expected to be roughly $38 million. Selectmen will do the final touches
(crunching of the numbers?) at tonight’s Selectmen’s meeting, will be making
final recommendations for the FY ’18 ATM articles, and will review the Finance
Committee final FY ’18 budget recommendations. It’s right down to the wire, folks. Former Finance Committee Chairwoman, and now Vice Chairwoman of the
Board of Selectmen (BOS), Shana Shufelt gave a thumbs up to the Fin Com recommendations saying, “They
did the best job with what they had.” A last minute addition of over
$100,000 for additional payment to Diman Regional
Vocational for 20 additional Westport students this year was Inset: Town
Moderator Steve Fors. The relatively short list of 36
articles will deliberate some meaty issues; but the most important is to set
the town’s budget for Fiscal Year 2018. Click here
to review the
Town Meeting Warrant. PDF Also on top of the list: Attendees
will be asked to appropriate an additional sum of $1,849,000 through free
cash and borrowing to supplement the $8.5 million already appropriated for
the construction, original equipping and furnishing of a new police station. An acute general contractor shortage
and thorny, unexpected site conditions caused the new police station budget
shortfall.
Article 5 will
ask voters to appropriate a sum of
$1,824,195.00 for the cost of various capital expenditures, including a
$450,000 fire truck, $240,000 ambulance and $200,000 for high-speed fiber
Optic Cable installation in town.
Above: Voters will get the chance to air their concerns
at Town Meeting. Of course there are a lot of general
housekeeping articles like the revolving accounts Article 8 sure to cross voters’ eyes with their complexity. In a May Day surprise, it is reported that Selectmen may pass over Article
15 that would allow the Board of Selectmen to
petition the General Court for special legislation authorizing the Town to
create a Department of Public Works, which implies the addition of a Public
Works Director (a victim of budget woes?). Along with up to $1.5 million in CPA
appropriations (Article 16) and
new 10-page Warrant Article 21)
Illicit Discharge By-Law “To prevent pollutants from entering Westport’s
municipal separate storm water /sewer system (MS4)”
are sure to take up lots of time but eventually pass help round out a warrant
that hopefully will take just one night to finalize.
Inset: Westport
Rivers Winery and Vineyard’s Bob Russell is sure to
speak on Article 23. And for all you marijuana advocates out there, like many other communities are doing, Article 25 will ask town voters to
place a temporary moratorium of recreational marijuana facilities to allow
the town time to deal with recreational marijuana. And a bunch of articles dealing with
personnel positions either created (Director of Public Health) or transferred
(Animal Control) will be presented to voters for their consideration. And for those that like controversy
with their coffee, Article 32 by petition will ask meeting
attendees to rescind the vote of a previous Special Town Meeting to return
the Highway Surveyor back to an elected position vs. appointed. Along with Article 32 is Article 34 asking that “the Town
Administrator need not be a resident of the Town or of the Commonwealth when
appointed, but shall become a resident of the Town within 12 months
thereafter and shall remain a resident of the Town for the duration of such
appointment.” And not to be outdone, petitioners
for Article 35 will ask “To see if the Town will vote to petition
the General Court for a special act for recall election procedures in the
Town of Westport, in accordance with the proposed act entitled “An Act
Relative to Recall Elections for the Town of Westport.” Click here
to review the Town Meeting Warrant. PDF Suddenly
in Command! Boating Safety
Seminar. You’re a guest on a pleasure
boat and captain is suddenly disabled! Are you prepared to take charge/ What
do you do? EverythingWestport.com Thursday, May 4, 2017 Westport - The U.S. Coast
Guard Auxiliary, in conjunction with the annual kick-off of the National Safe
Boating Week from Saturday, May 20 to Friday, May 26t
is pleased to announce the presentation of theirnew training seminar – Suddenly in Command. This boating safety seminar is a 3-hour training program intended to
assist boat occupants who are not normally in the driver’s seat, including
guests, spouses, children, or others who may find themselves “Suddenly in Command.” This type
situation has been known to happen if the Operator becomes ill, gets injured,
falls overboard, or has to attend to some other form of emergency and is
unable to be at the helm.
Above: Coast Guard training in action. Photo courtesy U.S.
Coast Guard Auxiliary The purpose of this short course it to
familiarize the student with essential safety information so they can assess
and stabilize the situation, operate the vessel, and summon any required
assistance. In an effort to reduce boating incidents, injuries and casualties,
Westport Flotilla 6-18 will be offering this free Suddenly in Command seminar. Enrollment is now open and all
interested non-operator Boaters are encouraged to attend: Suddenly in Command – Saturday, May 20th 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon Westport Fire Department., 54 Hix
Bridge Road, Westport Course is free; however,
seating is limited and pre-registration is required For more information or to enroll – email Instructor Marshall A. Ronco at CaptMRonco@AOL.com. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is a uniformed volunteer component of
the United States Coast Guard created by an Act of Congress in 1939. - - - - - End - - - - - ©
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