Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Friday, August 28,
2009
Quick Article Index . . .
Registration opens
for 3rd annual Buzzards Bay Watershed Ride.
COA Director
gives thanks for the Town Farm’s Community Garden.
Record turnout despite heavy rain for Waste
Collection Day.
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Registration opens for 3rd annual
Buzzards Bay Watershed Ride. EverythingWestport.com Friday,
August 28, 2009 Click
here to read about last
year’s ride and view photos. Watershed Ride is
on Sunday, October 4. Buzzards
Bay and its watershed (the 432 square miles of land that drains into the Bay)
are amongst the most scenic and environmentally important regions on the
entire eastern seaboard. We are extremely proud of this and we work hard to
protect it. So we invite you to help us out and join the Ride.
The
Watershed Ride is a cycling fundraising event for The Coalition for Buzzards
Bay. The route is 75 miles long and begins at Horseneck Beach in Westport,
winding along the coast and through farmlands, coastal villages, New
Bedford’s waterfront, cranberry bogs and along the back roads of Cape Cod,
ending at scenic Quissett Harbor in beautiful Woods Hole. Depending
on your cycling ability, the ride should take between 4 to 6 hours. We
provide two rest stops with food, beverage, toilets and bike support, as well
as lunch at Eastover Farms in Rochester and a celebratory picnic at the
Finish Line. On-the-road support will include bike mechanics and first aid.
As a registered Watershed Rider, you will be given a detailed map of the
route on the morning of the Ride. The route will also be clearly marked. Why Ride? By
riding, you are helping us create awareness of the connection between the
land and the Bay. You are also helping to raise much-needed funds to help
protect Buzzards Bay and its watershed. And you are also participating in the
most beautifully scenic and varied cycling route around Buzzards Bay – and
all fully supported. The Fundraising
Last
year 65 cyclists raised over $35,000 to support the Coalition’s efforts. This
year’s ride is scheduled for Sunday October 4. Once
you register, you will receive additional materials to help you with your
fundraising. This information will also have plenty of detail about how the
funds help support the work of the Coalition. The fundraising staff at the
Coalition is also available to help you with any question you might have. On-line registration will remain open
until 5 p.m., October 1.
Click
on route map to enlarge. For
additional information, ride details, or to register, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org/watershedride or call The
Coalition at (508) 999-6363, ext. 207. COA
Director gives thanks for the Town Farm’s Community Garden. EverythingWestport.com Friday, August
28, 2009 “The
Senior Citizens of Westport have been receiving wonderful fresh vegetables
from the Westport On
the days that we know in advance that the fresh produce is coming in, we have
a list of low income elders that are called to come in and pick-up the
vegetables. Steve Connor was here at
the Senior Center on Tuesday and he could hardly believe his eyes as the
baskets full of produce disappeared in less than 20 minutes. Everyone was very appreciative for the
opportunity to choose from the wide array.
That day there were bright red beets, snow white onions, yellow and green squash, broccoli, beans,
peppers and a few red tomatoes!! What a colorful bounty from the good earth
of Westport. Thank you Steve and all
of the volunteers at the Town Farm.” Sincerely, Mary
Ellen Gomes, Director Westport
Council on Aging Right: Town Farm
volunteer Geraldine Millham picking summer squash and zucchini at the
community garden. Record turnout despite
heavy rain for Waste Collection Day. EverythingWestport.com Saturday, August
29, 2009 View
high resolution photos for this article now 15 photos | Broadband/DSL speed |
Board of Health’s Nancy Paquet (pictured left)
said many cars brought in two to three times the anticipated amount of waste
materials. 11 Veolia Environmental Services personnel
dealt competently, but were pushed to the limit, with the mountain of cans,
bottles and containers of paint, solvents, insecticides, cleaners and all
sorts of polluting liquids. A
huge volume of latex paint was collected and strained the resources of Veolia.
The
materials were packaged in totes and 55 gallon drums and hauled away by the
firm to Marlborough, MA for proper disposal. “Household
Hazardous Waste (HHW) is leftover household products that contain corrosive,
toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients. Examples of these products
are: paints, cleaners, oils, batteries and pesticides. They contain
ingredients that can be hazardous to human health and the environment, if
disposed of improperly. They are commonly used but contain chemicals
that could threaten the health of humans and the environment if they are
allowed to enter our drinking water systems or streams through careless
disposal.” – Veolia Environmental
Services. All
cans, buckets and bottles were opened, and the liquid and “gloop” were dumped
into categorized 55 Gallon drums; the empty receptacles were then thrown into
a large, polyfilm-lined container. The workers wore environmental garb and
gloves, some replete with respirators. Traffic
was so heavy that police organized two lanes into the drop-off area. Veolia
personnel removed all containers from the vehicle; drivers didn’t have to
exit their cars and trucks. The
Household Hazardous Waste Day was arranged for the first time by the Board of
Health, and was funded by monies available in their FYI ‘09 budget. “In the
past the Selectmen have handled this event, but they hadn’t done it in four
years and people were calling and calling to see when the next one would be,”
Paquet said. “We knew this was our last chance to set one up.” Funding
for the event came from excess money in one of the Board of Health’s budget
accounts. Click
here for all the
details of the event. No
money is allocated in future Board of Health budgets for Household Hazardous
Waste collections. It’s possible this may be the last one as they’re expensive,
and the Selectmen have shown a reluctance to support them. Record turnout
depletes funds early. “We
were notified by Veolia at 11:30 a.m. that our budgeted amount was reached,
so we stopped all the cars and told the drivers of our dilemma,” Paquet said.
“They were very understanding, very friendly and cooperative. We had to reach
a board member to make a decision as to whether to continue. Both Sean Leach
and Chairman Dr. John Colletti independently of each other gave approval to
proceed. “People have waited too long to dispose of their waste,” Paquet
said. “It would have been a real shame to turn them away.” “I
remembered at the last minute we had long-standing chemicals in our own lab
to dispose of, and registered two days ago to get rid of it.” “We
were also concerned with the wind picking up from tropical depression Danny
because that could present a unique set of conditions for slippage and
accidents, and containers blowing around. Fortunately the wind never
materialized inland as it did at the shoreline,” Paquet said. “Wayne
Parisee from the landfill came out to help us for a while,” Paquet said. “And
Erin Cullen of Veolia Environmental Services was terrific; very upbeat and
funny. She kept us all laughing.”
Left to right: (1) Erin Cullen of Veolia Environmental
Services; (2) and (3) a mountain of containers await the Veolia team to open
and empty. EverythingWestport.com Saturday, August
29, 2009 View
high resolution photos for this article now 19 photos | Broadband/DSL speed | "That morning began with wind and hairy cloud.” - Excerpt from the book by Roger Kahn.
Left: the ominous
dark, stripped bands of Danny’s swirling clouds loom over Westport’s east beach
as heavy surf is whipped up by north winds. Tropical
storm Danny was downgraded on Saturday to a tropical depression. The
cycling northerly winds from the off-shore Danny whipped up the incoming surf
along East Beach and Gooseberry, but for the most part it was the several
inches of rain that caused the most turmoil in town. Several
town vehicles had to be stationed on flooded roads to protect unwary
motorists. Entrances to the area’s beaches and town lots were closed and
barricaded. No one it seems was protecting the unwary surfers (pictured below
left) from the serious breakers at Acoaxet.
Boaters
kept their vessels tied up on moorings or slips for the second straight
weekend. 8’ to 10’ seas and gusty winds kept the small craft advisories out
over the weekend. Heavy seas are predicted to continue into Monday. The
entrance out of Westport Harbor was un-navigable for small craft (see below
right).
Clockwise from the
upper left: (1) no one it seems was protecting the unwary surfers from the
serious breakers at Acoaxet; (2) the entrance out of Westport Harbor was
un-navigable for small craft; (3) Angeline Brook was unfettered and running freely
over Cornell Road; and (4) Westport Harbor, always a safe haven against these
storms, seemed at peace while Cherry & Webb Beach was being battered by
heavy seas. - - - - - End - - -
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Events of Westport All rights
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