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Headline News 06/18/2013
06/18/2013 – Selectmen unanimously appoint Interim COA Director
Christine Quinn of North Easton as the senior center’s permanent chief.
Council on
Aging board members recommended Quinn from a field of five finalists, citing
her long work experience and excellent performance during her stint as interim
director.
Quinn was
nominated last April as interim director, replacing longtime and much
respected Mary Ellen Gomes who retired in January.
Above: Christine Quinn is congratulated by select board chairman Tony
Vieira while vice-chairman Richard Spirlet looks on.
 Left: Christine Quinn (center, right) with COA Board Chairman Virginia Routhier (right) and board members William Gifford and Karin
Bergeron after her Monday-night appointment as permanent COA Director.
A low starting
salary caused many of the original 18 candidates for the permanent position
to drop out of the running. Westport residents at April Town Meeting approved a
substantial pay increase, making the senior center leadership position more
attractive to potential candidates.
06/15/2013 – Middle School PCBs still up in the air. The Westport School Committee
received the summation of a report they thought they’d have in hand this
spring but won’t receive until July, according to Jason Knutson, principal
at CGKV Architects of Cambridge, a company hired to study what can be done
with the PCB-contaminated middle school. More.
 06/15/2013
12:00 noon – Dignity in life and death. Flag retirement ceremony at the
American Legion Hall today ensures that America’s most important symbol - Old
Glory - is treated with dignity in life and death.
The ceremonial
burning is the only way to dispose of the flags with the respect they
deserve.
More with
photos and video later.
06/14/2013 – Phil at Philly? Lefty Phil Mickelson shared the lead at
1 under as the second day of play wound down at the 113th playing of the U.S.
Open.
Always a
bridesmaid at this event, never a bride, the 42-year-old Mickelson has been
runner up five times at the game’s toughest test in golf. Is this his year?
Above: The 10th ranked Phil Mickelson
reacts as his tee shot just missed holing out Friday on the tough par 3
eighth.
Merion Golf
Club’s East Course just outside of Philadelphia bared its teeth and
hampered the world’s best golfers who barely squeaked out two players
breaking par.
So what about
those low scores at the little Philly course? It can be summed up in three
words: greens, greens and greens. More.
06/14/2013 – Local dams under pressure from swollen Westport
brooks and streams. Heavy stormwater runoff, full of tannins and debris, floods
both branches of the Westport River, and threatens to raise South Wattupa Pond above flood levels.
Two weeks ago
boaters and abutters of South Wattupa were
complaining to Selectmen about low water levels and exposed rocks in the
recreational pond.
Now nary a
rock can be seen.
Check out this video of Forge Pond and Adamsville Pond dams under
pressure from Tropical Storm Andrea’s drenching rain.
06/13/2013 – Transponders, transponders, get your transponders
here! RITBA launches a preemptive strike
against detractors with a transponder discount promotion.
In a clever
move by Rhode Island’s Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) to deflect
public and legislature criticism, the embattled state agency is hawking its
E- ZPass transponders at a substantial
discount to Massachusetts drivers who make the occasional trek to Aquidneck
Island.
How does a
buck-fifty per day sound! Click here to get all the details, Westporters, run, don’t walk, to Tiverton Town Hall and
get your order in for a $10 transponder.
 06/13/2013
– Golf’s U.S. Open tees off today in
the 113th playing of this venerable event. Designed by Hugh Wilson, Merion
Golf Club, the Ardmore, PA championship track, has played host to more USGA
Championships than any course in America and is home to some of its
greatest moments.
However,
players will have to slog through wet fairways, but starting groups will
benefit from low rough, one of Merion’s strongest defenses, which was cut
in advance of heavy rains predicted later in the week.
Look for low,
possibly record breaking scores, as greens will be soft and slow and
receptive.
1:14 p.m.
starting time will feature Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy,
and Adam Scott, the world’s top three ranked players, in the same group.
For the arm
chair gallery it doesn’t get any better than this.
06/12/2013 – In a format familiar to TV talk
show audiences, Westport author Dawn Tripp and her guest author share novel
writing experiences to 50 listeners at Partners Village Store.
It was surprisingly
interesting and thoroughly entertaining.
 06/12/2013
– Gerry Dupont’s
edible creations have come to Westport. “I’m so inspired and excited to announce
that we will be opening another location in Westport at 794 Main Road, next
door to Village Pizza,” Dupont said.
The well-known
Little Compton baker will have coffee weekend mornings to start.
His offerings?
“Cream donuts, lots of other donuts. Quiche, Malassadas,
pies, scones, muffins, cookies, cupcakes of course.......candies by the
pound and so much more!” Their
opening was Saturday June 1st.
 06/12/2013
– Dartmouth Farmer’s Market open this
Friday, June 14th. There
will be plenty of salad greens, kale, chard, mustard greens, arugula,
vegetable plants, and herbs available this Friday between 1PM and 6PM at
the Dartmouth Farmer’s Market located at St. Peter’s Church on Rex Field at
351 Elm Street in Padanaram Village in South
Dartmouth. Click here for all the details.
06/12/2013 – Mass Senate race heats up. U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, D-5th,
and Republican challenger Gabriel Gomez faced off in Springfield last night
in their second debate in the special Senate election.
Polls show the
gap is narrowing between the candidates, although Markey has a seven point
advantage.
The candidates
staked out different positions on recent news that the federal government
is monitoring the phone and internet activity of millions of people, taxes,
the minimum wage, energy and jobs.
The special
election to replace former Senator John Kerry will be June 25th. Read
more.
 06/11/2013
– Take it off, take it all off! Dave Gauthier of Westport Ace
Hardware takes it all off for Make-A-Wish®, the foundation that grants the
wish every 38 minutes of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical
condition in the United States and its territories.
Watch this
astonishing video of how far one man will go to support a favorite charity.
Click
here to view video of Dave Gauthier taking it
all off!
 06/10/2013
– Westport River Gardeners’ green thumb produced big
dividends at this year’s 11th annual plant sale.
The best year ever, reports past
president Patricia Bennett.
The plants were flying in cartloads out
the front entrance into waiting cars just five minutes after opening
Saturday morning.
This year there were lots of donations of
perennials from members’ gardens, and annuals and vegetables were sold.
A large garden shed will be selling all
types of garden items. There will be a raffle featuring a garden cart, bird
bath, and Adirondack chair. A master gardener will be on hand to answer all
of your gardening questions. Some of the vendors selling at the fair will
be Clay Trout Pottery, Oak Holly Garden Designs, Captain Brad's Wind
Spinners, Beachcomber Garden Jewelry and Tile Art by Linda Rogers.
The club uses the proceeds to enhance the
beauty of Westport with flowers and trees, which they do one small plot at
a time.
Click here
to view the video.
 06/10/2013 – Gentlemen on the tee! Golf, the game of kings, has gone from a
generation of gentlemen jangling pocket change to distract rival players
to, well . . . other things.
Check
out how Tiger Woods reacts when a spectator
goes from checking the wind to breaking wind on the tee! Click here to get
all the local golf news and course information, only on
EverythingWestport.com.
06/10/2013 – Phantasmagoria. Our most recent mystery photo was taken from our new
photo gallery of Westport Point and Harbor images in the mist taken on June
3rd at 7:30 p.m.
Westport’s fishing heritage from early
Indian settlements, through our country’s whaling era and subsequent local
lobster and fishing industry is part of the fabric and heritage of this
south coast community.
View video now.
 06/10/2013
– Westport Point resident Al Lees is the winner of our
latest mystery photo contest with his correct identification. He wins a $25
gift certificate to Ten Cousins Restaurant, Westport’s newest upbeat, brick
oven pizzeria with friendly, helpful, and on-time food service.
Al took his best shot and won; get ready
to take yours on our next mystery photo coming soon.
Click here to see what Al knew.
06/09/2013 – Swim at your own risk. Westport town beaches will officially open on
Saturday, June 15th. According to selectmen at their last meeting, Cherry
& Webb Beach will not be staffed by lifeguards until that day. For more
information call the selectmen’s office at 508.636.1003.
06/09/2013 – Despite a less-than-perfect day for
planting, a  hardy group of volunteers came out to Westport’s town
farm for spring planting.
“Thanks to the generous and hardy
individuals who came out this morning, we planted about 400 plants in the
garden at the Town Farm,” farm manager Steve Connors said. “The rain held off until about 11 a.m.,
and it was not a typical Memorial Day Weekend kind of day. Our feet got soaked, but it was worth
it!”
“This is the garden’s fifth season,”
Connors said. “Last year we donated over 1000 pounds of produce to the
local food pantries.”
Please remember that volunteers are
welcome every Saturday morning, and during the week too when convenient.
06/09/2013 – Westport washout. Adamsville Road dam breached Saturday as
Tropical Storm Andrea, the first named storm of the 2013 hurricane season,
dumped 3 to 4 inches of rain on Westport before exiting the waterlogged
south coast.
The weakened storm smashed rainfall
totals across the Northeast, pushing some streams and creeks over their banks,
spawning numerous flood warnings. Minor flooding was reported on Westport
roadways.
The Westport River’s east branch was
unidirectional for the last two days, shedding the watershed’s runoff out
to sea.
Check out this video of Forge Pond and Adamsville Pond dams.
06/09/2013 –The
Art Stable Gallery is open
weekends for the spring/summer season with three new artisans. Set amongst
the picturesque gardens of Partners Village Store, the gallery now features
the work eight local artisans including the recent addition of Don Cadoret, a nationally recognized story painter; Sarah
Desjardins, a popular watercolorist known for her local focus; and Teresa
Mowery, who handcrafts striking designs with copper. Read more with photos.
Above: popular watercolorist and local Westport
native, Sarah Desjardins, shows her new offerings to local realtor Suzanne
Alden of Alden Hill Real Estate.
06/09/2013 – Tiverton will get two new hearts if all
its plans come through.
Tiverton Crossings
is marching forward, a proposal to turn 62 acres of marsh and woods into a
mixed used commercial district offering hotels, stores, restaurants,
apartments and a conference center.
Just a few miles down Fish Road and
around a corner, another town center is well established. Sandywoods Farm is a housing development with
the best ideas of a collective at work. A playground is its closest
neighbor, a library will join it soon and hiking paths are being carved
from the woods at its back. More.
 06/08/2013
– Westport Town Farm in the MHC spotlight. Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin,
Chairman of the Massachusetts Historical Commission, announced the selection
of the Stephen Willcock House in Westport, also
known as the Westport Town Farm, to receive a 2013 Massachusetts Historical
Commission Historic Preservation Award.
“The Massachusetts Historical Commission
is proud to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of this year’s
awardees,” said Secretary Galvin. More.
06/06/2013 – Westport’s
state Senator Michael Rodrigues lauds passing of 2014 Senate budget.
“The Senate’s spending plan closes a $1.2 billion budget gap, while investing in essential
services,” Rodrigues said. “The plan demonstrates the Senate’s commitment
to fiscal responsibility while meeting the needs of citizens through
restoration of vital funding to core services and increasing support for
economic and workforce development.”
State aid to
cities and towns gets a boost. More.
06/06/2013 – Westport’s Planning Board votes for priority
development 5-year plan. The five-member
Westport Planning Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a
town-wide plan to designate PDAs (priority development areas) and PPAs
(priority protection areas.)
What does this
mean for Westport property owners?
Click here to see how Westport is preparing
for the South Coast Rail.
 06/06/2013
– Santos gets the nod on a second
vote. Westport selectmen and two health board members
unanimously appointed dairy and cheese farmer, Karl Santos, to fill the
health board seat recently vacated by former board member and Animal
Control Officer, Donna Lambert.
The three-member health board seat became
vacant when Lambert resigned to avoid conflict of interest allegations, and
was subsequently reappointed to ACO.
The appointment for Santos didn’t come
easily.
Read more about last week’s vote with
photos later today.
 06/04/2013
– At The Shattuck through June 30th.
Conceptual
artist Lasse Antonsen
is known for creating works that juxtapose concepts, images, and objects in
curious collections that take precedence over traditional aesthetic
concerns. In this exhibit, a number of
the Danish-born artist’s projects are featured; the allure and significance
of each individual work is enhanced in contrast with the others.
Visitors to this exhibition will
leave the Dedee Shattuck Gallery with a different view of conceptual art
than when they entered. More with video
and a hi-res tour
of the exhibition.
 06/04/2013
– Art Stable Gallery
opens for the summer season with pizazz, pinot noir and three new artists.
Doors swung open for the summer season at
the Art Stable Gallery during Memorial Day Weekend where they announced
that they have added three highly acclaimed artists to their exhibitors.
These featured new artists are: Don Cadoret, a nationally recognized story painter; Sarah
Desjardins, a popular watercolorist known for her local focus; and Teresa
Mowery, who handcrafts striking designs with copper. Read more with photos.
 06/04/2013
– Repeat winners dominate 2013 Laubi 5K. Westport runners score big. Attleboro’s Christopher Elger wins the ninth annual Devin Laubi
5K Run and Walk for a fourth time; Madalena
Boudreau of Fall River captures first female finish.
Westport
runners take seven of the top 15 spots.
Highly ranked
runners Worsley and Mathews absent from this
year’s contest.
More with photos and times.
05/31/2013 – Building equity. Ralph Souza, Westport’s acting building
inspector for the past five years, is all smiles as Selectmen voted Tuesday
night to appoint the well-respected Sousa to the permanent position of
local building inspector.
Selectmen took
the Town Administrator’s advice to appoint a part-time, hourly-paid
certified building commissioner to assist Souza.
Andrew Bobola, Mattapoisett’s full time certified building
commissioner, was unanimously selected Tuesday night to provide a few hours
each week to sign off on occupancy permits and conduct annual liquor
license inspections for the town, something acting Westport Building
Inspector Ralph Souza is presently unable to do because he is not certified
by the state.
There was a
question about the security of Souza’s employment with the town if a
full-time building commissioner was appointed, one of the alternatives
presented to the Selectmen.
Souza’s
long-term, unblemished employment record was the deciding factor in the
direction Selectmen took Tuesday night.
Above: Newly appointed local building inspector Ralph Souza (left) with
Westport’s new certified building commissioner, Andrew Bobola.
05/31/2013 – Senator Rodrigues joins his colleagues in passing the
FY2014 Senate Budget.
The Senate’s
spending plan closes a $1.2 billion budget gap, while investing in
essential services. More.
05/28/2013 – Westport
veteran’s officer Jerry LeBoeuf salutes Lt. Colonel Noelle Briand, U.S.
Army, after
her keynote address at yesterday’s Memorial Day commemoration at Beech
Grove Cemetery.
Westport residents and veterans turned
out in numbers not seen in 45 years to honor those who made the ultimate
sacrifice, according to Select Board Chairman Antone
Vieira.
Click
here for hi-resolution photo album of all the
ceremonies including the parade.
 05/26/2013
– Richard Medeiros,
well known to area golfers for many years, died Wednesday at the Brigham
and Women's Hospital in Boston after a brief illness. He was 66.
Owner of the Caddy Shack, Richie handed
golfers bucket after bucket of golf balls, and always had time to ask how
you were doing. He ran a tight ship, and the Caddy Shack was well respected
throughout the southcoast. He will be missed.
Born in New Bedford the former policeman
has resided in Dartmouth for most of his life.
Mr. Medeiros was a Coast Guard Veteran. Click here
for the full obituary.
05/26/2013 – Little Compton’s Serena Charlebois big winner at LCCC Photography Show, but Best of Show goes to
Christopher Mullen.
 The perennial juried show brought
together the best of the area’s photo enthusiasts, amateur, student and
professional photographers, with proceeds benefiting the not-for-profit
community center.
This year’s judges,
Al Weems, Kelly Milukas and Nancy Green had the
challenging job of picking the winners, and by all accounts they got it
just about right.
Photography
exhibit on Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday, 10 a.m. to 2
p.m.
Click here for a YouTube video tour of the
2013 Little Compton Community Center Photography Show.
Click here for a high-resolution photo album;
106 images.
 05/25/2013
– Remembering our deceased veterans. On Friday morning Westport Girl
Scout Troop 1517 honored the recent passing of Westport resident Clinton Healy,
a Korean War veteran, by placing an American flag at his grave site.
Boy Scout
Troop 100 also placed flags on the graves of all deceased veterans in
Linden Grove and Maple Grove Cemeteries.
Westport
officials prepare for Monday’s Memorial Day ceremonies.
Click
here for all the
details.
05/23/2013 – Westport Selectmen cite residents Ray Elias and Lenny
Potter for their many
years of volunteer work with the town’s youth athletics.
Chairman
Vieira called Elias “an “unsung hero” and select board member Steve
Ouellette said Potter had given 20 years of “untiring and unselfish
service” to the town’s Babe Ruth baseball program.
A few
well-chosen words on a piece of paper can’t fully express the admiration
and appreciation for men who have volunteered a lifetime of community
service to several generations of Westport schoolboys.
But it’s a
good place to start.
Read more with photos.
 
05/23/2013 – The troll under the Sakonnet
River Bridge. The Rhode
Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority is moving
ahead with the installation of the electronic toll system on the new Sakonnet River Bridge.
 Authority Chairman David Darlington said the system
will likely be in place by the weekend; it will take several weeks to wire
and test it.
According to
the AP, Darlington says it could be operational by late June or early July.
The toll is set at 75 cents per trip for Rhode Islanders with an E-ZPass transponder. Non-residents with an E-ZPass will pay $3.75 per crossing. Those without
transponders will have to pay $5.25.
But local
opposition to tolls on the bridge continues, with members of the General
Assembly from Aquidneck Island pushing to reverse moves that allowed the
toll. The town of Portsmouth is suing to prevent a toll.
The Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge’s
cash toll is already $4.00 for cars; E-ZPass for
Rhode Island residents pay a discounted toll of only 83 cents.
Mount Hope Bridge next? Residents have come out in force
at previous public hearings on the proposal that would bring tolls to the
Mount Hope Bridge for the first time since 1998. The fees to cross the
bridge - if the General Assembly ever approves proposals before it - would
range from 52 cents to $3.25 each way.
Where are the three Billy Goat Gruffs when you need them?
05/22/2013 – New Bedford’s celebrated watercolorist, Arthur Moniz,
on permanent display at Westport Vineyards.
The Russell
Gallery will permanently feature the incredible artwork of  Arthur Moniz. Mr. Moniz was born in
1945 in New Bedford. He attended school in New Bedford and then went on to
Massachusetts College of Art and the Museum School of the Museum of Fine
Arts in Boston. His style of painting is a combination of graphite drawing
with transparent watercolor washes over the highly detailed renderings.
More with photos and video.
05/20/2013 – 2013 LCCC Photography Show this Memorial Day weekend:
judges make their choices.
Above: judges (from the left) Al Weems, Kelly Milukas
and Nancy Green give a thumb up as this year’s winners have been picked.
The envelope please!
 05/20/2013
– Murdock, Smoke & Pickles at The
Shattuck. Scores of local folk came by the Dedee Shattuck Gallery last
Saturday to revel in Murdock, Bart and DeRego.
But they didn’t come for the art for these artisans were of the food and
entertainment genre.
And their
creations didn’t require interpretation.
The Shattuck
hosted a budding springtime picnic with food, fun and a guitar-pickin’ gala replete with vegetation headwear
reminiscent of the 60’s.
Ah, Westport,
you never know what to expect.
Read more with photos.
05/20/2013 – Westport
artisan Susan Strauss wins Best of  Show in the Southcoast artists 2013 Creative Waters contest. Judging
the contest was James Hall, Deputy Director of the prestigious Norton
Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, FL.
“Islands In The River was immediately appealing to me, because the forms
were so familiar. While the palette of colors caused me to look afresh at the
relationship of land and water in a more abstract way,” Strauss said.
The contest attracted new artwork to
promote this year’s theme of the Southcoast
artists Open Studio Tour. Read more and view winning entries.
 05/17/2013
– Massive 90-foot white pine,
shattered by February’s superstorm Nemo, finally fell victim to the chainsaw and chipper. Our photo of
the week brings closure to a wonderfully old white pine on upper Drift Road
as the East Greenwich Tree Service crew brought it down piece by piece this
week, leaving a massive stump as a monument to a freak snow storm that
destroyed hundreds and hundreds of trees in Westport, the worst in anyone’s
memory.
And the
cleanup still continues.
Click here for to view our photos of the week.
05/15/2013 – Fall River's Daniel Croteau
set a comfortable pace of 27:54 to win
the 9th running of the Westport Fishermen's Association's 'Run for the
Water' 8K road race.
Croteau bested by one minute runner up David Constantino
(28:52) of  Cumberland, RI.
Perennial favorite and two-time past
winner of this event, “Scotty” Scott Anderson, didn’t compete this year.
“I didn’t have Scotty nipping my heels,” Croteau said, “so my time was slightly off from last
year. Croteau won last year’s 8K at 27:40,
besting Anderson by just 6 seconds. Anderson last won in 2011.
New Bedford’s Nathan Brito
wrapped up the top three at 30:50.
This year’s Saturday morning contest broke
no records.
Runners spoke of being slammed with a
strong southwest wind on the first turn of the beach run.
Kelly Manchester of Dartmouth was the
first 8K female finisher at 33:30, Abby Koczera,
also of Dartmouth, finished second at 38:03, and New Bedford’s Diane
Machado was third at 39:49.
 Cool running. Despite the less than perfect weather and strong wind, almost 200
participants turned out to run the 8K and 5K legs, as well as participate
in the family walk.
“We’re very happy with the turnout,” said WFA's
Jennifer Gelinas. “It was almost as good as last
year, our best year to date.”
Click on Learn More later
today to get complete race results with photos and video.
 05/14/2013
– Westport business manager hired by
select board. Selectmen at last night’s meeting voted to hire, subject
to contract negotiations, Mattapoisett resident Steven J. Lombard Sr. as
the town’s new part-time business manager.
Three
Selectmen (Craig Dutra and R. Michael Sullivan were absent) voted
unanimously to accept the Town Administrator’s recommendation to hire
Lombard, a skilled town manager well versed in budgeting and procurement
procedures.
The hiring
solidifies Jack Healey’s position as part-time Town Administrator for the
foreseeable future.
Click here to read more about Steve Lombard.
 05/13/2013
– Local area apple crops may be at risk.
Frosty temperatures tonight in low-lying areas may put apple tree blossoms
at peril if temperatures reach 30 degrees, said orchard owner Brian
Medeiros of Dartmouth Orchards.
“We’re pulling
out all the stops to try and stop that from happening,” Medeiros said.
Medeiros plans
to add heat and circulate air with a large fan to beat back the threat of a
frost.
“It’ll be a
long night.”
Medeiros lost
his entire crop last year to freezing weather.
“You get up in
the morning and the blossoms are all brown,” he said.
Radiative frosts are produced locally and occur only during
clear, calm nights.
We had a frost
last night,” Medeiros said. “It hit the tops of the building’s roofs, but
didn’t reach down to the tops of the smaller fruit trees. Tonight could be
different. One degree below freezing is a critical temperature for apple
blossoms,” Medeiros.
If Medeiros
escapes the frost tonight, warming temperatures throughout the week will
save the day.
“I can’t
afford to lose another crop,” the longtime apple grower said.
05/13/2013 – TA
Jack Healey keeps job and gets assistant.  Selectmen voted unanimously last
Monday night in Executive Session to suspend the search for a fulltime Town
Administrator, and will instead contract with current part-time Town
Administrator Jack Healey and Stephen Lombard, another retired Town
Administrator.
Mr. Lombard
will be hired as the Business Manager to assist Healey in all matters
involving the Financial Management activities of the Town.
Selectmen
followed Healey’s recommendation to contract with him and with Lombard.
Lombard will
be introduced to Selectmen at tonight’s 6:00 p.m. meeting, and Healey will
discuss his and Lombard’s specific duties in carrying out this “new
business model”.
Lombard will
be paid for 24 hours a week and Healey will be paid for 16 hours a week at
a rate of $60.00 per hour. Neither
of them will receive Health or Retirement Benefits. The twin contracts,
prepared on basis of last Monday’s discussion, will be reviewed tonight for
approval by the select board.
Welcome aboard
gentlemen!
05/12/2013 – Drive-in
service. This motorist took the handicap parking sign literally when
they crashed Friday into Wilbur’s General Store in Little Compton. No one
was injured except the driver’s pride. Photo/Perky
Nellissen
05/10/2013 – Fancy
paddle work. Early morning fog down at the Route 88 state boat ramp
Saturday morning didn’t deter Osprey Sea Kayak Adventures from marshaling
its group of intermediate kayak instructors to teach the teachers the finer
art of coaching kayak operation and safety to novice kayakers. Click here to read more with photos.
05/10/2013 – Annual
Town Meeting completed in single evening. Lots of coin spent, but no weed
in Westport.
Westport’s
legislative process opened Tuesday evening with town meeting members
quickly and unanimously passing with no discussion the “Consent Calendar”
(consisting of five articles.)
The town’s
electorate, the few who actually attended, never looked back from there,
finishing the 2013 Annual Town Meeting in a record breaking three hours.
“In my 30 plus
years of going to the annual Town Meeting (many attended as Town Clerk)
I’ve never seen such a fast-paced meeting with so little discussion on the
articles, and finishing up in just one evening,” said Marlene Samson, Town
Clerk.
252 attendees,
including town committees and boards, safety and highway department
employees, and the School Committee passed most articles without a single
dissent, no discussion or changes, including a budget of over $32 million,
almost $1 million in capital improvements that have repeatedly failed at
previous Town Meetings, and a complex, 13-page bylaw controlling small- and
large-scale solar panel installations so multifarious that it failed
dramatically at a previous Special Town Meeting because nobody understood
it.
Above: Article 4 in the STM had town officials and town counsel scratching
their heads for many minutes before calculating the correct borrowing
amount incorrectly recommended by the Finance Committee.
The Free Cash
Account was tapped repeatedly during the Special Town Meeting (a meeting
within the Annual Town Meeting) to unanimously fund article after article
with no discussion.
But the
whirlwind meeting, hectic at times, did mix a few light moments with a
sprinkling of sporadic confusion as town officials corrected PowerPoint
slide and town warrant errors, and struggled for many minutes with math
calculations that had meeting attendees scratching their heads.
The Community
Preservation Committee received unanimous approval with no discussion to
fund projects totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars without a whimper
from the tax advocates who petitioned (Article 22) to reduce the tax
surcharge for the Community Preservation Act from two to one percent - the
article was passed over because the petitioners didn’t show up to present
it.
Story will be
updated later tonight with a complete analysis and photos.
05/10/2013 – The
Tiverton Senior Center’s watercolor class opened their impressive
2013 exhibit, Spring Into
Watercolor! now on display through July 3rd at the Tiverton Town Hall.
 These
wonderfully artistic seniors under the direction of Madeleine Diogenes have
produced some remarkably good work.
The public is invited to the opening reception on Sunday, May 19th
from 2 - 4 p.m., at the Tiverton Town Hall, 343 Highland Road. It is free
and light refreshments will be served.
The exhibit includes original watercolor paintings such as A Fishy Business by Irene Berg
(pictured left.)
Click here for all the details including a video tour and a hi-resolution
photo album of the senior artisans’ watercolor paintings.
 05/08/2013
– Fire destroys Jillian Way home. Tragedy struck twice in one week as another Westport family lost their
home to a fast-moving fire that started on an outside deck, according to
Public Information Officer,
Captain Michael P. Silvia.
The fire destroyed a two-story colonial home at 89 Jillian Way, a
quiet, meandering neighborhood street in central Westport populated with
capes, colonials and contemporaries.
“The fire was discovered around 8:30 a.m. by Robert Morotti
of Jillian Way, who was walking his dog and saw the smoke coming from the
rear of the house,” Silvia said.
“Mr. Morotti banged on the front door to
alert the occupants, 17-year-old Megan Sousa and her elderly grandmother
Maria Sousa, and got both of them out of the house prior to the fire
department’s arrival.”
Fire Chief Brian Legendre declares the house a total loss.
The fire is believed to be an accident, according to firefighters.
Photo/Westport police Sergeant Cestodio
05/08/2013 – The 2nd Annual Wine,
Cheese, and Chocolate Market presented by the Coastal Wineries of
Southeastern New England will be held on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at the
Westport Fair Grounds, 200 Pine Hill Road Westport.
Because of last year’s outstanding turnout, there will be two
sessions this year: 1st Session from 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.; 2nd Session
from 3:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Last year’s inaugural event brought out over 1500 paying patrons to
the Westport Fair  Grounds to help
the Coastal Wine Group celebrate the 2012 Passport Season with their first
ever Coastal Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Festival.
Inset: Lisa Stewart of Westport Vineyards (left) pours for Jen Hayes of
Newport (right) and Regina Coffey or Portsmouth, RI.
Newport socialites, south shore urbanites, and coastal village
residents all rubbed shoulders sampling the best of the best that local
vineyards had to offer. Click here for all the details, ticket sales, and
photos of last year’s event.
05/06/2013 – The
survey says . . . The Westport Planning Board said 1,473 residents
responded to the 22-question Master Plan Update Survey. The survey asked
residents for their thoughts about a number of issues, including growth and
development, water, wastewater, land use and housing.
397 handwritten comments were also made by respondents
ranging from “please include the Hix Bridge
landing (pass) in with the beach pass; to “I’m totally against allowing
developers to sidestep local zoning requirements in order to meet
low-income mandates by the state.”
Click here to read all the comments.
The next public Master Plan Working Group Meeting is
scheduled for Wednesday May 22nd at 11:00 a.m. in the Town Hall Annex
Meeting Room - the agenda will be announced prior to the meeting.
Click here to review Master Plan Update Summaries in both
percentages and in graphs (see example below.) PDF
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Westport Master Plan Update Survey
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Q. 1. Are you:
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Answer Options
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Response Percent
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Response Count
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A year-round resident?
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95.8%
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1406
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A Seasonal resident?
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2.2%
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32
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Other (please specify)
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2.1%
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31
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answered question
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1467
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skipped question
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6
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The Planning
Board said residents from every voting precinct participated. Ninety-six
percent of the 1,467 respondents were year-round residents and 57 percent have
lived in Westport more than 25 years. Ninety-three percent are registered
voters; 84 percent are over 45 years old and 21 percent have school-age
children.
Learn about
respondents’ preferences and concerns at the Planning Board page on the
town website at:
http://planningboard.westport-ma.com. The detailed results of the
survey are shown in percentages, graphs and pie charts.
05/05/2013 –The Greater
Tiverton Community Chorus presented over the weekend their 2013 spring
concert - Animal Crackers!
If you missed
both days of this spring concert there’s still time to catch cameos of an
astoundingly funny and fun-for-all music show led by the ever effervescent
Beth Armstrong. Click here to view video clip.
Animal
Crackers is destined to be of their most memorable concerts, so don’t miss
viewing the YouTube video.
Featuring
choral pieces by John Rutter, Eric Whitacre, Aaron Copeland, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and
several others, the family-oriented music was fun, beautiful, and guarantees
to leave a lasting impression on the audiences.
Tickets can be
purchased at a discount price of $10.00 online using the links to the
right! Choosing “will-call” option
will have your tickets held at the door.
You can also purchase tickets from chorus members at this price
prior to the day of the concert.
Tickets at the door are $12.00. Click
here to view video of the 2012 Celtic Christmas concert.
 05/03/2013 – May is National Lyme Awareness
Month! Governor
Patrick has declared May as "Lyme Disease Awareness Month."
Lyme Disease
is the second most prevalent infectious disease in Massachusetts. In
addition to Lyme, deer ticks carry the pathogens which cause Babesiosis and Anaplasmosis,
both of which can be quite serious and are on the increase.
16 tips you need to defend yourself
against deer ticks and Lyme Disease for 2013. Click here to get them
now!
Click here to learn more about tick awareness in southeastern
Massachusetts.
05/03/2013 – It’s official! Selectmen announced Monday night
that Westport’s tax rate was certified Monday by the Mass Department of
Revenue (DOR) at $7.39 per thousand dollars of evaluation.
Real estate
tax bills to go out next Friday and will be due 30 days from the postmark,
or by June 10th.
So ante up,
the tax man cometh!
 05/02/2013 – Latest Mystery Photo solved by Betty Slade of Westport Point. Click here to see what Betty was the first to know.
05/02/2013 – 13 years ago today President
Clinton signed into
law a provision that allowed advanced GPS technology, then only used by the
military, to be used by civilians.
Seems like
we’ve had GPS units in our cars forever!
Click
here to see what
else happened Today in History.
05/02/2013 –Westport Emergency Management continues their  Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program this Saturday from
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Westport Fire Department, Station 1, 54 Hix Bridge Road.
The program
will run every Thursday starting May 2, 9, 16 and 23, as well as Saturdays
on May 4 and the 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The training
helps citizens to be better prepared in the event of a natural or man-made
event. More information on CERT training can be found at www.fema.gov.
There is no
charge for the training but class size is limited. If you or someone you
know is interested pleased contact Lt. Brian Beaulieu at 774.264.5166, or
email: ltbeaulieu@westport-ma.gov.
05/01/2013 - Half million dollar blaze leaves
Meadowbrook Lane family homeless. A fast moving fire Tuesday afternoon demolished a
Meadowbrook Lane home, leaving a family of five without all their
possessions, fire officials said.
Westport Fire
Chief Brian Legendre was the first department member on the scene, arriving
less than a minute after the initial call came into the station.
 “The house was fully involved,”
Legendre said. “I thought the structure had vinyl siding; all the exterior
surfaces were in flames.”
Photo/Westport Fire Department.
Firefighters
had little chance to save the structure, especially with the lack of water
hydrants in the area.
Chief Legendre
estimated the total loss of the two-story colonial house at 20 Meadowbrook
Lane, with all the family's possessions, was in the range of $500,000, a
total loss.
The house is
owned by Ana and Robert Habib.
The fire was
through the roof by 3 p.m. as firefighters arrived minutes before in the
neighborhood of single-family, executive homes just northwest of Central
Village, off Charlotte White Road.
“Luckily, no
one was injured,” Legendre said. “Only the mother was home at the time. It
appears the fire started outside the southeastern exterior of the house, on
a raised deck.”
Fire
investigators were on the scene yesterday afternoon and early this morning.
 Inset: the fire destroyed the house and all possessions, including a
vehicle in the drive-under garage.
Photo/EverythingWestport
A
neighbor reported hearing an explosion just before the house flared up;
firefighters suspect an outdoor grill’s propane tank may be involved.
“The
property is owned by the Habib family, whose
three children are in their late teens or early 20s,” firefighter Lt. Dan
Baldwin said.
The
Red Cross is providing two nights of hotel shelter for the five family
members, along with funds for food, clothing and comfort kits for the
family. Click here to read more with photos.
More
headline news from last month continues below.
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