Saturday night in the big city.....

DEP considering environmental impact stickers for cars

This is an interesting post on Blue Mass Group here.

I wonder what environmental impact rating a truck containing construction and demolition debris cruising into Crow Lane landfill would have....?

Municipalities Squeezed In Bond Market

Another reason why what happens globally and nationally has an impact on local affairs...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96743141

Trick or Treat

Daddy to Anna one night: Anna, we're going to hold a sign for Barack Obama tomorrow morning.
Anna: Okay....(pause)...can I hand out the doughnuts?

Later...bedtime
Anna: I want to have a party for John McCain...(pause)...and Barack Obama.
Daddy: Do you like them both?
Anna: Yes.

Question 1 Forum....On Newburyport Cable

On Thursday, October 23rd, the Democratic Committees of Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, and West Newbury sponsored the Kickoff of No on Question 1 forum which featured these officials talking about the impact of Question 1 on their community:

Amesbury Mayor Thatcher Kezer
Newbury Dina Sullivan, Chair Triton School Committee
Newburyport Mayor John Moak
Salisbury Selectman Jerry Klima
West Newbury Selectman Dick Cushing

It was an informative evening.

With thanks to Don Meskie and Ann Connolly-King of Amesbury for coordinating the taping of the event and Port Media for airing, here are the show times, all on channel 9 in Newburyport.

Fri. - 1:00 pm

Sat. - 10:00 am

Sat. - 7:00 pm

Sun. - 8:00 am

Mon. - 8:30 pm

Additionally, a streaming version has been posted on www.amesburydemocrats.org.

You can also get more information on No on Question 1 at: http://votenoquestion1.com/

Wind Turbine Minutes from ZBA

Yesterday's Daily News Article on the Wind Turbine is here.

With a little digging on the City's website, one can find:

Minutes from the hearing of July 22 ZBA
http://134.241.126.28/weblink7/DocView.aspx?id=3791

Minutes from the hearing of August 12 ZBA
http://134.241.126.28/weblink7/DocView.aspx?id=3790
Click to page 7 for the Wind Turbine discussion.

Greenspan...Harsh Punishment

I agree that former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan bears much of the blame for the current economic crisis. But I think it's extreme to go as far as decapitation as punishment.

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/10/23/house_panel_to_tackle_meltdown_reason_remedy/

Question 1: Such a Bad Idea Even the NY Times Noticed

Not that I believe everything that New Yorkers say....

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/opinion/22wed2.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

VOTE NO ON 1 KICKOFF, Thursday, October 23rd 7PM

Please join the local Democratic Town and City Committees of Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, and West Newbury at an information session on Thursday, October 23 at 7PM. The nonpartisan event will be at Newburyport City Hall and is open to all voters: Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Your neighbors and your elected officials will discuss the impacts of Question 1, the ballot referendum to eliminate the State Income Tax.

Here are some links to various websites:

Sec of State's Election Website

State FY09 Budget

VoteNoQuestion1.com

Massachusetts Online Budget Game: Can you cut $12.6 billion from the state budget?

Mass Taxpayers Foundation

Boston Herald, Business groups' report outlines dangers of Question 1

VOTE NO ON 1 KICKOFF

Please join the local Democratic Town and City Committees of Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, and West Newbury at an information session on Thursday, October 23 at 7PM. The nonpartisan event will be at Newburyport City Hall and is open to all voters: Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Your neighbors and your elected officials will discuss the impacts of Question 1, the ballot referendum to eliminate the State Income Tax.

More information on Q1 is at
http://votenoquestion1.com/

Newburyport Redevelopment Authority, Wed Sept 17th

As posted in today's Daily News, the NRA is meeting Wednesday Sept 17th at 7 p.m. at the Firehouse Center for the Arts.

The NRA's website is here.

To get yourself refreshed, here is a story from the Daily News in February.

Measuring Your Miles

Today I took a walk from my house to the beach at Plum Island. I met my wife and kids there who took the car along will all the beach stuff.

I was armed with a water bottle and an IPOD and a letter which I deposited at the Post Office.

Along the way, I passed many tourists, A-frame signs, and one clam shack--all that Newburyport has offer. Another policy thought (and I know it's better than it was years ago): it is not all that safe to walk out to the Island.

There's Google Map 'mashup' at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ which you can use to measure walks, runs, bike rides and auto trips. It's pretty cool. You can save your 'routes' for future reference.

Here's the 5.3 mile route I took:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2198978

If you click on the satellite view, you'll see a lot more beach at the center of Plum Island than there is now.

Going with the flow - The Boston Globe

Going with the flow - The Boston Globe

There was a great article--funny too--the other day in the Globe. I think the real Newburyport bloggers (Salemi, Ari, Gillian, Mary Baker, Mr/Ms X) should drive this guy on a ride through our own beloved streets.

A few interesting insights by the author on the drive through Boston:

"We just passed a classic sign: 'Slippery when wet.' It's a sign that, on the days when it's not wet, nobody pays attention to. When it is wet, do you then pay attention? The more signs that don't apply to your situation at the moment, the more you disregard them. 'Slow, children' signs are the bane of traffic engineers. People get frustrated with speeding and get towns to put up these signs, but they tend not to accomplish anything."

"Very European-inspired city, isn't it? This sort of narrow street, with a lot of obstacles and parking on both sides, is called a self-explaining road - you don't need a speed limit. Whether this always works is hard to say, but it's natural traffic-calming. If you put a speed bump here, people would speed up after the bump."

"Well-designed rotaries are safer than conventional intersections."

"Congestion is as old as cities. Cities thrive on congestion. To have a Boston that you could whisk through magically at some free-flowing speed in a car would raise a question: Would it still be Boston? The easier you make it for drivers, the more driving you're going to attract. The easier you make it to get into a city, the farther out people will choose to live."

"[Economist] Donald Shoup's argument is that if you raise the price of meters to the point where spaces are never more than 85 percent occupied, you'd eliminate a lot of bargain-hunting, meandering around, adding to the traffic with destinationless driving."

My own personal Top 4 favorite challenges in NBPT driving:
4) Route 1 Rotary--cars coming northbound from Newbury seem to be magnetically attracted to vehicles exiting to Dunkin Donuts or get washed. Rotaries and Dunkin Donuts are two great things that don't go well together.
3) Hyman Pennyworth Shoes and Dunkin Donuts--I'm not normally paranoid (really) but how does Dunkin Donuts get these locations approved? Go slow when you pull into Pennyworth's because some overly caffeinated commuter may come whipping around the corner.
2) Taking a left onto High Street from anywhere especially morning and evening commute times.
1) Moseley Woods Intersection....some call it the Chain Bridge intersection....next time you drive through notice the damaged stone wall apparently hit repeatedly over the years. The Community Preservation Committee recommended and the City Council approved funding to fix the wall as a historic/open space/recreation project. Councillor Derrivan had the line of the night--"There's nothing historic about it except a history of people running into it."

I'd love to hear your favorite Newburyport driving funspots.

Let's be careful out there!

Clipper City Rail Trail

Here is a link to the City's webpage with updates from Geordie Vining.

It's going to be great...!

The Greatest Game

Here's a fun recommendation for summer baseball reading. The Greatest Game by Richard Bradley is a very readable recount of the 1978 one game playoff between the Sox and the Yankees.
The narrative bounces between the Game, background stories of the players involved, and that long strange season.

Despite a few factual mistakes (Yogi Berra would have been 32 in 1957 not 22 and don't ask me why I know that), it's a great book.

Pop quiz: who started in Right Field for the Sox that game?

It's at the Newburyport Public Library as soon as I finish it! Or I'm sure at Jabberwocky or Book Rack.

Newburyport Dog Parade, Sunday, July 13th

A local citizen and friend, Ken Nicosia, came up with a great way to benefit the City's Animal Shelter.

Sunday, July 13th @ the Bartlett Mall from 1:00- 3:30 PM.

Bring your dog, bring your checkbook, bring yourself and your checkbook if you don't have a dog!

There's an article here from the Current including a slide show of the shelter.

More info at

http://www.lovemutts.com/

The Newburyport Liberator

Following in the footsteps of William Lloyd Garrison and Tom Ryan, Jim Roy is publishing "The Newburyport Liberator" as covered in this Current article.

I can name more, but here are three things I like about Jim Roy:

1) The man can recite the 1957 Red Sox starting lineup.

2) He owns the only car in Newburyport which in 2007 sported "Ed Cameron City Council" and "My Border Collie is Smarter than Your Honor Student" bumperstickers.

3) He doesn't play favorites. Last fall I was holding a sign for myself on High Street on a Saturday morning with a few supporters. A car slowly pulled alongside, the bearded occupant grimly waving his middle finger at me. A sign-holding neighbor cried in dismay, "That's awful. Who is that?" I said, "That's Jim Roy. You should see what he does to people he doesn't like."

Subscription information can be found at
https://www.newburyportliberator.com/

I enjoyed the first issue. And was relieved to find my name wasn't in it...;-).

Good luck Jim.

Starbucks: The Retrenchment of the Third Place

Does anyone out there know if the Newburyport Starbucks is on the hit list?

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/07/05/a_bitter_tasting_jolt_for_starbucks/

Alex Beam is often on-target and I think he nails this one. I was studying for a Masters in Business in the late 1990's and I got sick of reading case studies about the brilliance of the Starbucks concept. The real concept was more along the lines of Big Tobacco....add lots of nicotine/caffeine, pretend it's not addictive, expand the delivery system, and max out the customer base.

Of course coffee doesn't kill...my post would be more coherent but I haven't finished my second cup o' joe.

Happy Fourth and The Founders on Newburyport Charter Reform

Happy 4th everyone....WXRV the River 92.5 just played one of my favorite songs: "4th of July" by X.

And now from our Founders--arguments for taking a look under the hood at the possibility of reviewing and reforming Newburyport's Charter. I believe I don't need permission from the National Archives for using these lines ;-).

1. WHEN IN the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
2. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
3. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes;
4. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Hey, I'm not saying we're suffering under a long reign of Despotism, but perhaps, despite the best efforts of many, our current structure has put us under a long reign of Stagnation--stuck in neutral. Time to take a look to get our Charter up to rigors of the time.

Happy 4th.

Cushing Park and the Senior Center--Why I Will Vote for a Change in Designation

In the Planning and Development Committee, I voted in favor of changing the designation of Cushing Park from Municipal Parking to Municipal Parking and a Senior Center. The full Council is likely to take a vote at the Monday night, June 30th meeting which starts at 7:30PM at City Hall.

The Committee process allowed for several public meetings, including one at the site. I especially appreciated the input from citizens on both sides of this question, who respectfully tried to learn from each other. I learned a lot.

Below I will try to briefly outline the argument FOR the change in designation and the arguments AGAINST with my own take on these arguments and why I'm in favor of Cushing Park as the site for a Senior Center.

THE ARGUMENT FOR A CHANGE IN DESIGNATION

Need
To me, it's a basic city service just as we provide schools, libraries, roads, and sidewalks. The services offered for seniors help to connect them to their peers, help them stay independent and active, and let them know that their community values their contributions.

Out of a total population of 17,000, Newburyport's population over the age of 60 is over 3,000 and expected to rise to over 5,000 people as we baby boomers age in the next 20 years. Currently about 11% of our seniors, approximately 350 people, use the current delivery system of scattered, fragmented services provided in multiple rented or borrowed or begged sites.

While Newburyport spends almost $20 Million each year on public education, the $193,000 operating budget for the Council on Aging is less than one half of 1% of the city budget.

A Senior Center as a Vehicle for Services
As Roseann Robillard, the head of the City's Council on Aging, has said, there are two types of services/programs needed now. She and her staff do the best they can but space and money have been the major constraints. I would argue that, while money will always be an issue for the Council on Aging as it is for other City departments, the Council can act to address the space constraint.

Life Maintenance services include nutrition, housing, health care, transportation, insurance help, tax help, and information/referral. These services will continue to be needed during the next 20 years by those aging among us. Sometimes these services are delivered in program space, sometimes they are delivered in the person's home.

Life Enrichment programs include support groups, volunteer opportunities, foreign language classes, dance, choral groups, theater trips, computer classes. These activities enhance the lives of elders by providing stimulation and socialization - important to reduce loneliness, prevent depression, and keep elders engaged in the community.

According to the U.S. Administration on Aging, http://www.aoa.gov/eldfam/Service_Options/Service_Options.asp
Literally thousands of senior centers are operating in the United States. A vital link in the service delivery network which older persons may avail themselves of, senior centers are functioning as meal sites, screening clinics, recreational centers, social service agency branch offices, mental health counseling clinics, older worker employment agencies, volunteer coordinating centers, and community meeting halls. The significance of senior centers cannot be underestimated for they provide a sense of belonging, offer the opportunity to meet old acquaintances and make new friends, and encourage individuals to pursue activities of personal interest and involvement in the community.

As to the future, we can anticipate similar types of needs. It will be very important, as with other City services, to be innovative.

This from a New York Times article on March 25, 2008:
Experts predict that baby boomers will not walk in the door of outdated centers, which are often in church basements, reminiscent of high school cafeterias before the advent of food courts, with few activities besides bingo and transportation to the mall.
"If they don't innovate," said John A. Krout, director of the gerontology institute at Ithaca College, "they will die."
Fierce competition for the older-American market has inspired a search for new models and an emerging consensus about the elements the senior center of the 21st century should include.
Among them are fitness activities, chronic-disease management, fall prevention and other aspects of healthy aging; continuing education both practical and intellectual; volunteer and work opportunities for those not ready for retirement; a handsome environment that accommodates the physical limits of age without looking institutional; and some programs aimed to the "young old," those from 55 to 65, to begin changing their negative view of senior centers.

I feel that it is clear that there will be a depth of need in the future just as there is now--a Senior Center is a vital part of a community-wide response to that need. But to more accurately tailor future services, whether the Cushing Park designation is changed or not, I will be advocating for the City of Newburyport to replicate a community outreach and education model to count and catalog the needs of each resident age 60 or older. "Seniors Count" is an effort used in Boston and Lowell in which two-person teams of trained and screened volunteers visit every senior citizen living in the city, find out his or her needs, and get him or her information about social services. Grant dollars and volunteer time would support this important effort.

Capital and Operating Costs
The question before the Council now is not one of funding---it is a question of changing the designation of Cushing Park.

That said, the cost of construction could be in $5 million area. On going operating costs will be similar to what is spent now, since many of these services are already delivered just in multiple sites.

Obviously, the City doesn't have $5 million tucked under the mattress. Cost of construction will need to be covered by a mix of fundraising, City and State funds (House Speaker Sal Dimasi pledged $600,000 in October 2004 which has recently been reiterated by Senator Baddour). We should also work with our U.S Senators and Congressman Tierney for assistance. If the site designation is changed, yet down the road the City is not in a position to afford this, I will not advocate for the City to put its financial position at risk.

The Site
Newburyport has been looking for years at sites ranging from the Armory on Low Street, the waterfront, the Fulton Street Pit behind the Fire Station, and Cushing Park--which has emerged as the preferred site under Mayors Clancy and Moak.

Site Selection Committee has worked for many years on finding a centralized site for services.

• National Guard Armory on Low Street---three different sites on that property were looked at. After 9/11, no longer viable. Senator Jajuga had committed $600,000 which has been reiterated by Senator Baddour.
• DPW property/Foundry on Merrimac Street was developed into housing.
• DPW site in Industrial zone is considered too remote and an incompatible use if the goal is to present an attractive space to seniors
• Baptist Church on Green Street later was redeveloped into two restaurants
• Cashman Park was too prone to flood, now used as soccer field
• Hope Church rented out space to a different use.
• Fulton Pit behind Fire Station would require $9Million to build and install utilities. Also there were environmental and engineering concerns.
• Port Rehab on Low Street decided not to build additional capacity
• Parking Garage on Green Street was not advanced by City
• Waterfront East and West has never been seriously considered by NRA. Also would be too congested during summer tourist months.
• YWCA was discussed with that agency but that site would not allow enough space for senior purposes and parking was not adequate for both Y and Senior usages.
• Cushing Park has been looked at over the years.
• Library was considered at Cushing Park during Library renovations planning but doesn't have enough space.
• Donoghue Motors space on Winter and Merrimac was converted to housing/commercial.
• Belleville Church doesn't have accessibility and parking is not adequate.
• Coast Guard Station would not work.
• Basement of City Hall doesn't provide enough room.

Site Selection Criteria has included:
• Cost
• Parking
• Storage
• Interior space needs to be flexible/expandable
• Proximity to downtown, not segregated in industrial zone

Cushing Park
I think Cushing Park is a viable site:

a) it is centrally located essentially in the middle of our city; some seniors may actually be able to walk there. While it is not as close to senior housing located downtown, it is closer to senior housing located at Horton Terrace.

b) the City owns the land, lowering overall cost. Site control is key to any development project. In the recent Request for Proposals (RFP) for a CDBG funding put out by the MA Dept of Housing and Community Development -- this is the source often used by communities to specifically pay for capital costs for Senior Centers -- the first criteria of eligibility is 'site control'. This is why the site needs to be secured first, then the funding pursued. No foundation, state or federal agency, or private donor is going to give a penny until a site is in hand.

c) The Senior Center would have a modest footprint and reasonable height at the Kent Street side of Cushing Park. The current playground would not be impacted, the current basketball court could be improved, and most of the on-site emergency parking would be retained. Additional snow emergency parking needs could be met by allowing parking on a designated side of a street.

Changing the Cushing Park designation to include use as a Senior Center is only the next step. Much work would remain to be done obviously on fundraising. In terms of design and implementation, the neighborhood and seniors are the most important stakeholders.

The creation of a Senior Center Building Committee provides an opportunity to engage the community and neighbors to design a public space that will result in a Senior Center for that population and an improved public space for neighbors and the entire City. That Committee (in my opinion) should include a balance of Mayoral appointees from the COA, Councillor appointees from the Council, Ward 3 Councillor appointees from the neighborhood, the City's Planner, and the Executive Director of the COA.


THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST A CHANGE IN DESIGNATION
I’ve addressed other arguments above, but these are some of the other arguments I’ve heard against Cushing Park as a site for a Senior Center.

Snow Emergency Parking
Neighbors are concerned that they will not be able to park in the parking lot if spaces are taken away. A commonly agreed-upon fact is that a maximum of 120 vehicles have used the lot during snow emergency. The proposed design (this design is merely a placeholder based on a study approved by the Council) includes emergency parking for approximately 75-80 vehicles.

I think we can manage snow emergency parking in a more efficient manner. Let’s evaluate the need for and the implementation of better snow emergency parking regulations.

I know we are not Boston but like Boston we are a city of dense neighborhoods. Like Boston and other municipalities, we can allow snow emergency parking on designated sides of certain secondary roads.
http://www.cityofboston.gov/news/default.aspx?id=3722

ZBA and "Deeded" Parking
Over time I have heard varied statements that that the ZBA had in the past given residents a 'right' to park at Cushing Park. At one of the Planning and Development Committee meetings, a Cushing Park neighbor said that he had 'deeded parking' from the City. I researched that particular ZBA decision from 1982. The then-owners had petitioned the ZBA for permission for a lot split.

In that decision, the ZBA wrote:
"If this Board grants the [petitioner's] request for a lot split the ordinance requires two parking spaces per unit for a total of four parking spaces.
[Lot address] does not have four parking spaces. At best there is room for one (1) large automobile or two subcompacts.
Furthermore because of the close proximity of the dwelling to the boundry (sic) line it is not possible to create any further space on the premises for parking.
However the [petitioners] do comply with the Newburyport Zoning Ordinance, Section VII-Parking, in that [lot address] is within 300 feet of a municipal parking lot. The [petitioners] or sucessors in title are permitted to utilize said parking facilities and therefore the Board is satisfied as to the parking issue."

The ZBA acknowledged the ability to park in the municipal lot as a factor in granting a variance. This is very different from the City issuing a property transaction (a lease, easement, sale) to give the actual right to park.

Since the conceptual plan for a possible Senior Center includes most of the current parking, I don't believe that this "ZBA argument" even if it was correct –which it isn't-- should be a reason to vote against the change in designation.

The Open Space Argument
The argument has been made that the neighborhood is too dense and that the area should be preserved for future generations. I would say, yes, it is dense and so is most of the City—that's part of the reason why this has been difficult. Again, the proposed building has a modest footprint to keep impact to a reasonable amount. Most of the open space remains open. I agree we have open space needs in this community and it is a desirable goal. However with the demonstrated need for a Senior Center, I believe we can manage a solution at Cushing Park. This is an opportunity to improve Cushing Park so that it could be more like a park, rather than just a parking lot with a playground and basketball court. We can keep the trees, we can install benches and other amenities. Kids can still learn to ride their bikes on the new parking lot and basketball court.

Generalized Impacts on the Neighborhood
Traffic, hours of operation, and access would all be studied during the design and implementation phase. The space can be accessed by multiple streets which would distribute any increase in traffic. The Council on Aging has vans which provide transportation; such public transportation and car pooling can minimize the number of vehicles. Council on Aging has stated that wish to accommodate neighborhood wishes on hours of operation. Some neighbors have told me that they desire a building which could be used by neighborhood groups after hours. Other neighbors feel the opposite. I believe all that can be determined by an inclusive planning, design, and implementation process AND an ongoing Neighborhood Advisory Committee in the future.

The Legal Argument
Opponents argue that the City will be sued for not complying with Article 97 of the Amendments to the Massachusetts Constitution, which prohibits the sale or change in use of public parkland without special legislative approval.

In the opinion of the City Solicitor dated April 23, 2007, "it is my opinion that the portion of the land known as Cushing Park proposed to be used for senior center purposes was not 'taken or acquired' for public parkland purposes and has not been formally held for such purposes since 1954. As land held for municipal parking, it is not subject to the restrictions of Article 97." The City has received correspondence from Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and MA DCR concurring with the City Solicitor's opinion.

The Seniors Have Rejected Sites
See the above list of possible sites.

Segregation of Seniors
This model of services is used in thousands of communities across the country. Just as schoolchildren have certain needs based on their age, so do seniors. A well-located Senior Center with services targeted mainly to elders (though there are ways to be somewhat multigenerational through volunteers and internships) is not a bad thing.

The Waterfront
With respect for the wonderfully passionate George Roaf, he is leading a one man parade here. His survey did indicate a preference for the Waterfront. George Roaf telephoned 154 Golden Agers. 47% wanted the waterfront, 43% wanted Cushing Park, and 17% didn't care. Golden Ager members told the Planning and Development Committee that at a monthly meeting after George's survey, virtually all in attendance indicated that they liked Cushing Park.

The Karp Senior Center on the Waterfront
The City has many criteria for development along the Waterfront. Adding a Senior Center into the negotiating mix with Karp and New England Development does not seem wise nor realistic.

Kelley School
The City seems headed to using the site for Youth Services. Representative Costello obtained a substantial earmark with that use in mind. Parking would be difficult: the notion of simply moving the basketball court and the playground across the Bartlett Mall to make room for the parking needed for a Senior Center seems unlikely to me.

Sharing With Newbury
That option went the way of the Little River Transit Village.

CONCLUSION
This change in designation may not be what every neighbor and citizen wants, but it is a step this City needs. This Council is sitting in a place where we have the chance to move ahead to provide an important support for seniors in our community. This may be a controversial and divisive vote, but it will also be one of the most important we cast in this term. I will be voting 'YES'.

Sincerely,


Councillor Edward Cameron

March 12: Council, Wind, Tour, Some Developer, and the World is Billions of Times More Complicated Than Our Minds

A few random thoughts:

Council Related Information on the Web
The City is taking strides to improve its website. As always, you can find contact info on your Councillor here. If you're at home and want to tune into City Council meetings via local cable, it is helpful to have a copy of the meeting 'packet' to follow along while you munch your popcorn. According to my audience survey (aka my wife), the audio has markedly improved, so you should be able to hear it.

Wind Energy
A subcomittee of the Planning Board and the Council's Planning and Development Committee have been discussing a draft of a wind energy ordinance which you can find here on the City's Planning and Development Dept page. An interesting wind related site is www.hullwind.org. Newburyport's proposed draft ordinance will be introduced to the Council very soon.

Tour of City Departments
A few weeks ago the Mayor and Department heads organized an open house for Councillors to drop in and visit the various departments in the late afternoon and early evening. I was able to visit the Council on Aging located at the Salvation Army which I had been to before, the Waste Water Treatment Facility (aka Sewer Department) on Water Street, and the Public Services/Public Works Facility on Perry Way in the Industrial Park. These visits were very informative to me and I have to say I was pretty impressed with what these respective staffs are able to do with the resources they have. I thank the Mayor and Planning Director Nancy Colbert for taking the lead and setting this up. It would be great to have this for citizens, so they can connect better with City government.

Some Developer is Coming to Town
Lost amidst the hoopla, there will still be a public meeting with New England Development on Thursday night, March 13 at the Nock Middle School. You should go if you can if for no other reason than it's time to move beyond fears, suspicions, and mind-reading and get to reality---a development corporation owns a lot of our key commercial real estate and is going to develop it---someday, someway. Our local government and citizens need to help shape that development in ways which will work for us as a community--not just for the business people, not just for the investors, not just for wealthy tourists but for everybody who lives here. This can be done right and there are millions of ways for it to be completely screwed up. And if it gets screwed up, we'll regret it. "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life." So show up.

Bill James
Now that I've borrowed from 'Casablanca' written by Theo Epstein's grandfather and great-uncle (full disclosure: we have a cat named Theo), I turn to baseball and one of my favorite authors. I speak, of course, of Bill James featured in today's Boston Globe here.

Here's the wrap-up of the story and it says it all:

"All research," he says, "begins with ignorance. The ability to focus on what it is that you do not know is critical to doing research. I'm absolutely convinced that none of us understands the world.

"I'm not a person that the world irritates, to quote Bill Buckley, but you turn on the radio and in any debate, you've got people who are convinced they know. Liberals, conservatives, Christians, Muslims, people who think Terry Francona is a genius, those that think he's an idiot. They're all convinced they've got this figured out.

"None of them has it figured out. We do not understand the world; the world is billions of times more complicated than our minds.

"You can make a useful contribution to a discussion if you can figure out specifically what it is you don't understand and try to work on it. If you try to start from the other end - 'I've got the world figured out and I'm going to explain it to everybody' - maybe there are a lot of people who succeed in doing that, but it doesn't work for me."

Happy Daylight Savings,

Ed

Post for the Week of February 10-16, 2008: Newburyport Medical Center and Senior Center

To those who actually look forward to reading my ramblings here, I apologize for my disappearance.

After being sworn in with the Council, the Mayor, and the School Committee in early January, my wife and I adopted a new daughter from China which necessitated my traveling overseas for two weeks. Don't worry---my Councillor duties were upheld by Councillors Shanley and Connell covering my phone calls and my wife Susanne covering a neighborhood meeting for me.

So with a happy daughter now home with us and with a keen appreciation, which only travel can induce, for all that we have in Newburyport, my thoughts on a couple of issues:

Newburyport Medical Center
As reported in the Daily News, the Council voted unanimously (with one recusal by Councillor Jones) on Monday night to approve modifications to the special permit for the proposed cancer center to be built off of Low Street and adjacent to Anna Jaques Hospital. This project has been supported by a strong majority of the neighbors, mostly because the access road has long been sought as a way to alleviating traffic impact on narrow residential streets.
The modifications were requested because a new developer Murphy & McManus will, after the necessary approvals are granted, complete the project. I voted 'yes' because the proposed modifications represent a 'de-intensification' of usage --a smaller building with slightly more parking--while maintaining the long awaited access road and providing much needed cancer treatment services to the Greater Newburyport area.

Senior Center
Jim Roy's column in last week's Newburyport Current asked a series of good questions to which I will give a brief answer:

1) "What is the constituency we’re talking about here, and how many of them are there?"
Out of a total population of 17,000, Newburyport’s population over the age of 60 is over 3,000 and expected to rise to over 5,000 people as the baby boomers age in the next 20 years. If 20% of the 3,000 seniors are in need of community, services, recreation, and a reason to get out of the house/apartment, that would give us 600 seniors who would use a Senior Center. Hopefully not all at once...;-).
The services provided would be similar to what is provided now in scattered rented/borrowed/begged sites and similar to what is provided in other municipalities. Yes, there may be bingo, but there will also be medical help, tax assistance, and outreach.

2) "Secondly, who is pressuring for this center?"
I heard a lot about it on the campaign trail last summer and fall. I've met with folks from the Council on Aging and unaffiliated seniors who are in favor. I've talked to members of the Siting Committee who've worked on this topic for years. Successive Mayors have worked on this issue.

3) "My third problem with this enterprise is location."
Newburyport has been looking for years at sites ranging from the Armory on Low Street, the waterfront, the Fulton Street Pit behind the Fire Station, and Cushing Park--which has emerged as the preferred site under Mayors Clancy and Moak. Jim Roy mentions Newbury's Little River Transit project as a possible partnership between the communities. I've looked at that idea--as have others. That town's proposed Senior Center is 5,000 square feet, which would make a huge house but a very small senior center; the proposal for Newburyport is 12,000 square feet.
I think Cushing Park, while not perfect, is a viable site:
a) it is centrally located essentially in the middle of our city; some seniors may actually walk there. While it is not close to senior housing located downtown, it is closer to senior housing located at Horton Terrace.
b) the City owns the land, lowering overall cost. Site control is key to any development project. In the recent Request for Proposals (RFP) for a CDBG funding put out by the MA Dept of Housing and Community Development -- this is the source often used by communities to specifically pay for capital costs for Senior Centers -- the first criteria of eligibility is 'site control'. This is why the site needs to be secured first, then the funding pursued. No foundation, state or federal agency, or private donor is going to give a penny until a site is in hand.
c) a Senior Center can fit into the neighborhood and I would say this if I lived right there on Kent Street. It will look better than what is there now—a dilapidated parking lot. The draft plans include quite a bit of parking which will cover snow emergency parking needs. The playground will remain intact. I was even pleased to find that the basketball court would remain. There is an outcry when a neighborhood school is closed; then there is an outcry when a service is proposed to be located in a neighborhood. Help me understand. Is it that we just don't like change?

In his column, Jim suggested that I'd be better off avoiding this 'minefield' which he incorrectly thought was in Ward 4 (Jim acknowledged this mistake in an email to me). As I've said before, I'd support the Senior Center and this proposed site whether I represented Ward 3, Ward 4 or the entire city and whether I lived on Kent Street, Oakland Street, or Plum Island.

To me, there is a need and a problem to be solved. We have a potential solution that works to address the problem, the capital funds to be raised will not harm the City's budget, the ongoing operating costs will be slightly higher than currently budgeted but the rent we now pay the Salvation Army would cover a great deal of the utilities and maintenance cost.

I think we need to keep moving on this.

Ed Cameron

5 Thoughts I've Had for the Week of December 31, 2007

Thought #1
Already not blogging enough, but will make that a resolution for 2008.

Thought #2
The new term for Mayor, City Council, and School Committee begins Monday, January 7th at 10am at City Hall when all will be sworn in. You should go because we're working (or soon will be working) for you.

Thought #3
I'm in favor of the Council taking the next step on the path to a Senior Center early in the term. Mary Baker has a post on why a Senior Center is needed here and I think she's right on. During the campaign, I got an earful from seniors on both sides of the issues -- although I must say more of the folks I talked to are in favor of a senior center than not AND those in favor did prefer the Cushing Park site.

At the end of the campaign, as I was talking to a young senior on Columbus Ave, it dawned on me why some seniors would be opposed to the notion of a Senior Center -- these seniors already have 'community'. The woman I talked to on Columbus Ave was doing fall yard work. She, like some others I talked to, said she simply has no need for a Senior Center. I could see over her shoulder the reasons why. She was doing yard work with several young-to-middle aged male relatives (I'd guess sons). This woman has 'community' and that is great.

But many others I met -- seniors in apartments in Horton Terrace, a disabled woman on Forrester Street, a gentleman in his 90s on Tyng Street -- are the type of people who would use a Senior Center -- and they told me that they wanted one. For seniors who retired from work years ago or have no family left in town or are not all that sociable with the neighbors, a Senior Center is a place where "community" happens.

Thought #4
I'm torn over whether Jim Rice should be in the Hall of Fame. His stats are here. Pro: hit a lot of homers, top 5 in the MVP voting 6 times, good batting average, Tony Perez is in the Hall. Con: slumped after age 33, on-base % not all that high, lots of Ground into Double Plays. Please discuss.

Thought #5
It's 9pm and I'm at home in front of the computer wearing a ratty old Nantucket t-shirt which someday I will wear in public, so of course Thought #5 is about the recent articles on Newtucket. Steve Tait's first-hand reporting from Nantucket was excellent and it was great the Daily News sent him there.

One fact that I found of interest is that Karp/New England Development/related entities owns 75-80% of Nantucket's storefronts and owns 20% of Newburyport's. It would be good to get a handle on these figures (ie is this percentage of the number of storefronts or percentage of the square footage of storefronts, etc?) but on their face, these numbers are quite frightening for Nantucket and cautionary for us. When Waterfront West is developed, do Karp's holdings go to 40% or 60% of Newburyport storefronts? When do we start throwing around the words "monopoly" and "oligopoly"? Here is your primer on concentration in an industry.

The "Karping of Nantucket" a few days later in the Daily News is an op-ed piece that really resonated with me.

Jim Dondero writes, "My memories of Newburyport in the early '60s include boarded-up buildings, Bossy Gillis' gas station and the abandoned waterfront. It is a far prettier downtown today, but the spirit of community seems to have diminished as the desirability of the ZIP code has increased." (Ed note: hey, I have two ideas for increasing community -- a Senior Center and support for our kids' public school education.)

Jim really hit the nail on the head with his closing:

"Karp and every other landowner has a legal right to develop their property, but when they need zoning variances or more parking or other concessions from the city, the people of Newburyport would be wise to make sure they use their governmental power to retain control over what type of a community they want Newburyport to be. Will it be known as a crowded shopping destination or will it be a community where the quality of life was included in the equation of development?"

Quick poll question: am I the only one who had a flash during "It's A Wonderful Life"of what the future could hold for Newburyport ?

Happy New Year, Ed