Month: March 2023

Blue on Blue…

Another sure sign of Spring when Pauline’s Gifts on Essex Ave announces her reopening! Sharing from Facebook:

High School  jazz musicians from Gloucester and Salem, joined by well-known adult players, are holding a benefit concert to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on Friday, March 10, at 7 p.m. The event at Gloucester High School is free and open to the public, but the student organizers hope each attendee will contribute $10 if able to.

Every penny raised will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a world leader in the battle against childhood diseases.

The concert is the brainchild of Gloucester High School students Elijah Sarrouf, Esme Sarrouf  and Tyler Weed.

“My goal is to start a tradition of bringing the local communities together through music and a common cause, in this case St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Elijah Sarrouf, a senior at Gloucester High School.  “It’s really important that we can give our talents through music to help kids battling cancer, and I’d love for this to be something bands across the North Shore come together every year to do.”

The lineup will include: the Gloucester High School Docksiders jazz band; the Salem High School Jazz Quintet and Jazz Ensemble; local  band-leader Brandon Tarricone and his Dixieland Jazz band; and guitarist Krewe De Roux.

“We reached out to Salem High School and to Krewe De Roux and they jumped right in,” Weed said. “Others have said they want to join next year, so we hope this is the first of many.” The students are especially grateful for the participation of Salem High School bands director Cynthia Napierkowski and Gloucester High School bands director Cole Lundquist and to the Gloucester High School administration for making the performance space available.

The Sarrouf family has been involved in raising support for St. Jude for decades. Elijah and Esme’s father, John, said of the concert: “St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded by Danny Thomas, a master performer, so it’s lovely that teenagers decided to use a musical performance to advance his oft-stated mission that “no child should die in the dawn of life.”

Jazz fans who are unable to attend the event but would like to support the initiative may give at the fundraising website: https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR?px=2965976&fr_id=140354&pg=personal 

Well it’s the perfect time to come check us out because it’s Mass Beer Week! So come on down to Laneside Pub & Brewery, grab a pint and celebrate with us. New beers released this week. 🍻

It was almost springlike recently when I took a little walk around the park area including the Fitz Henry Lane House and the Fitz Hugh Lane statue. I am walking the line between the 2 names best known for the local artist born Nathaniel Rogers Lane in 1804 and legally changed his name to Fitz Henry Lane in 1834. You can be forgiven for confusion over the name Fitz Hugh Lane which apparently was erroneous. (More info on that here from the National Gallery of Art) The Gloucester Harbor Walk provides further information here, as well as fellow blog contributor Catherine Ryan’s post from March 2019 which can be found here. Further information on the Fitz Henry Land house and Fitz Hugh Lane statue can also be found here from Cape Ann Museum.

Regardless, all that background info isn’t really necessary in order to enjoy the paved walkways, benches and tables in this park area. And, of course, the Alfred Duca statue overlooking Harbor Loop is most striking. I am not sure how all the pine cones ended up nearby but they don’t detract from the statue’s beauty. There were families and couples enjoying a little quiet time and scenery while I was there. Maybe don’t worry too much about Henry vs Hugh and just enjoy the surroundings while you are there.

DownRiver Ice Cream in Essex is one of my touchpoints in seasonal change. Coming again soon!

www.sushisanglee.com

Gold Leaf…

Purchase GHS Hoops Tournament Tix

Mayor Greg Verga announces that the City of Gloucester has entered a consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to perform facility improvements and secondary treatment updates at the City’s Water Pollution Control Facility on Essex Avenue.

This decree cements the City’s commitment to improving water quality in Gloucester, and represents the City’s largest investment in the plant since it opened in 1984. Upgrades will bring state-of-the-arttreatment processes and increase resilience at the existing facility.

The plant will operate throughout construction.

“This project is a major step toward improving our infrastructure in our community,” Mayor Verga said. “This is an incredible investment in our residents and environment. I am proud to take this project on to do the most good for the most people over the most time. This is also a major investment into economic development; these upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility will make Gloucester a more inviting and attractive location for current and future businesses.”

Under terms of the decree, the City must:

• Submit to the EPA and DEP a formal timeline of preliminary design, permitting, construction phasing and funding authorizations by May 15, 2023;
• Submit to the EPA and DEP final design plant for the plant by Dec. 31, 2024;
• Finish construction by March 31, 2028.

The plant’s outflow currently is sent several miles out into Massachusetts Bay. Secondary treatment will result in improved effluent water quality, thereby providing benefits to the coastal environment.

Last fall the City received a $2 million federal appropriation to study options for plant improvements, which was secured by U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and U.S. Sen. Edward Markey.

It is believed the project could cost $100 million. The City is actively engaging with state and federal agencies to identify infrastructure funding opportunities, including the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The City intends to use $10 million in ARPA funding for plant upgrades.

The Department of Public Works will oversee the project. Environmental Partners Group, LLC, is serving as Owner’s Project Manager.

Project updates will be provided regularly on the City’s website.