Author: Joey Ciaramitaro

Hump Day on the deck at My Place by the Sea! Wednesday’s from 5pm to 9pm. Music from mixmaster Rudy Dottin, fun pub fare, creative cocktail list. Bring your dancing shoes!

No body edits video like our boy!  We are so blessed to have this MO FO in our lives.

Check out some of his ridiculous work-

http://www.vimeo.com/104766546

Hi Joey,

It has been awhile since I’ve updated your readers on things that are going on at the PD. I apologize, as we have been getting ready for summer and Fiesta, and have launched our new initiative on the addiction crisis.

Our new program addressing addiction is off to a great start and I think we are doing some good work getting people off the streets and into treatment. So far, 22 have come in and been placed into treatment. At no cost to any residents. I know it’s gained a lot of attention and I guess my bottom line is this: I do not believe a program like this could have started anywhere but Gloucester. The tightknit, “take care of your neighbor” attitude this City possesses allows us to go against the traditional thinking and simply do the right thing. I’m really proud and humbled to serve here as the Chief of Police. Thank you to all who support this idea.

Fiesta is upon us again! We are keeping our fingers crosses for good weather! Last year’s Fiesta was a great success from a public safety standpoint and from the feedback I received; businesses, residents, and visitors alike all agreed it was what Fiesta is all about –A family event celebrating the City and St. Peter. We expect this year to be no different. We have communicated to businesses our expectations of them to be responsible and cooperative and they have been doing a great job. Our officers are ready to insure a safe and fun atmosphere and we know that the people of Gloucester will be respectful to each other during this event.  With that combination, we hope for a repeat of last year, where we had only 15 public safety issues throughout Fiesta that resulted in only 3 arrests. Yes, the horses will be back this year (this time with a pooper scooper). We got great feedback from people who really enjoyed their accessibility and friendliness and they were a great asset late night when things can get a little dicey. I hope to see a lot of your readers again this year. Viva San Pietro!!

We continue to make strides toward certification and accreditation, which are the highest standards a police department can obtain in the state. It is a long process, but we are getting there. We have revamped all of our policies and procedures to be in line with the process and are training our officers in a new way as to provide more professional services to the community.

Look for the new Citizens Police Academy in the fall. We have put about 150 residents through the Academy and it has been a great experience for all involved.

We are in our second year with a school resource officer and the program is going well. It is a partnership with the school system we hope will continue for many years. We have been able to identify and resolve issues before they becomelarger and build relationships with the youth of the City on a whole new level.

Next week we hope to announce, with the support of Mayor Theken, a major addition in our collective fight against domestic violence. Stay tuned.

We have two officers graduating from the MBTA Police Academy in July and we look forward to welcoming them on.

We have a second Animal Control Officer, fully trained now and working daily. We are working on not only enforcing the new ordinances, but in encouraging proper registration and working with responsible dog owners to make sure all voices are heard and we are following what the community want.

We continue to address all quality of life issues, including parking, animal control issues, speeding, and other daily issues that can frustrate and cause problems. We are always available to hear your concerns about making the City a better place to live and work.

As always, I can be reached directly for any and all questions and concerns at 978-281-9775 or lcampanello@gloucester-ma.gov

Thanks Joey, I hope you and your readers enjoy Fiesta and the summer season, and let me once again say how happy and humbled I am to be the Chief of Police in this great City.

Lenny

Respectfully,

Leonard Campanello

Chief of Police

City of Gloucester, MA

The Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association invites the public to a 24 hour continuous live demonstration of amateur radio.This 24 hour event called “Field Day” will be starting at 2 PM at the Fuller School in Gloucester, Mass on Saturday June 27th and will end at 2 PM the following Sunday June 28th. During this demonstration the public will see various forms of worldwide communications based on a scenario if the power goes out and all other cellphone and internet communications goes down in a disaster or other emergency.The public will even have the opportunity to actually talk on the air on an amateur radio.For more information on this event and amateur radio please go to http://www.caara.net

Greats is a Brooklyn based footwear company that uses premium materials and has a slightly contemporary twist on old classics.  My buddies in Town swear by them.  Def getting the navy blue Wilson’s and debating on the Dune “Hirsh”.  Frickin sweet!

Click here for a link to Greats with a $10 discount code

HOWDY! 

It’s Sunday, June 21st — and It’s here! Summer begins today with the coming Solstice at 12:38 pm EDT. Hope that Summer breeze makes you feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in your mind.

With huge hugs all around!

OXOXOXO

Tom & Mary

Liam Carney submits

My Proposal to the City of Gloucester

Gloucester is a community rich in adventurous citizens who love to partake in recreational activities. This is likely due to Gloucester’s ideal geography that can be taken advantage of in many forms. One of the most unique aspects to this community is the often flawless wave break at Good Harbor Beach. The break offers immaculate waves while providing a forgiving, sandy seafloor. Because of this, I am proposing to the City of Gloucester that we create a surf section during hours of the summer that a lifeguard is on duty.

My name is Liam Carney. I am a student at Gloucester High School and I am enrolled in AP English with Mr. James Cook as my teacher. Mr.Cook has a tradition to have his AP English Language class construct a “Gloucester Project”. The point of this project is to allow the students to learn more about their community while at the same time take and express a position on a local topic of choice. Immediately what came into mind was the issue that I share with many others; I can not surf my favorite Gloucester beach three months out of the year.

Immediately opposers to this proposal will claim that straying surfboards are dangerous to the public swimmers. This is true, straying surfboards are very dangerous to swimmers and to fellow surfers. Although, this danger is easily avoidable by two simple precautions. One, surfers should be imposed to wear leashes. A leash is a device that attaches the board to the surfer’s ankle by wire. And two, simply avoid swimming in the surf section of the beach.

As a Gloucester Public Lifeguard, this topic of discussion comes up quite frequently. Often times during a beautiful summer day, a party of surfers arrives at the beach with the intention of taking advantage of Good Harbors alluring wave break. As lifeguards, we are mandated to approach the surfers and inform them of the restriction we have on surfing. This job goes to the lifeguard who pulls the shortest straw simply because we find this task awkward due to the lack of reasons we can come up with as an explanation for the rule. Surfers are normally understanding but always upset as many of them have paid the parking toll already or have traveled across towns with intentions of surfing. The sport offers very little danger to our beaches that is not avoidable. In fact it can be argued that it even strengthens the safety of our beaches.

I was asking many of the fellow lifeguards what they would think of surfers being allowed in the water and the majority thought it would make the water safer. Having capable surfers out there with flotation devices(surfboards) and a different perspective creates a safer environment for swimmers and potential drowning victims.

The safety of Gloucester’s surfers should also be a concern of this city. Good Harbor Beach is the only spot to surf in the city of Gloucester that has strong waves and offers a forgiving, sandy seafloor in case of an accident. Other common surf spots in Gloucester include “First Cove” on the Back Shore, and Brace Cove on Eastern Point. These two spots are equivalent if not better than Good Harbor at times, wave-wise, but they contain several hazardous rocks that can easily be hidden by the ocean and result in some serious injuries.

Yes, I know we are all allowed to surf as much as we want after 5pm when the lifeguards are off duty. But unfortunately, surfing is not a sport that works with your schedule. There are small windows open throughout the day where the surf will be best. These windows often depend on the tide. And as local surfer, John McAreavey stated to me when I asked him about the issue, “It can be annoying if the tides aren’t right to surf after 5 O’clock”.

The city of Gloucester should take advantage of this incredible geological resource it has. Surfing offers a marvelous experience and sticks out to tourists as an adventure worth trying. It could also attract tons of experienced surfers who currently are being deterred from Gloucester beaches due to the no surfing policy and instead are traveling to neighboring cities that don’t offer as good of a break but allow surfers on their beaches.

The recreational sport of surfing has been increasing in this city over the past few years. In fact a new surf shop is opening up on Main Street called Surfari Sup & Surf. I was able to interview the owner, Christian Del Rosario, and he had a lot to say on the topic. Christian began by proposing a plan that compromises the time of year in which surfboards could be banned if they must be. He stated “if we can’t surf, have it be from June 15th or 20th to Labor Day. School isn’t out before June 20th so the beaches don’t really get crowded before then. Also the water is usually pretty cold and not many people are in it unless they have wetsuits on… Have the surf ban end on Labor Day because the beaches don’t get nearly as crowded as they do in July and August.” He went further by proposing times of the day in which surfing can be allowed by stating “if we can’t get all day surfing what about extending surfing hours in the morning before it gets crowded… Hardboards (surfboards/SUPs/skimboards) not allowed 11am to 5pm (maybe 4pm). Hardboard ban can be lifted at Lifeguards discretion if cold and/or rainy day and/or less than 100 people on the beach”. Christian grew up in Manchester and has been surfing in Gloucester his whole life. He is what I’d call an expert on the surfing community of New England. Christian’s theory is that if the younger generation could surf for more of the day, than the sport would become more familiar in Gloucester and you would start to see Gloucester families, or even families traveling to Gloucester from neighboring towns, hang out on the beach and surf all day as they do in other surf promoting New England cities, potentially boosting Gloucester’s economy. As Christian puts it “Surfers aren’t all dirt bag beach bums anymore (all the bums moved to somewhere warm that has consistent surf). At Good Harbor on any day there are doctors, lawyers, real estate developers, policemen, builders, fishermen, students and more trying to get a little healthy recreation in before they head home to their families or off to work. Those surfers can help contribute to both the local economy and the local community.”

As an activity many of us enjoy. Surfing in Gloucester Massachusetts is an aspect of this city that is being bound by unjust rules. As a Gloucester Public Lifeguard, a local surfer, and a student at Gloucester High School, I see a potential change that could drastically put the recreational sport of surfing to the forefront of this community.

My Proposal to the City of Gloucester

Gloucester is a community rich in adventurous citizens who love to partake in recreational activities. This is likely due to Gloucester’s ideal geography that can be taken advantage of in many forms. One of the most unique aspects to this community is the often flawless wave break at Good Harbor Beach. The break offers immaculate waves while providing a forgiving, sandy seafloor. Because of this, I am proposing to the City of Gloucester that we create a surf section during hours of the summer that a lifeguard is on duty.

My name is Liam Carney. I am a student at Gloucester High School and I am enrolled in AP English with Mr. James Cook as my teacher. Mr.Cook has a tradition to have his AP English Language class construct a “Gloucester Project”. The point of this project is to allow the students to learn more about their community while at the same time take and express a position on a local topic of choice. Immediately what came into mind was the issue that I share with many others; I can not surf my favorite Gloucester beach three months out of the year.

Immediately opposers to this proposal will claim that straying surfboards are dangerous to the public swimmers. This is true, straying surfboards are very dangerous to swimmers and to fellow surfers. Although, this danger is easily avoidable by two simple precautions. One, surfers should be imposed to wear leashes. A leash is a device that attaches the board to the surfer’s ankle by wire. And two, simply avoid swimming in the surf section of the beach.

As a Gloucester Public Lifeguard, this topic of discussion comes up quite frequently. Often times during a beautiful summer day, a party of surfers arrives at the beach with the intention of taking advantage of Good Harbors alluring wave break. As lifeguards, we are mandated to approach the surfers and inform them of the restriction we have on surfing. This job goes to the lifeguard who pulls the shortest straw simply because we find this task awkward due to the lack of reasons we can come up with as an explanation for the rule. Surfers are normally understanding but always upset as many of them have paid the parking toll already or have traveled across towns with intentions of surfing. The sport offers very little danger to our beaches that is not avoidable. In fact it can be argued that it even strengthens the safety of our beaches.

I was asking many of the fellow lifeguards what they would think of surfers being allowed in the water and the majority thought it would make the water safer. Having capable surfers out there with flotation devices(surfboards) and a different perspective creates a safer environment for swimmers and potential drowning victims.

The safety of Gloucester’s surfers should also be a concern of this city. Good Harbor Beach is the only spot to surf in the city of Gloucester that has strong waves and offers a forgiving, sandy seafloor in case of an accident. Other common surf spots in Gloucester include “First Cove” on the Back Shore, and Brace Cove on Eastern Point. These two spots are equivalent if not better than Good Harbor at times, wave-wise, but they contain several hazardous rocks that can easily be hidden by the ocean and result in some serious injuries.

Yes, I know we are all allowed to surf as much as we want after 5pm when the lifeguards are off duty. But unfortunately, surfing is not a sport that works with your schedule. There are small windows open throughout the day where the surf will be best. These windows often depend on the tide. And as local surfer, John McAreavey stated to me when I asked him about the issue, “It can be annoying if the tides aren’t right to surf after 5 O’clock”.

The city of Gloucester should take advantage of this incredible geological resource it has. Surfing offers a marvelous experience and sticks out to tourists as an adventure worth trying. It could also attract tons of experienced surfers who currently are being deterred from Gloucester beaches due to the no surfing policy and instead are traveling to neighboring cities that don’t offer as good of a break but allow surfers on their beaches.

The recreational sport of surfing has been increasing in this city over the past few years. In fact a new surf shop is opening up on Main Street called Surfari Sup & Surf. I was able to interview the owner, Christian Del Rosario, and he had a lot to say on the topic. Christian began by proposing a plan that compromises the time of year in which surfboards could be banned if they must be. He stated “if we can’t surf, have it be from June 15th or 20th to Labor Day. School isn’t out before June 20th so the beaches don’t really get crowded before then. Also the water is usually pretty cold and not many people are in it unless they have wetsuits on… Have the surf ban end on Labor Day because the beaches don’t get nearly as crowded as they do in July and August.” He went further by proposing times of the day in which surfing can be allowed by stating “if we can’t get all day surfing what about extending surfing hours in the morning before it gets crowded… Hardboards (surfboards/SUPs/skimboards) not allowed 11am to 5pm (maybe 4pm). Hardboard ban can be lifted at Lifeguards discretion if cold and/or rainy day and/or less than 100 people on the beach”. Christian grew up in Manchester and has been surfing in Gloucester his whole life. He is what I’d call an expert on the surfing community of New England. Christian’s theory is that if the younger generation could surf for more of the day, than the sport would become more familiar in Gloucester and you would start to see Gloucester families, or even families traveling to Gloucester from neighboring towns, hang out on the beach and surf all day as they do in other surf promoting New England cities, potentially boosting Gloucester’s economy. As Christian puts it “Surfers aren’t all dirt bag beach bums anymore (all the bums moved to somewhere warm that has consistent surf). At Good Harbor on any day there are doctors, lawyers, real estate developers, policemen, builders, fishermen, students and more trying to get a little healthy recreation in before they head home to their families or off to work. Those surfers can help contribute to both the local economy and the local community.”

As an activity many of us enjoy. Surfing in Gloucester Massachusetts is an aspect of this city that is being bound by unjust rules. As a Gloucester Public Lifeguard, a local surfer, and a student at Gloucester High School, I see a potential change that could drastically put the recreational sport of surfing to the forefront of this community.