Author: Joey Ciaramitaro

In response to the drought conditions, the City of Gloucester will begin water conservation measures for one month. Starting today, August 2nd and ending on August 31st, outdoor watering is limited to “handheld” with a hose or a watering can before 9am or after 5pm.

Additional water restrictions include the prohibition of the following: 

• Lawn irrigation systems and sprinklers. 
• Filling swimming pools.
• Washing of vehicles, boats, driveways, buildings or sidewalks.

Residents on private wells are also encouraged to practice water conservation measures.

To repeat, starting today, August 2nd, and extending through August 31st,  water restrictions are in place for all residents of Gloucester. Outdoor watering is limited to “handheld” with a hose or a watering can before 9am or after 5pm.

For additional information and updates please visit the City of Gloucester website and Facebook page.

In light of the water loss due to the recent water main break as well as the ongoing Pole’s Hill brush fire fighting efforts, it is critical that we all do our apart to conserve water.

Thank you for your cooperation.

The Continentals return to the Gentile Bandstand, Sunday, August 7, 2022

at 7pm. The Antonio Gentile Bandstand is located at Stage Fort Park, Hough Avenue, Gloucester MA.

The free concert is sponsored by The Gloucester Rotary Club. The Continentals play your favorite rock and pop from the 70’s up to today’s hits. This group is a mainstay of New England summer entertainment.  

This will be the fifth concert of the Bandstand Series 2022 season. This year is the thirty fifth anniversary season of these free concerts in the park.  Large audiences continue to attend and listen in this picturesque setting overlooking Gloucester’s outer harbor.

The concert is free to the public. Parking is free and the venue and rest rooms are ADA-accessible. Bring a blanket or chair and perhaps a picnic dinner. The rain date is Wednesday, August 10. For further information please visit DavidLBenjamin.com or call 978-281-0543

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Hello, this is Mayor Greg Verga with an important message from the City of Gloucester.

As the Gloucester Fire Department and Massachusetts Forestry Services continue to manage the brush fire on Poles Hill they will be conducting controlled burnouts in the area. These burnouts will result in additional flames and smoke. Gloucester Fire Department will be monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of the area.

At this time the use of outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, chimineas, and any open or recreational fires is prohibited. Also, please do not extinguish or discard cigarettes outside.

The Gloucester Fire Department will continue to be on the scene throughout the day. There will be limited road closures and access in the area. We ask residents to avoid the area if possible. Residents should remain vigilant in monitoring for signs that the fire has restarted in the areas near them and call 911 if there are no fire personnel in the immediate area.

Please note there will be an additional call this afternoon related to water use restrictions.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Booking your dock reservation couldn’t be easier and the @manchesterbythesea transient docks are well maintained and staffed by friendly dockmasters. It enabled us to travel confidently, knowing we had a slip waiting for us and we spent money for breakfast and got provisions downtown before heading home to Gloucester

Just Passed: $28 million for a intracoastal ferry system, next stop Gov. Charlie Baker ‘s desk!

We need all hands on deck. (pun intended).
Teamsters Local 25

Thank you State Senator John F. Keenan , Senator Joan B. Lovely , Sen. Brendan Crighton , & State Senator Bruce Tarr .

The Studio is working to expand their live music. Tonight, the talented Dom LaColla  will be playing outside on the Deck from 6-9pm.

51 Rocky Neck Ave Gloucester, MA 01930

(351) 217-1238

GLOUCESTER — Mayor Greg Verga and Fire Chief Eric Smith would like to provide an update on the City of Gloucester’s response to a mechanical failure at a wind turbine in the Blackburn Industrial Park on Sunday morning. 

On Sunday, July 31, at approximately 7 a.m., the Gloucester Fire Department responded after it was discovered that one of three blades on a 492-foot wind turbine at Applied Materials on Dory Road fell off of the turbine.

There were no reported injuries, and no structural damage aside from the damage sustained in the turbine failure itself. The Gloucester Fire Department setup an approximately 450-foot collapse zone around the turbine as a precaution, and as a result closed a portion of Great Republic Drive in the Blackburn Industrial Park. 

Due to the size of the turbine, the Gloucester Fire Department and the City of Gloucester are working closely with Applied Materials to establish an appropriate isolation area around the turbine, determine current hazards and concerns, and ensure the safety of the turbine and the area.

On Sunday afternoon, Applied Materials, which owns and operates the turbine, informed the city that the cause of the failure remains unknown, but that multiple inspections of the turbine tower and remaining two blades identified no imminent structural concerns.

Once the company provided written notification that the area could safely be reopened, Great Republic Drive was reopened to traffic. An exclusion zone remains in place around the tower, but the entirety of the exclusion zone is on Applied Materials property.

Applied Materials reported that it appears from preliminary inspections that built-in safety mechanisms caused the turbine to shut down when an issue was detected, and that the safety mechanisms functioned as designed to stop the turbine. Applied Materials reported the remaining blades of the turbine have been locked into place, and that the blades are under far less stress than they are when they are operational.

The City of Gloucester has a power purchase agreement with a separate, private company that operates two other wind turbines in the Blackburn Industrial Park, and the city works closely with the owners of those turbines to ensure inspections and maintenance are conducted regularly.

Unconfirmed report that it was struck by a plover overnight. I’m sending an investigative team up there to check it out.

Here’s the scene this morning as reported by Captain Pete Mondello:

He reports there are no cranes up there, that the blade is over the embankment in bushes and there is security keeping people out (a good idea it seems)

Ken Lawler Drone Photos:

City of Gloucester and Gloucester Fire Department Respond to Wind Turbine Failure and Share Road Closure

Mayor Greg Verga and Fire Chief Eric Smith report that the City of Gloucester and multiple city agencies responded to a mechanical failure at a wind turbine Sunday morning.

On Sunday, July 31, at approximately 7 a.m., the Gloucester Fire Department responded to a report that a blade fell off of the wind turbine at Applied Materials on Dory Road in the Blackburn Industrial Park.

There were no reported injuries, and no structural damage aside from the damage sustained in the turbine failure itself.

Due to the size of the turbine, which stands over 400 feet tall, the Gloucester Fire Department and the City of Gloucester are working closely with Applied Materials to establish an appropriate isolation area around the turbine, determine current hazards and concerns, and ensure the safety of the turbine and the area.

Great Republic Drive is closed in the area of the turbine, and will remain so indefinitely.

The Gloucester Police Department and Gloucester Fire Department are working together to provide access to businesses on Great Republic Drive via a gated access driveway on Pond Road.