GLOUCESTER, MA – Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken today announced an emergency order that temporarily designates nearly three dozen streets resident parking only.  Additionally, the City is pleased to introduce Rangers who will assist staff at Stage Fort Park and City beaches.

This past weekend, the City of Gloucester experienced severe beach traffic and parking issues that have raised public safety concerns with City Officials throughout several neighborhoods.  The Gloucester Police Department issued 478 parking tickets, a significant increase from the same time period the year before.

Mayor Romeo Theken said, “We are looking at every way we can to make the inconveniences of parking issues easier for residents.  The patterns of our daily lives will be different for a while because of the ongoing pandemic.  It is our hope that these parking measures will make one aspect of that less stressful.”

By emergency order, citing public safety concerns, the following streets are temporarily being made resident parking only.  This will help limit non-resident on street parking in several neighborhoods and allow better enforcement by the police department.  This will be seasonal and temporary as Ward Councilors work towards making it permanent.

The impacted streets are:

• • Hartz Street
  • Tolman Street
  • Williams Court
  • Harrison Avenue
  • Eastern Avenue, easterly side from Hartz Street to Abbott Road
  • Eastern Avenue, southerly side from its intersection with Williams Court in an easterly direction to its intersection with Hartz Street
  • Elizabeth Road
  • Abbott Road
  • Marina Drive
  • Loma Drive
  • Puerto Drive
  • Rio Drive
  • Cabo Drive
  • Brightside Avenue
  • Traverse Street
  • Farrington Avenue
  • Edgemoor Road
  • Stage Fort Avenue
  • Beachmont Avenue
  • Tolman Avenue
  • Crowell Avenue
  • Old Salem Road
  • Hough Avenue
  • Windsor Lane
  • Witham Street
  • Fenley Road
  • Cedarwood Road
  • Dornell Road
  • Bond Street
  • Marshfield Street
  • Cross Street
  • Decatur Street
  • Sayward Street

The Department of Public Works will be posting signage in a phased approach over the next several days on these streets.  Residents are asked to pay attention if signage has been posted on their streets as Gloucester Police will have extra enforcement scheduled throughout the weekend.

As a resident, if you need to park a car on the street, please make sure you have a 2019 or 2020 Beach Sticker displayed, a Resident Parking Sticker (available for $5 from Collector’s Office, tel. 978-281-9735) or clearly display your car registration on the dashboard.  If you lease a vehicle, display a utility bill showing a Gloucester name and address on your dashboard.

A reminder for resident entry into the lots at Stage Fort Park and Good Harbor and Wingaersheek beaches you will need to display a 2019/2020 beach parking sticker or license/motor vehicle registration showing a Gloucester address.  A resident sticker is not permitted for access to these lots.

Beginning this weekend, a Ranger Program has begun in Gloucester.  Working with Orion Services, Inc., the Rangers will be out throughout the weekend at Stage Fort Park and city beaches.  They will assist City staff, give a face to those public spaces, ensure a positive experience for all patrons, monitor safety at these locations and serve as a liaison between park and beach visitors and City staff.

Mayor Romeo Theken said, “I have been interested in reintroducing this type of program to Gloucester.  As we work through extraordinary traffic, parking issues as well as an influx of visitors the additional presence throughout our recreational spaces will enhance the City’s ability to monitor and address issues.”

For this weekend, at times, traffic may be extremely congested.  As always, drivers and pedestrians should exercise caution and patience navigating through and around Stage Fort Park and our beach areas.  The City of Gloucester appreciates everyone’s patience and cooperation.

Hey Joey,
Thank you so much for promoting the event.  We will be offering an extra $10 off any purchase over $50, including all regular and sale priced items.  Coupon is attached.
All my best,Adam

–Mark Adrian Shoes
103 Main St.Gloucester, MA 01930(978)283-4343

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Photos From Rina Cavallini

The retail facility opened Today 7/16/20 at 10:00AM

www.happyvalley.org

Click to play video interview-

GLOUCESTER
38 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930
Phone: 978-515-5600

Download the Insider App here:

Is it strange that I have a ton of anxiety based around if my beverages and food is kept optimally cold?

Like I am seriously freaking out if we go to the beach and my beer isn’t ice cold, I’m angry.  I’m angry if other people aren’t doing whatever it takes to insure the beer and bottled water are super cold.

Is it strange that I feel the need to have several different types of coolers for different situations?

1)Large cooler for party situations at the house

Pros:

Large Capacity

Classy All White

Inexpensive

Cons:

Mobility/Super heavy when loaded/no wheels

Igloo 100 Quart Link To Purchase Here

2) Need a wheeled cooler for family outings where there will be a lot of food and beverages and ice and to carry it along with all the other beach stuff is not optimal without wheels.

Pros:

• Decent capacity
• Wheels and telescopic handle
• Price

Cons:

• Overkill for more than a couple of people

Coleman 50 Quart link To Purchase Here

3) Need a rotomolded one for when you want to insure the coldest of cold beverages and you’re not having to lug it a long way.

Ozark Trail Rotomolded 26 Qt Link To Purchase

Pros:

• Rotomolded coolers best for keeping beverages cold the longest.
• Quality Construction/Materials

Cons:

• Super heavy even without ice and cans.
• Price
• Low capacity for size and weight

4) Need a slim soft sided one that won’t take up a lot of room on the boat.

Ozark Trail Soft Sided Welded Seam Cooler Link To Purchase

Pros:

Vertical Footprint takes up less space on the boat

Waterproof and leakproof

Price

Cons:

Stiff zippers that need lubricating to keep moving easily

Eric Lorden owns this one and we did an ice test to see how it fared.

Disclaimer:  Many hard core cooler freaks (like myself) will want to consider the conditions under which the test was administered.

I’ll outline what the conditions were for the test:

The cooler was not pre-chilled and the 18 pack of Coors light was dumped in the cooler from the package store cooler ten minutes after it was purchased so the beer was cold.  The ice in the two 5 lb bags we dumped in had melted a bit.  It too had been out of the package store freezer for a little over 10 minutes.

We packed the beer in at 9:00 AM covered it with the two 5 lb bags of ice and checked it first at 1:40 PM and did not open it again until 7:00 AM this morning.

Watch the video to see the results and my overall recommendation:

Scottie Mac Just shredding pounds like Jack LaLanne this summer.

This just after pounding down a double cheeseburger like it was a tic tac.

The retail facility opens Thursday 7/16/20 at 10:00AM

www.happyvalley.org

Click to play video interview-

GLOUCESTER
38 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930
Phone: 978-515-5600

Download the Insider App here:

Via instagram

The Corona claims another one.

GLOUCESTER — Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, Director of Public Works Michael Hale and Public Health Director Karin Carroll report that the City of Gloucester will close all beach parking lots to non-residents this weekend. The decision to close the parking lots to non-residents on Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19 follows numerous resident complaints of excessive traffic this past weekend. “The last thing we want to do is close our parking lots to visitors, but our City was had an influx of traffic this past weekend,” Mayor Romeo Theken said. “We need to reduce the amount of traffic, which is a challenge we face every year but has certainly been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. More people are understandably looking to get outside after staying home for months to reduce risk of exposure to the virus, but that has meant traffic is worse and it isn’t a sustainable situation for our residents.” “This issue is exacerbated as well by the limitations people have on travel, which means more people are taking day trips,” Carroll said. “However, it’s critical we ensure there is plenty of space for social distancing on the beach and that residents can go about their daily lives.” Additionally, high tide is expected to take place early in the day Saturday and Sunday, at 10:21 a.m. and 11:07 a.m. respectively according to US Harbors, a factor which significantly reduces the area of beach available for visitors, particularly at Good Harbor and Half Moon Beaches. At Good Harbor, a portion of the beach is also sectioned off as conservation land for Piping Plovers. This poses a significant challenge as people continue to practice social distancing to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Beach goers are asked to maintain a minimum of 12 feet of distance between toweling and blanket areas. All parking lots to public beaches will be closed to non-residents this weekend, including the lots at Stage Fort Park, Good Harbor Beach and Wingaersheek Beach. Residents will be able to gain entry with a 2020 beach sticker, 2019 beach sticker, or if they are still waiting to receive their 2020 sticker, a license and registration with a Gloucester address. The City of Gloucester will make an announcement next week whether the beach parking lots will be re-opened to non residents for the weekend of July 25-26. Gloucester’s public beaches are currently open to a limited number of non-residents, and visitors to the area will still be permitted to park at public beach parking lots in Gloucester on weekdays, for the time being. Additional city staff will be working at the Stage Fort Park, Good Harbor Beach and Wingaersheek Beach parking lots to ensure non-residents do not park there this weekend. All beachgoers are reminded of the following guidance from City officials: Face coverings, under state order, are required in all public spaces where social distancing, remaining a minimum of six feet from others, is not feasible. This rule does not extend to children under the age of two or those with specified medical conditions that prevent them from wearing a face covering. Masks and face coverings are not required when swimming. Groups of more than 10 people are prohibited. Visitors to Gloucester beaches are required to maintain social distancing. Everyone must maintain at least 12 feet of distance between toweling and blanket areas. Visitors must take with them all trash, recyclables and other items that they bring onto the beach. Organized ball games are not permitted at this time, including volleyball, Kan Jam, spikeball, football, soccer, Kadima and bocce. Walking access ways from parking lots to beaches may be designated as single file to enter and exit the beach. Moving traffic only will be permitted in these areas, no standing. Gloucester Beaches will operate as follows: A minimum of six feet shall be maintained between lifeguards, lifeguard stands and the public unless there is an emergency. At Good Harbor and Wingaersheek Beaches restrooms will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will also be four portable toilets as well. Stage Fort Park will have two portable toilets available at the Cupboard Restaurant and four near the Visitor’s Center. Bathroom facilities will be cleaned hourly and will be deep-cleaned and disinfected frequently. Beach visitors shall follow social distancing guidelines when standing in bathroom lines and follow any established visual guidelines for maintaining a six foot distance in all restroom facilities. Lot attendants and lifeguards will wear face coverings when they are unable to maintain a social distance from others. They will additionally be advised to frequently wash their hands for a minimum of 20 seconds. Beach visitors are also asked to review all signage before entering the beach to ensure rules and regulations will not be inadvertently violated. This is the first in a series of measures that will be implemented to address beach parking and traffic concerns. Follow Gloucester Beaches on Facebook for parking updates.